Perfumery Blending, Trial Batches, Formulations (and Re-formulations)

A life in the day of a re-formulation and the many trial batches it takes to get a fragrance "just right". I'll walk you through a current re-formulation of mine step by step with my thought processes and details on how I'm dosing my materials (in this current trial).
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#bkscents #diyperfumery #fragrances
BK SCENTS :)

[@wib6044]

No these long blending videos are great. It is like a material showcase video as well. Always learn a few things in these. Thanks!

[@deangeloadam6680]

instablaster.

[@kaliissouledout4jesus928]

You are definitely an artist. I am to and yearn to create! Cook.. sing.. write .. paint . Blend ..build .. wood . Colors .. just create. ❤️🤷🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️. Love your truth. I appreciate you and just found this channel.

[@fragfanatic5147]

B.K. That's an amazing formula that I can't wait to try putting together. Thank you so much

[@jankucera8505]

Very impactful, thank you. I used to not really like your earlier videos but these are fantastic

[@originalsupermommy]

I made my first ever blend and reformularion of it, and I'm super surprised by it. Love your vids.

[@edavidmartinez]

Before watching this video coming from other videos of yours I watched I was saying to myself "he HAS TO be a musician", come to this video I can see your setup in the back along with the guitars on the wall. I'm a musician as well so I knew you were a musician by simply having that extra sense of us musicians always having that "itch" to create something and be artistic in every way we can. Kudos to you bud for making these amazing videos and helping us all who are just getting started in the fragrance making journey.

[@youngandrew66]

Me too. Guitarist and sax player. I'm going to get started in my loft which also has my recording gear in. Could look just like this ( but with an oil covered jibbering idiot screaming 'he made it look so easy!!?)

[@andromeda1903]

lol i'm not a musician but when u saw him i got the musician vibe, too.

[@maxlarsen]

I like the video long, its intresting all the way and ur voice is calming and nice even when u speak fast its perfect

[@kateasker]

Yay 😁such a great video ! Thanks for sharing 🤘

[@bkscents7050]

Thank you Kate! :)

[@james555c]

Aay its been a while BK good to see you back

[@bkscents7050]

yeah, its been a few weeks....but Im back!

[@KingdomPerfumes]

Thank you so much for your channel and the value you add. I use your videos sometimes and I have the same scale LOL

[@laurenbray8314]

I love bitter almond. I have a sample but haven't bought any yet. Its kinda pricey but its amazing and worth it. Versatile too.

[@bkscents7050]

I have a love hate relationship with it. It works when called for, but I hardly ever reach for it. Check out www.libertynatural.com. That’s where I get mine and the price is very reasonable

[@wrldonwill]

Keep up the great work, BK! Also, might want to try Kohinool, if you haven't already. I know you like Iso E, but Kohinool just brings something different to the table.

[@bkscents7050]

I have kohinool....and love it. Although it’s a bit stronger than IES so I wouldn’t dose it nearly as high

[@IODell]

Recently found your channel. New subscriber. Informative. Thanks for posting.

[@nickkerinklio8239]

Great video, thank you for this information! Next time plz keep the info (material name and ratio) on the screen the whole time you’re talking about it & adding it. Having it on screen longer would really help when I’m scrolling through the video again afterwards

[@adriansumner1412]

With bees wax blend it with other resins like copal and styrax so ; copal - 3, beeswax - 3, styrax - 4 = simply magic, super good in an oriental.

[@THERAWVIKING706]

i used to mix e-liquid a few years back and the process doesn't seem all that different but yet i still find myself confused by the mixing process. e liquid is a percent of a total ml, so say 5% of one flavor in 100 ml is 5ml and so on but with mixing scents it seems alot different. im new to this and wanted to give it a go after being inspired by some fragrances i purchased. i need to do alot of research lol

[@weafon2]

Love your video! I have a stupid question. When you said that there is 19% Hedione in the concentrate, is it pure Hedione or diluted? I have this problem because I bought diluted Hedione from the store and want to know if there is only diluted Hedione on the market. Thanks.

[@dawoadalyaqoby1952]

Thanks so much

[@kurush61]

Interesting point re: Aldehydes! I tried using aldehydes for the first time - was around 0.04% of my fragrance, and man was it ever strong. Turned my fragrance into this very offensive Chanel No 5 clone that smelled like a grandma haha.

