How To Make Perfume At Home: An Easy Step By Step Guide [2024]

This is an indepth guide on how to make perfume at home. The art of customizing perfumes and distilling flowers and other sources that give off aromatic substances dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and ancient China, with a slight improvement by the much later civilizations of Greece and Rome.

However, since then the art of perfumery has undergone major innovative changes paving way for stronger and more concentrated body scents that carry designer or luxurious tags and sometimes cost a lot of money.

This is where the problem lies as the search for fragrances with longer longevity and increased sillage has paved the way for an increased use of chemicals and non-natural products in the production of perfumes.

And most times, the recipes of such synthetic fragrances and what they contain are not disclosed to the public under the guise of it being a trade secret and a copyrighted item that shouldn’t be made known to everyone.

It is a known fact that most people choose perfumes based on how the scents appeal to them, the emotional response it elicits from them, and how they feel it captures their personality or essence.

However, finding that right scent that reflects all these can sometimes be a problem especially when most perfumes brands are created with a commercial “one-fits-all” mindset modelled on developing fragrances that entice customers without taking individual preferences and attachments into consideration.

Therefore, when faced with situations like this most people often resort to creating their own individual scents instead of choosing those commercial brands that everyone uses and smells like. 

Also, the process of creating homemade perfumes is both an intimate and indulgent process that grants the creator and wearer more control over the process and the ingredients that go into the fragrance blend.

Furthermore, the process of making your perfume yourself though a sensorial stimulation is not as difficult as it is believed to be and as most people make it seem, and can be done by anyone.

Reasons To Adopt Home Made Perfumes

To cut cost – the luxury perfume brands are very expensive, and might be a discouraging factor for most people who use fragrances. Therefore, homemade perfumes become the next alternative to turn to as they are more efficient and cheaper to make.

Also, if keeping up with the cost of your favourite perfume is the problem here then there are websites that help you recreate such perfume at home by helping you identify the ingredients it contains. 

Not finding the right scent – because most people hustle through perfume brands to find that fragrance that speaks true and represents what they are and can relate to, it then becomes easier to settle for customized home-made perfumes with signature scents that is theirs alone and works well with their body chemistry.

Also, a person’s preference for a perfume might be closely tied to their lifestyle and schedule. Most people have 24/7 active schedules and sometimes finding the right fragrance that serves their various schedules can be a bit difficult. Then the next option is to settle for home-made perfumes that take their personal needs into consideration while being created. 

Health reasons – most people settle for homemade perfumes because of the effects of most synthetic and non-synthetic ingredients contained in commercial perfume brands. These ingredients can irritate the skin, increases the chances of the wearer developing skin cancer, can cause endocrine disruption, and often lead to long-term damaging health conditions.

Furthermore, most fragrances contain allergenic properties, chemicals gotten from petroleum and other natural gases, and hormone disruptors all of which have damaging effects on the wearer’s health.

The risk of these health issue are somehow lessened with the idea of DIY body fragrances. This allows the wearer select or handpick the ingredients that want themselves, while being quite assured of the quality and health consequence of every ingredient they add to the blend. 

Personal reasons-sometimes, people can choose to stop wearing commercial perfumes and adopt home-made fragrances wholeheartedly due to personal reasons. The reasons can include: bad user experiences, the hassle of shopping for perfumes, the issue of getting bored easily with commercial perfumes, and fragrance sensitivity. 

ALSO SEE: The Ingredients For Making Perfume of High Quality

Things To Do Before Attempting To Create Your Own Perfume At Home

Research and learn – before diving into producing home-made signature scents or your own formula perfumes, it is essential that you understand the science (and art) of making perfumes. This knowledge should extend beyond just knowing what and what to mix, to knowing everything about notes and fragrant families.

This is because at surface level perfume making may mostly look like the mere science of mixing substances and hoping it doesn’t permanently injure your skin, with a little creativity to the whole process of working with scents.

But in reality, it entails getting well acquainted with the ingredients that usually make up the top, heart, and base notes in other fragrances and deciding which set of notes you want for your home-made perfume, knowing the value and use of each ingredient, knowing the required measurements and ratios to make it work, brushing up your knowledge of essential oils and their uses within the concept of perfumery, and the rest.

