by Jim Peterson | Mar 30, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hibiscus seeds, also called ambrette seeds, smell like musk. In fact, they provide the only source of musk aroma that isn’t from an animal or synthetic. So, for anyone making a vegan perfume, ambrette seeds are the way to go. I’ve found them in three forms: the...
by Jim Peterson | Mar 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
Many of us, especially men, who have little experience with perfume, are likely to have encountered eau de cologne, often called “after shave.” Eau de cologne is used in a different way than perfume and is meant as a refreshing encounter with some persistence,...
by Jim Peterson | Mar 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
In perfumery, the word “oriental” denotes a rich, dense and complex perfume. Shalimar is probably the best-known example. According to J.S. Jellinek, in Perfumery: Practice and Principles, oriental perfumes can be divided into those such as Obsession and...
by Jim Peterson | Mar 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Pronounced SHEEPra, the word refers to the island of Cypress, known for its oakmoss, but Cypress has little to do with the evolution of the modern chypre. Instead, the classic chypre style was introduced in 1917 by Francois Coty who created a perfume by that name...
by Jim Peterson | Mar 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
As a small boy, I got scared when my mother went out for dinner or to a party and left me alone with my bullying teenage brothers. This angst is forever coupled by the delicious aroma of her 1940s Vol de Nuit. No sooner would she put it on, getting ready to go out,...
by Jim Peterson | Mar 4, 2021 | Uncategorized
When I finished composing Green Iris, I ran over to The Twisted Lily, a perfume boutique just a few blocks from me, to get their opinion. One salesperson exclaimed “Iris!” while another said, “Well, that’s certainly outside the box.” Since, I’ve been thinking about...
by Jim Peterson | Feb 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
No doubt because of the intense labor needed to accumulate enough violet flowers, violet flower absolute disappeared from the market many years ago. Perfumers use violet leaf absolute instead. While violet leaf has a nice green aspect that fits well with the...
by Jim Peterson | Feb 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
For some perfumes, the greatest challenge is getting them to last. Natural floral aromas, especially, evaporate quickly—they last no more than an hour or two on the skin—and need to last longer to be viable. It has long been the supposition of perfumers, master and...
by Jim Peterson | Feb 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
As a child, I used to press my nose against the inside of my grandmother’s cedar-lined chest. It smelled of the Orient, as we called it then, of ships and harbors and of China. Despite having since survived the assault of cheap “cedar-scented” cleaning products,...
by Jim Peterson | Feb 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
Because sandalwood has gotten very expensive–the best genuine Mysore stuff goes for around $25/milliliter—many try to emulate its scent using inexpensive aroma chemicals. Despite my own efforts, I’ve never been able to match the silvery, creamy woodiness of...