[@bkscents7050]

Aldehydes ain't no joke man! Gotta be careful with them

[@paulmcmc4005]

@@bkscents7050 Pyrazines even stronger!

[@bkscents7050]

Hell yeah they are! Nuclear!

[@rock_bottom_and_up6290]

The ppt of the previous ingredients is being lowered by the additional ingredients and the only way you could have exact repeatability is if you always add in the same order.

[@wib6044]

Yea interesting point about the ppt. Not so sure about that blending order deal. The oils don’t really mix and have the time to fully blend. If you added them one at a time, mixed and let sit for a day or two maybe. Or even create accords with exact weight, blend them separately and then add them together to make any alteration to smell. There is a video by Robert Pappas (Does The Blending Order of EO matter) debunking blending order with a GC/MS. I think he was trying to debunk therapeutic impact variables of the blending order. Whether or not this changes how the human nose detects the smell of the blend is something else as far as I can tell. In any case, I would be surprised if order was at all impactful to final smell, unless a method described above was involved.

[@stacyr3743]

But I’m new here, and I don’t know what I iso e super does. I’m super curious since you use it in everything. I just started buying essential oils and alcohol to begin making fragrances. Watching your videos I’m coming to understand I need a lot more.

[@adriansumner1412]

I think a good example would be birch. It's brilliant for a fruity chypre, it makes the fruity notes come alive quite electric but if you don't get the percentage right people will be racing to call the paramedics haha. It's high in methyl salicylate 6 drops is like the equivalent to 2 asprin. But odor wise it's strong stuff even 30% dilution is a tad strong. When I use it in a blend I'm not adding it in for it to be noticed like other woods, sandalwood and agarwood for example. Good example of it in a blend would be EMTA LA'AUD by House of Lattafa, Creed Aventus is alright also.

[@bkscents7050]

I was never a fan of Birch....it's got that minty wintergreen thing goin on that I really can't get past. I don't consider it to be of a woody family really....but I'm sure in small doses like you said it could just do the trick

[@adriansumner1412]

@@bkscents7050 With the tonka bean I find doing an accord with vanilla even cassia also ramps up the coumarin, what I like to call the coumarin accord you can smell it heavily in Joop and I think his gone in mid strength with the orange blossom also since the fruits aren't really noticeable to make it sweet and creamy. Another example would be Le Male in that case its balanced out with linalyl acetate then a soft spice is added to keep it mellow whilst yet again orange blossom. I tend to think of orange blossom as the same as adding milk to a bolognese or cream or yogurt to a curry it's playing the same sought of role in perfumery.

[@MrHahaveryhappy]

Man I have a lot to learn lol

[@ulsdigital]

great video! i ask you one topic. what is the best gay lussac reduction for blending a mix? 35% ethanol, or 50% percent of ethanol diluted in distiled water? sorry my english Broh!

[@gabrielibarra3711]

First off let me say thank you for providing your content. It has helped me along my perfumery journey. It's awesome that you have no problems starting over from scratch. But my question is if you can do a start to finish on making a perfume oil? Personally they always last a whole lot longer for me than a spray. From what I read its a carrier oil that is used, but the places i get my oils from don't really know what carrier oil is being used. And now that i'm learning how to make perfumes. i would really like to know how much should be used? What kind? And would more material or less material be needed? Thanks again for your work keep it up, you have a lifetime subscriber here.

[@bkscents7050]

'perfume oils' aren't meant for spray application Perfumery. They are for reed diffusers, candles, soaps, etc. I'm sorry but I do not use perfume oils in any of my spray perfumes

[@gabrielibarra3711]

@@bkscents7050 I may have misspoken with the term “fragrance oil”. The ones I’m referring to are the ones that are put into a roll on applicator. And are applied to the body. They usually use almond oil, castor oil, etc. as a carrier oil.

[@texasfan8892]

Damn, I've been looking for a way to make a dried fruit accord or at least something that already smells like it and it looks like Fruit Sec (Firmenich) just might do the trick. I'm betting it works wonders in tobacco or boozy fragrances.

[@bkscents7050]

Fruit sec is worth every penny. I want to reach for it almost every time I blend, it’s really that good....