Anyone who is interested in crafting their perfumes themselves needs to know how fragrances blend together as one, the inspiration behind the blend, and the building steps that follow this process. Part of what needs to be studied well are the notes in perfumes, their features, and what they do. 

Also, part of learning what works and what doesn’t work also includes knowing your preferences, what agrees with your body, the purpose for making the perfumes, and which fragrance you want to be more prominent.

This step is not only about studying and understanding the rudiments of perfume making, but also about understanding what your signature scent is and how to achieve it.

On notes, what are notes in perfumes? Fragrance notes are ingredients used in making perfumes and are perceivable when the fragrance is applied. They are classified into three groups depending on their smell and how long they last, and they include: top notes, middle notes, and base. In addition, every fragrance contains these three notes and in varying proportions. 

Top notes: top notes are often the first scents perceived once a perfume is applied. They are also known to contain small molecules and fade out faster giving way for other fragrances. This note often create the first impression and so are regarded as what sells the perfume.

The most commonly used top notes in perfumes include: tangerine, sweet orange, grape fruit, basil, bergamot, eucalyptus, lavender, clary sage, mint, cinnamon, and the rest.  

Middle notes: middle notes are regarded as the heart or core of the fragrance and often have the highest percentage in the whole blend. They take over from the top notes and can cover for the lapses of the top notes especially with cheap perfume brands.

Middle notes last longer than top notes and with a much gentler vibe. The most common and popular middle notes include: juniper, chamomile, cardamom, rosemary, yarrow, nutmeg, geranium, fennel, lavender, etc.

Base notes: base notes like the name indicate are the foundational fragrances of every perfume. Like the base, they highlight and deepen the middle notes. Also, they immediately come to the fore as the middle notes dissipate and are known to last longer than the other notes. This feature is due to the nature of the molecules they contain and their concentrated and intense scents. 

After learning about notes, it is also important to know what constituents a scent and the different types of scents. This knowledge is directly tied to notes as they are intricately linked as subcategories of fragrance notes.

The different scents include: citrus scents, woody scents, floral scents (single, bright, and bouquet floral), oriental or amber scents, oceanic scents, musky scents, fougere scents, chypre scents, fruity scents, gourmand, green, woody scents, and leather scents. Getting acquainted with these scents will help you create an olfactory identity and set your preference. 

Select ingredients of choice-once you have settled on the items to include in your chosen fragrance and how to achieve it, the next step is to source for materials. You need to collect flowers, herbs and other natural aromatic sources that you want to include in your fragrance, depending on the kind of fragrance you want to achieve.

Flowers petals are better options for people who are already experts at making perfumes, while essential oils are better choices for amateur perfumers to start from. So if you want a signature scent firmly rooted in essential oils, then you also need to pick out the blend of essential oils you need for the different notes in your perfume of choice.

One of the key things about home-made perfumes is that they majorly contain natural and locally sourced ingredients. When placed side by side with the commercial variant, it becomes a plus for this type of perfume. 

Get prepared-getting prepared is the second part of getting ingredients of choice as it entails getting the right equipment, the protective gear, and finding the right workplace. The right workplace should be well ventilated and be able to contain odour in order to avoid the choking effects of the aromatic oils. To help with this, you can install a cooling system (like a fan). 

Also, due to the depth and overpowering scent of most aromatic oils and substances, it is advised that you get a new set of equipment solely for the purpose of perfume making and not for anything else, especially as related to the kitchen and the food you eat.

When choosing equipment for this process always go for the glass variant as they are much resistant to the damaging effects of essential oils than plastic or metal.

The needed equipment include: fragrance tester strips, a rod for stirring, a weighing scale, amber glass bottles, containers, liquid measuring tools, small glass beakers and funnels, bottle labels, droppers or pipettes, vials, base (in the form of alcohol or jojoba oil), a scarf or mask to cover your nose with or a full protective body gear, curettes, mini fridge (to store the oils if necessary), hot plate, disposable latex gloves, a working table that is made of a spill-proof material (like glass, stainless, or Formica), a record notebook (for recording new discoveries and measurements), casseroles, and items to clean up with afterwards.

