Making Perfume: WHY WE USE BASES

Not base notes, they're different.
A base is a perfumery accord that's accurate and robust enough to use in different formulas and, for the big perfume houses, good enough to sell.
Here is Sarah McCartney, indie perfumer at 4160Tuesdays, with Arthur McBain on camera and questions, talking about the ones she uses and why, and how to integrate them into your perfume making.
For more on perfume making, you can visit Sarah's Slow Scent School at www.patreon.com/scenthusiasm

[@originalsupermommy]

I feel incredibly Blessed to have found your channel. Such a wealth of knowledge I must absorb. 🥰

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you so much. We shall keep going.

[@DawahDigital]

If this was a paid for course, I’d bloody pay !!! Just saying. Thank you for making this content available for us freely. I’m learning loads and am close to ordering my first starter kit.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

The online course is about to go back up!

[@columbyan]

great video and a great series, i love your erudite, elegant and funky way of teaching! The inclusion of citations and references is also greatly appreciated :) looking forward to more! xoxo

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you very much. There wil be some more. We just tried to make a short film, but failed. 🤦‍♀️😄

[@LightOfJoy1]

What a terrific video and explanation, thank you for offering this to the public! :)

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you so much. I do enjoy sharing.

[@RyanParfums]

How have I gone so long without finding this channel! I love this!

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

That's very kind of you, and I'm glad we finally fell into your feed.

[@paulvoulgaridis3228]

Lovely video Sarah! Very informative. It's great to see complexity come back to perfumery. I have to agree with Harry's Tuberose base by the way... absolutely gorgeous stuff! Really captures the head space of the living flower, and instantly inspired me to make a tuberose perfume.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Excellent. He only uses his nose.

[@Curdle7]

This was a great one I like the format

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you very much. We have a couple more planned too.

[@texasfan8892]

I agree completely on the comparison of synthetic rose bases/accords and the real rose absolute. I used to use primarily rose absolute for a rose note in some of the fragrances I experimented with but it never smelled like what I was looking for. Then when I learned how to make my own rose accord, using PEA, citronellol, geraniol, beta damascone and trace amounts of real rose, all of a sudden I had something that actually smelled like a real rose flower. It's vibrant and fresh, yet deep and sensual at the same time. Plus with the addition of the beta damascone, it has this really nice jammy, fruitiness to it as well. Absolutely amazing! I think it's because with the absolute, you're getting all of the dirty parts as well and that's why it ends up not smelling like a rose flower in nature.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Totally. I do like making my own, and I look forward to going back and tweaking them. I tend to think that Givaudan and Firmenich are going to be better at it than I am though.

[@PrinceGBuddha]

I love this so much Im 52 now I wish I would have started this in my 20's. I've found my passion but don't know it I'll ever have enough time...

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

I started when I was 50 so you have absolutely no excuse! 😁

[@PrinceGBuddha]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 stop!!! really?! that made me smile! I'm doing it ...

[@francoismakhoul3820]

Well i have to admit, Harry and yourself been very helpful to me, always informative and NEAT, and i love that scarf :D Cheers Sarah.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you so much. (I do love my scarves.)

[@JC-yy8iv]

It's so refreshing to see such a skilled and experienced perfumer defending bases so passionately and with such solid reasoning. The snobbery about them has always seemed unjustified to me. Every instructor I've ever had has been very anti-base. I remember once when my favorite instructor, generally a very warm, generous, and forthcoming teacher, was discussing the difference in scent between bergapten-free and traditional bergamot, and I asked how she thought bergamot givco 104 compared, and she suddenly got extremely curt and said simply "I wouldn't know about that." I was so taken aback, you'd think I'd asked how she feels about the taste of urine or something

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you. Bases are widely used in professional perfumery and their creators are highly regarded. I think a lot of people don't have access to them so they imagine they won't like them.

[@Spiralnebel_GB]

😃 Thanks for teaching us this lessons ❤️ Its such a pleasure listing to you. I am impressed how we can dive into this topic. Would you say those bases are the result of „reverse engendering“ the aroma particles of something and all together give us the impression of what we pick up when we smell on the natural thing or are these you random, artificial substances that when combined smell like it? Are there also differences bases for the same note? Without having access to all of them to smell every single one i imagine that its really difficult to keep keep track what are the characteristic o all those materials. Its mindblowimg to me how complex it is. Another interesting topic for me would be to hear about what you mean if you talk about fixing a fragrance at the end. It sounds like a final step when all materials get blended and after that step no changes can be done anymore. I always asked myself if its possible to enhance the projection of fragrance by adding something to it but without changing the overall smell of scent. I mean to make all notes jump more out of the skin.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

None of this is random. Some bases are made by analysing what is in the natural equivalent. You could consider that to be reverse engineering. Many of them were made before modern analysis techniques were invented so they were created by people with great skills. Yes, there are many differences bases for the same note. Most large companies make one, and many individuals make their own. This myth of adding fixatives at the end seems to come from some weird companies who sell "fragrance oils" - copies of famous brands - and false dreams of untold riches. Some materials are fixatives, Iso E Super and musks for example, but they don't get "added in at the end"; they have aromas of their own and form part of the fragrance formula. These questions come up on the PerfumeMaking fragrance group as if there were some magic potion that immediately makes all perfumes last longer and project further that all perfumers pour in at the end. Unfortunately, as I said in the last film, there's just so much rubbish talked on KZbin by people trying to sell instant success to people who want an easy route to fortune. It's mostly nonsense.

[@emilianodiazgonzalez9928]

Learned a lot! Loved it

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you very much..We have more planned.

[@jaquelinemccarvill8233]

Hello Sarah! I was wondering about this tuberose base from someone named harry....where can I find this? Lovely video by the way, thank you!