[@kurush61]

Speaking of Neroli accords, have you tried the PA key accord? What are your thoughts on it? It’s the only orange blossom accord I’ve used, and I quite like it but I have no experience with other orange blossom accords.

[@bkscents7050]

It's not half bad. If used in a blend where neroli wasn't the main key star player...it would do just fine. But if your going for a TF neroli portifino style where it's a star player, it might not be good enough. It's average at best

[@kurush61]

@@bkscents7050 good to know! Thanks for the insight!

[@nickkerinklio8239]

I got a dumb question. When you say parts per thousand, does that mean the final fragrance concentrate will equal 1000 once all the stuff is added? Like if I added all the numbers you had up there, would they equal 1000 in the end or do they just represent the concentration of the drop you’re adding?

[@bkscents7050]

It’s the total sum off all concentrate materials without any dilutants added. So all materials combined will total 1000.

[@nickkerinklio8239]

@@bkscents7050 thank u 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@1stladykeesh332]

Hey Brian,great video! I have a question, please tell me to what percentage do you dilute your Rose Absolute to? Thanks in advance!

[@bkscents7050]

Depending on what the rose absolute is, I usually dilute them down to 1-2%. This is mostly due to cost factor because its so darn expensive, and I stack them along with my own made rose accords. For the most part i use my rose absolutes around 1-5 parts per 1,000 in a formula, but usually never any higher than that cause it can get costly.

[@1stladykeesh332]

Thank you very much!

[@ajanaya8055]

Hey BK! I have a quick question: I have my blend at 0.853 before pouring alcohol. How much should I put if I want to make it edt? Is there like a math equation or formula?

[@bkscents7050]

If your working with 100% raw materials (no prediluted stuff), add in 7.68g of alcohol will take that to a 10% edt concentration. If you need help with math or equations, you should check out my video on my perfume formula calculator worksheet. It does all the math for you as you add in your materials to the formula.

[@ajanaya8055]

@@bkscents7050 Hey! You're up late at this hour too. I have seen the video and try putting my materials. But the numbers won't show in the excel sheet. But I'll for sure follow your advice the following morning. 👍

[@nikhilp1173]

Hi BK my name is Nikhil, from India. This video is such a knowledgable video for the upcoming perfumers like me. If you dont mind can you explain how to get the formula values in the formula column . i have been searching for these in your all videos but i didn't get it anywhere. what i mean is how do you take those values out of 1000. Like Ambroxan 14/1000. How to get those values. can u please explain it. Thanks by the way. And what do you mean by those values. how to use those values in respective to grams or drops.

[@wib6044]

He and Sam Macer have videos on this. Look for formulas or dilutions in their videos. The parts are also percentages. 14 parts per thousand is also 1.4% If you are using drops, just add up all the drops you put in total formula. Total Formula Drops = 57 Then take each ingredient drop total and divide it by total number of drops in blend. Ingredient # 1 = 20 drops ➗ by total 57 Drops = .35087719 Multiply this number by 1000. Ingredient # 1 .35087719 ✖️ 1,000 = 350.877193 Parts Per Thousand Then move decimal over to the left one place. So Ingredient # 1 is 35.877193 % of your total blend. If you have scale just plug in weight values. If you are making an already written formula just decide how much you want to make total. In a 1 Gram total formula 14/1000, would be .014 mg. In a 1,000 drop formula 🫣🤯 that would be 14 drops out of 1,000. It will be really hard to use drops for remaking formulas if it has something as low as 9 parts per thousand without pre diluting. You’d have to start with a batch no less than thousand drops. If its lowest material is 10 parts per thousand you can go to 100 total drops. In that case it would be 1 drop. 10/1000 20/1000 60/1000 250/1000 10/1000 400/1000 100/1000 150/1000 With a formula like this you could divide by 100. So 150 would be 15 drops. 400 would be 40 drops and so on. Which is manageable. If it’s lower than 10 you would need to pre dilute materials to do 1/4 or 1/2, drops. Even then it would be difficult to do with any sort of accuracy.