However, it is not necessary to get all these equipment listed here. You can just get the basic ones you need to get started. 

Get recipes – recipes are simply guides to creating something, and they often come with the list of needed ingredients, their required measurements, and the needed equipment. In general, getting recipes is the easy but not so easy stage before diving fully into formulating your own fragrance. Getting recipes from the right source is a crucial step and demands extra knowledge of what should be contained in it.

This is because there are thousands of sites that offer free DIY perfume recipes without taking body type, sensitivity, and dermatological concerns into note. For this, you can consult a dermatologist to offer some DIY perfume recipes.

Also, you can look up some credible and reliable sites offering tips and bits about perfume making, as long as you know your skin type and the ingredients that you are not allergic to. Making your perfume yourself is safe as long as abide by the measurements and ratios specified in the recipe.

In conclusion, creating your fragrance yourself is a good way to save money, create a friendly scent that is both health and environmental friendly without the addition of harmful chemicals and hormones, and to develop a signature scent that is uniquely yours.

Some Types Of Perfumes You Can Make At Home

Perfume Oils – perfume oils are gotten from plants and come with highly concentrated fragrances. They are very comfortable when spritzed on the wearer’s skin, do not cause sensitive reactions, and last all through the day.

Due to their lack of alcohol they are easily absorbed by the skin clinging to it like a tattoo and take longer time to wear off. Also, they are formulated instead with essential oils and without the addition of artificial preservatives, and have longer shelf-life. Perfume oils can also be called fragrance oils or aromatic oils. 

Body spray/splash – body spray or splash often have lighter scents and intoxicating fragrances that leave the wearer feeling fresh all day. They also moisturize the skin and help regulate sweating especially during outdoor events.

Body sprays or splash are also known for their great sillage (trail), and is ideal for outdoor occasions when you want to smell wonderful and leave behind a stunning first impression. They are also generally liked because of the intensity of the notes.  

Cologne – named after a large city in Germany, cologne is mostly scented water with a small concentration of oils. And in the production of cologne, vodka (alcohol) is an essential product as it is used to dilute the essential oils before they are incorporated into the general perfume blend.

Cologne have refreshing effects, are easy to wear, and are perfect for all occasions. However, they might not last as long as needed due to their low concentration of essential oils. 

Roll-on perfumes – there is really not much difference with roll-on perfumes and other types described here, only that the fragrance comes in a roll-on bottle instead of a spray bottle. Roll-on perfumes are easy to apply and help with sweating problems especially in the armpit region. Even though such perfumes are characteristically know to be less concentrated, they provide all day freshness and comfort when applied. 

Commonly-Used Bases In Homemade Perfumes

Alcohol or ethanol- alcohol or ethanol is a common base for most perfumes. With the easiest option being the food-grade type, especially the clear ones without the characteristic ‘choking’ alcohol smell. A perfect example of such grade of alcohol is vodka. Most importantly, alcohol types like isopropyl alcohol and methanol should never be used as they are toxic to the skin. 

Jojoba oil/carrier oils- Jojoba oil is an unscented carrier oil and is a commonly used base oil in perfumes. Jojoba oil is skin friendly with moisturizing effects and is easily absorbed by the skin without leaving a residual greasy patch.

Also, it is colourless and does not emit any foul smell and as so makes blending into a fragrance mix very easy. It is extracted from jojoba wax after the glycerine has been removed. Jojoba oil can be mixed with essential oils during the production of perfume. 

In the absence of jojoba oil, other carrier oils like almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and the likes have proven to be useful in the manufacture of homemade perfumes and aromatherapy fragrance.

While choosing a carrier oil though, it is essential to remember that some oils have shorter durability and are likely to spoil when unused for a period of time. This poor shelf-life is bound to affect the general quality of the perfume when such carrier oil is used.

Another problem with carrier oils is that they either maintain a solid or liquid form based on varying room temperature and this can affect the quality of the perfume. In addition, some essential oils can have toxic effects on the human skin depending on their concentration and so should be handled with extra care. 