[@rickscars7395]

Thank you Sarah for helping me make sense of bases and accords. I loved your use of the word “bollocks”, lol 😊

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you. I think Arthur and I have quite a few topics to cover.

[@ArcturusAndromeda]

I agree, the fashion has been too simple, too easy, too dull perfumes - art of perfumery is coming back, real blending

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

In 1994 I don't think anyone expected the surge in artisan perfumery, but now we have the Internet.

[@marcialsblendsfragrance2972]

Wonderful episode

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you 😊

[@marcialsblendsfragrance2972]

HELLO SARAH!!!!! HAPPY SUNDAY

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Hi, happy Sunday to you too.

[@lizseville1]

Really useful and interesting!

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thank you.

[@DillPhobia]

4:24 the closed captions say you're saying 'moose to sax," but I'm sure thats not what you said. What was it that you said there???

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

You're right, it's Mousse de Saxe, Saxony Moss, a famous base moss blend from 100 years ago.

[@riccardotodde5817]

Hi Sarah, what do you think it's best? Dorinia or rose Givco, i have read that Dorinia smells like the whole flower and Rose Givco like rose absolute.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

We were having a discussion about this on one of our Zoom meetings. I think that Dorinia smells richer and more velvety, and Rose Givco feels lighter and rose garden like, but someone else felt the exact opposite. For me Rose Givco is like the living rose and Dorinia is a hyper-real, extra powerful in-your-face rose. I'm open to other views. I prefer working with Rose Givco, but for a while it wasn't available to us.

[@riccardotodde5817]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 Thanks a lot Sarah for this usefull information :)

[@omanafire]

A list of materials featured in the description would be just dandy. What was that sandalwood base again? I'll figure it out. Thanks again for another stellar upload.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

That is a really good idea. I shall look them all up.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

The sandalwood base is called Dreamwood Base.

[@GohAhweh]

There's a Green Rose incense made by Mystic Temple.. it is such an unusual, and to me, a gorgeous creamy rose scent.. I have never smelled anything similar, it isn't a rose as we know it..I would love to recreate as a fragrance. I wish you could smell it..I know you would be intrigued.. I love it so much I have been known to rub the incense on to my clothes to try to achieve the fragrance. loony as it may be..

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Understandably loony. 😄

[@christieo1761]

That was great! Jonquils, Paperwhites and Daffodils are all part of the genus Narcissus. Fascinating, right? :)

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Yes, I thought I hadn't gone bonkers but when both jonquil and narcissus were mentioned I had one of those moments.

[@mpr1241]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Could you one day do a video about diffusion/projection. It is a nightmare do make a fragrance that project like the ones on the market ;)

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

I've been thinking about this, and it's something we discuss at the Scenthusiasm Patreon. The short answer is Ambrox and bergamot. The long answer is that there isn't one single answer because materials are often unpredictable when they are tried in a new combination.

[@mpr1241]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 I have seen "smell" that... 😅

[@nams37]

Thank you

[@jankucera8505]

Thank you. Aren't you afraid your rose absolu will expire?

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

Thanks for being concerned, but don't worry. I already used it up, and another kilo too, and am on to the next batch. So no I'm not because I run a perfumery and I compound in far bigger quantities that you'll ever see me work with on a video.

[@jankucera8505]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 Thank you. Could you make a video about longevity/shell life of essential oils and absolutes and pure chemicals? I would be very much interested in that.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

@@jankucera8505 There's always a use-by date on the packaging, which helps a lot.

[@rebirthofthecool5619]

Jasmine sandbag?

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

😄 Sorry: sambac.

[@michelleeden2272]

Rose colored glasses are perfume for the eyes.

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

You believe that perfume restricts a human's ability to perceive reality? I don't really understand.

[@michelleeden2272]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 This was just a random thought I had while enjoying your video. It seems to me that joy is often the result of a pleasant contrast to what has gone on before. For example, being outside, cold and hungry on a cold day, and then coming home to a warm dinner. If I am enjoying the balsamic air in a Canadian wood, or the lavender in my garden, a perfume could add no joy to this, but only compete. That said, I almost never wear tinted glasses, so if I suddenly put on rose-tinted ones and go outside, my rapidly changed (yes, restricted) vision may very well cause joy by way of happy contrast. I do have rose-colored glasses, and I cleaned them a few days ago. Then, while watching your video, you must have mentioned rose oil or something which suggested this metaphor. Smelling a fragrance is restricting, and some of us deliberately restrict it further by closing out eyes while smelling (and while kissing, too). Looking at a painting, reading a book, or watching a film also radically restricts those aspects of reality not connected to our conscious focus. Fragrance is perhaps the most restrictive art form, however, because while appreciating a magnificent odor, we become radically introverted, almost disappearing inside ourselves. Thanks for making me think about all this. Keep up the wonderful videos too!

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

@@michelleeden2272 thank you so much. I was brought up to understand that the phrase "seeing life through rose-tinted spectacles" meant willingly ignoring reality, and as such it was used as an insult to describe a person who was a bit silly. That's why I asked as I thought you probably didn't mean that at all. I get it now.

[@michelleeden2272]

@@SarahMcCartney4160 I guess Edith Piaf was suggesting that being in love (like smelling a great perfume?) is an acceptable excuse for ignoring reality, at least temporarily. "Hold me close and hold me fast The magic spell you cast This is la vie en rose When you kiss me, Heaven sighs And though I close my eyes I see la vie en rose. When you press me to your heart I'm in a world apart A world where roses bloom..."

[@SarahMcCartney4160]

@@michelleeden2272 Perhaps I was just brought up in a particularly practical household.