[@annagilchrist6826]

Sorry this is perhaps an obvious question, but when you use the numbers 1/1000 or 29/1000. What do you mean? Is that dilution or how do you know what percentage it is before you have finished adjusting the whole blend? Thank you

[@bkscents7050]

Think of it as an extra decimal point in percentages, in order to give you more accuracy in your formula. For example....29/1000 is the same as 2.9% of the full formula. 1/1000 is the same as .1% of the full formula. Sometimes you just need this for more accuracy in dosing things that less than 1% of the full perfume formula....and the "parts per 1000" does the trick.

[@kaliissouledout4jesus928]

Question here. What wholesale distributor of already mixed “inspired “ perfume oils do you trust??

[@bkscents7050]

None. "Inspired by" perfume in oils won't work for profession made perfumes. Trust me ....you may think you're going the fast and easy way to make a perfume by doing this route, but you will be disappointed. Many have tried.....all have failed.

[@nikhilp1173]

And what do you mean by those values. how to use those values in respective to grams or drops.

[@na3kh461]

thanks for this video, I did learn so much of your video. i do appreciate your efferd , when you say raw metrial I knwon what it means but when you say musk blend 76/1000 thant rqual to 0.076 mg from final total 1000mg or 0.076% from 100%?

[@bkscents7050]

76/1000 in a formula equates to 7.6% of that material is present in the formulas concentrate. So if something is 5/1000, thats 0.5%, etc, etc

[@na3kh461]

What is your total volume you usually make for your concentrate in each trials and you final blend volume with alcohol? Thanks

[@bkscents7050]

It ends up being around 2-3g. Pretty small!

[@na3kh461]

@@bkscents7050 2-3 g of the concentrate? Thanks

[@bkscents7050]

2-3g total of when I’m done with a trail batch. My trail batches I use ‘prediluted materials’. So it’s hard to say exactly what is the percent of this 2-3g batch is the raw material (excluding predilutions) because it will always vary depending on what materials I’m using, and what it’s prediluted level is

[@fastrunlogistics3560]

How much alcohol did you add to be an edt?

[@juandelacruzfraganciadelac1224]

Question when you are doing Trial batches do you use stuff like timbersilk or Iso E super or you don't only in the final batch that I'm happy with? I hope this question makes sense

[@bkscents7050]

I always use everything I plan on using in the final version...in my trial batches. So yes, IES and Hedione HC are included in my trial batches

[@juandelacruzfraganciadelac1224]

@@bkscents7050 thank you so much I'm learning from your videos over and over so when I do start I don't waste my oils

[@mastermaly1]

how long do perfumes need to age??

[@peterablinger6431]

in another video you recommend to use pretty OUD 1-5% and now you mention only to use 1% for an OUDY strong impact, I am confused which one is it?

[@bkscents7050]

Its up to you how much you want to use honestly...and also depends on what other materials you have in your blend. There is no hard rule as to how much (or little) you want to use. I personally like to use this one at 3-5 parts per 1,000 in a formula for subtle effects....or you can go up to 10-20 parts for a full on oud type fragrance. But its really up to the formulator on how much they want to use and how it reacts in that particular blend with other materials.

[@dimitrishinas1126]

Do you ever let your concentrates macerate before adding in the perfumers alcohol?

[@bkscents7050]

Yes, once a formula is finalized, I’ll make a large batch of it using only raw undiluted materials. I’ll let that sit for a minimum of 1 week before I start to use it for any perfumes.

[@dimitrishinas1126]

@@bkscents7050 Thank you for the very thorough response!

[@wib6044]

It seems the citrus oils almost do better when directly added to alcohol. I’ll make a quick sample added to alcohol, then let the rest sit for a couple weeks, and the citrus notes aren’t as bright. I haven’t done any extensive experiments, just an observation.

[@laurenbray8314]

There's a aroma chemical or an accord maybe that gives the smell of like carbonation in soda or the bubbles in champagne. I need to find out what it is. I've smelt it in things before. I know pink pepper gives a effervescent sparkling bubbly note but I believe there's something else out there too. I gotta try out your accord and see how that is! I love gourmands so I've always wanted to try making fizzy drink accords.

[@bkscents7050]

You may be thinking of Sauvignone 100 (Takasago). But for my champagne accord was just white grapefruit, methyl pamplemousse, methyl anthrilate, and pink pepper. It worked quite well

[@adriansumner1412]

Have you tried any naturals by John Steele, I'm kind of curious.