Essential oils-essential oils are the perfect option for amateur perfumers to begin with. They exist as the non-harmful option in contrast with the synthetic scents contained in most commercial perfume brands. Synthetic scents are known to contain skin sensitive properties and can inspire allergenic reactions.

Due to the rich and powerful nature of essential oils they often need to be diluted before being used as ingredients in perfume making. However, some essential oils are still harmful even when diluted or come in small quantities and so should be completely avoided. On the other side of essential oils are fragrance oils, which are just like essential oils only that they are synthetic and more affordable than essential oils. 

Animal oils-animals oils like the name indicates is gotten from animals and often come in the form of secretions, musk, and by-products. Animal products like ambergris and civet have been used in the production of commercial perfumes historically. These items though expensive remain controversial items in the making of perfumes due to the nature of how they are extracted from animals.

Some Recipe For Making Perfumes At Home

• Making perfumes with essential oils recipe (a good place for amateurs to start from)

Things you need to make this perfume:

• 2 teaspoons of carrier oil of choice (remember that you can either use jojoba, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, etc)
• 6 teaspoons of 100% proof alcohol (most preferably vodka)
• 2.5 teaspoons of bottled water 
• 30 drops of essential oils (the notes concentration here are largely dependent on the type of perfume you want. For the sake of this recipe, it is advised you use 9 drops for the top notes, 15 drops for the heart or middle notes, and 6 drops for the base notes)
• A funnel (small-sized)
• Coffee filter
• And two dark bottles with airtight covers to store the perfume after production. Using a dark bottle is essential as the dark shade works to keep the light out and so allows your fragrance stay preserved for a longer time. 

Instructions

1. Pour your chosen carrier oil into one of the dark bottles, then add the required drop of base notes first. This step is followed by applying the required drops of the middle and base notes.
2. Once this is done, you need to add the alcohol which comes into the mix as a preservative (most preferably vodka because of its colourless, flavourless and odourless form). It is important to make sure that the added percentage of alcohol balances with the percentage of other ingredients in the fragrant mix. 
3. After this step, you need to close the bottle with the cover and leave it for 48 hours. How strong the scent of the fragrance turns out to be is largely dependent on how long it is allowed to stay. 
4. Once you have gotten the desired fragrance strength, you can now add the bottled water and shake very well for one to two minutes. 
5. Then use the coffee filter and small funnel to transfer your perfume contents to the second bottle. And your new fragrance is then ready to be used.

NB: when choosing the bottle for your essential oil perfume, it is advised that you settle for roller bottles instead of spray bottles. This is because essential oil perfumes are more concentrated than most perfumes and might be a bit difficult to spritz when in a spray bottle.

• Making perfumes with flower petals recipe

Things you need for this perfume:

• ½ cup of chopped flowers (it could be one type of flower or a mixture of flower petals)
• Small and medium- sized bowls with a cover
• 2 cups of distilled water
• Cheesecloth 
• Either a small or medium-sized saucepan. 
• A glass bottle with an airtight lid (well washed and sterilized)

Instructions

1. Before you start, it is advised that you wash the flower petals thoroughly in order to get rid of residual dirt. The washing should be gentle and with water only.
2. The next step after washing is to soak the flower petals in the bowl lined with the cheesecloth and allow to stay overnight. This soaking process makes it easy to extract the moisture it contains. 
3. To extract the flower-scented moisture, you need to squeeze over a saucepan. Then allow the squeezed-out water boil gently over low heat for a while until all that’s left is a tiny pool of water. 
4. Pour a little amount of the distilled water into the remaining moisture and pour it in a bottle with an airtight lid.
5. To get the best fragrance scent, it is advised that you leave it overnight. 

• Roll-on perfumes (using eucalyptus and bergamot) recipe

Thing You Need To Make This Perfume

• Essential oils-3 drops of eucalyptus oil, 2 drops of bergamot oil, 1 drop of rosemary oil, 1 drop of pine essential oil, and 1 drop mandarin orange oil.
• As base oil-2 teaspoons of jojoba oil
• Roll-on bottle 

Instructions

1. Add all the essential oils to your roll-on bottle
2. Using the eyedropper add some drops of jojoba oil to the roll-on bottle
3. Then shake the blend until they are all mixed and balanced. 

• Making perfumes for summer recipe

Things You Need To Make This Perfume

• The majority of ingredients required for this type of fragrance are essential oils, and include: peppermint oil (13 drops), lemon oil (5 drops), rosemary oil (13 drops), sage oil (5 drops), 
• A base (3 tablespoons of vodka)
• 2 cups of distilled water
• One spray bottle
• One small glass bottle

Instructions

1. Pour all the essential oils in a glass bottle and add the base alcohol. 
2. Gradually shake the contents of bottle until they are mixed and then allow to stay for two days.
3. After two days, add the distilled water and mix until it dilutes evenly. 
4. Allow the fragrance mix stay for 3 weeks in a cool place that is without direct light. 
5. Finally, you can sieve out the residual particles with a cheesecloth and pour in a spray bottle. 

• Citrus perfume recipe 

Things you need to make this perfume:

• One tablespoon of any carrier oil you like (the option here is jojoba oil though)
• 30 drops of essential oils (depending on the notes and including the citrus based ones such as sweet orange, grapefruit, then peppermint, and a blend of lavender and chamomile)
• 2 tablespoons of vodka or any other 100% alcohol choice
• 1 tablespoon of distilled water
• One dark glass container and another small glass container
• One glass perfume bottle (either spray bottle or roll-on bottle)

Instructions

1. Add your base oil to the small glass container (it could be jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, or any other oil you prefer)
2. The next step is to add the vodka that comes in as the preservative holding the mix
3. Then add the essential oils in the required order and amount, with the base notes first, and the middle and top notes in this order. For this fragrance, the base fragrance is the grapefruit and only 10 drops of it is required. The middle notes here are the sweet orange (10 drops) and peppermint (5 drops), while the top note is the lavender and chamomile blend (of which 10 drops is needed). 
4. The next step is to add a drop of the distilled water. 
5. Be sure to mix these ingredients well enough before transferring it to the dark glass container. After the transferring allow it perfuse for 48 hours or more depending on how intense and powerful you want the fragrance scent to be. 
6. You can then pour the end result in a glass perfume bottle and it’s ready to use.

• Spring perfume recipe (lavender and vanilla)

Things you need to make this perfume:

• One cup of dried lavender flowers
• ½ cup of vodka or 100% proof alcohol
• 2 vanilla beans
• 2 tablespoon of vegetable glycerin 
• 15 drops of lavender oil
• 10 drops of vanilla extract
• One glass jar

ALSO SEE: How to Make Perfumes Last Longer – An In-depth Guide

Instructions

1. The first thing to do is to slice open the vanilla beans
2. Then place the dried lavender flowers and vanilla beans in the glass jar
3. Pour the vodka in the jar containing the lavender flowers and vanilla beans and cover. Then allow the blend permeate for a week or more.
4. Strain with the cheesecloth to get rid of the flower particles and beans
5. Add the remaining ingredients namely lavender oil, vanilla extract, and glycerin and stir gently. 
6. The final thing here is to allow the fragrance infuse properly for five to six weeks.
7. You can sieve one more time before pouring it in a perfume bottle. 

• Making perfume with jasmine recipe

Things you need to make this perfume:

• A base (best to use vodka in this case) 
• Essential oils (30 drops of jasmine oil since it is the main oil, along with 5 drops of vanilla and 5 drops of lavender)
• One tablespoon of distilled water (you can substitute this with orange blossom water)
• One glass bottle to store the perfume
• Cheesecloth

Instructions

1. Pour the essential oil in a bottle and mix in the vodka
2. The next step is to allow this blend stay for 48 hours or more
3. Then add the orange blossom water and shake thoroughly and long enough till all the ingredients are mixed properly
4. Allow to stay for in a cool place without direct light
5. You can further sieve the mixture to get rid of particles using the cheesecloth before pouring it inside a bottle.