[@bkscents7050]

Not yet....his stuff is so darn expensive. But I hear great things about his items

[@adriansumner1412]

@@bkscents7050 For some reason perfumers apprentice won't accept my email, I have no idea what's going on there that's where I discovered what he has to offer so I switched to perfumers world. But yeah I'm interested in a comparison though to Natural Alchemy which is going to be tough to beat.

[@monsimonsi4626]

Si pudieras subtitular tus vídeos a español, sería increíble. Saludos

[@creatingscentorascents3849]

Hello, uhmmm.. I'm just starting out and I started to dilute my oils, but for the patchouli the oil and perfume alcohol it separated..Possible can you do a diluted video for oil and percentages on how you use them or direct me to more information..please and thankyou, also what did I do wrong?..🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[@bkscents7050]

What kind of alcohol are you using? And at what percent did you dilute it to?

[@creatingscentorascents3849]

Ok so I watched one of your videos, and what I did was, I diluted Vetiver perfumery alcohol with peppermint essential oil..I used 1 teaspoon of alcohol and 1 teaspoon of peppermint oil..it worked ok for the patchouli, nothing separated..but peppermint...not so well

[@bkscents7050]

Vetiver Perfumery alcohol??? What in the sam heck is that? If your using alcohol...you should be using 200 proof SDA-40B alcohol. Plus, not every thing will dilute well at a 50/50 ratio. You'll find some materials will cloud up or settle at the bottom. It will vary by the material, but if the 50% ratio wasn't enough.....try 20%

[@creatingscentorascents3849]

Lol..It is 200 proof sde 40D...it's perfumers alcohol. I'l just work on my measurements on the alcohol...maybe that's it?.

[@bkscents7050]

You need to do to by weight,...lol....not teaspoons. Grab yourself a cheap scale (that measures at least 0.00g) on Amazon for under $40 to get you started. You really need a scale to do this stuff....

[@caseyw2213]

👍🤘

[@bkscents7050]

👍🏼🤟🏼

[@caseyw2213]

@@bkscents7050 excited for this one. Actually with the help of your videos I created about 5 different fougere attempts and one I think I got pretty good. I showed it to my wife and she thought I had a store bought fragrance on the strip so thats something at least!

[@bkscents7050]

@@caseyw2213 HAHA ! Hell Yea! Im glad these videos are helping you and all the viewers! :)

[@caseyw2213]

Totally man really has been a big help. I've done a lot of creative things. I also used to produce music for about 10 years and was self taught. NOTHING has been more of a challenge in my life creatively as perfumery! It takes such finesse. At this point I'm hitting the mark about 1/20 trials lol!

[@alexvetangle]

Can you send a link to Jamier Frader or jfrader perfumer? It seems to go to a bitcoin site!? Thanks

[@bkscents7050]

fraterperfumes.com It’s a great resource if you subscribe to it. He’s got some really good formulas for bases and accords, and even full blown perfumes.

[@laurenbray8314]

I think I'm going to sign up for his patreon on February 1st. $5 a month for his bases and accords tier. I wanted to sign up right away but the billing makes it so that if you sign up now you only get a few days before you have to pay another $5 on the 1st.

[@bkscents7050]

The $5 is still worth it. Just in his neroli, orange blossom, rose accords alone make it worth it. But he’s got so much more base and accord formulas.....he really should be charging more IMO

[@jaysmithminaj]

What’s the 1,000 come from ?

[@bkscents7050]

It's the final part of a formula. Some people like to do formulas as a 100 being the total because it's easier to think to that in terms of percentages. But I like to do a formula as a total by 1,000 because it allows it to show tiny amounts that fall below 1%

[@laconan]

I just spilled almost an ENTIRE bottle of Iso Butyl Quinoline on my shag rug!!!! KILL ME!!!!!!!

[@bkscents7050]

Well, you know what you have to do now......BURN IT. LOL

[@laconan]

@@bkscents7050 LOL Why couldn't have been Chocovan, at least it would smell like Valentines Day in here.....keep the videos coming ...I'm still holding you to that Gourmand Fragrance!

[@bkscents7050]

@@laconan Dont worry, gourmand is coming soon! im working on a 'marshmallow rice krispies treat' accord at the moment, that im gonna tie into it :)

[@laconan]

@@bkscents7050 that sounds great!!!!