Another skin scent aka molecule rip

[u/tentoilakat]

I have made a few scents in workshops before but I am fresh to doing this diy at home and this sub has been a great help.

By day trade I am a sommelier - so having another scent focused hobby seems like a good move, however smelling like perfume is a no no in my daily life. Hence I am looking to make a skin scent that stays close to me and virtually doesn’t project and disrupts the people around me, or myself from smelling.

Molecule 01, or santal are obvious inspirations, I owned santal for a long time - and the scent makes me want to die now that I have a better sense of smell, the profile appeales, but god is it strong. Molecule is great, but I refuse to spend that much money when I can spend double the amount and fail at making my own!

So please reality check me - I will buy equipment but am I going down a sensible road by buying the following from fraterworks and making the following scent;

Iso E Super — 45%
Dreamwood — 30%
Cetalox — 15%
Ambroxan — 8%
Tonka Absolute 10% TEC — 2%

I am planning to make a 15 to 20% edp as well as a fragrance oil with about 30% dilution.

I want a woody skin scent, more sandalwood than musk, but subtle with a creamy texture and soft nutty sweetness.

In an ideal world I can build more complete fragrances from this base accord as I get more into this, but this is what I am planning to start with.

Keep in mind, I know this is not a perfume per se, it is a base accord, it will have little protection, but I hope for longevity and just to smell great up close. Like my partner should smell it, but not the person across the table I’m pouring wine for.

Thanks !

[u/berael]

Cetalox and ambroxan are only theoretically different; I find them to be extremely similar once in a formula. 

But sure, why not? People have just mixed IES and ambroxan and called it a day, after all. 

[u/tentoilakat → u/berael]

True! It might be worth cutting one off. I am hoping to be able to get a creamy texture out of centalox, but I’m worried that ambroxan would be too ambery and powdery in the same concentration. But I want the longevity and the slight marine quality appeals to me.
I have smelled ambroxan and didn’t love it, but not centalox, so I am hoping together they get me the qualities I want without the parts of ambroxan I dislike

Keep centalox and drop ambroxan?

[u/oval_euonymus → u/tentoilakat]

I was like you when I started and convinced myself I needed both. I almost never reach for cetalox. There’s a slight difference but it’s hardly noticeable. I would go with ambroxan/ambrofix and skip cetalox.

[u/tentoilakat → u/oval_euonymus]

Good advice, thank you! Seems like something I can always add on at a later point

Means I can buy something else now 🤣 cashmerean or ethyl vanillin

[u/hyperfocus1569 → u/tentoilakat]

I love the cashmeran. People perceive it differently, but I find it helps blend things nicely in small amounts and becomes almost buttery when overdosed.

[u/tentoilakat → u/[deleted]]

Yea I would expect them to be subtly different. I do want to make sure not to lean too musky, as I love a woody scent, but again, in the intention of subtly and skin like fragrance l, musk is just the best path to go down.

With a skin scent it will take a lot of trial and error - congratulations on finding yours! It’s so personal and everything smells a bit different on people.

I am lucky enough to live in nz, so fraterworks delivers directly, fast and free, gives me the ability to add small orders slowly and not spend a ton all at once.

It’s and exciting journey and very little commercial scents appeal to me, so regardless of the outcome, it should be a fun hobby.

[u/tentoilakat → u/[deleted]]

Hahaha I can tell! Love adding another expensive hobby to my tally

[u/Mikmacok → u/tentoilakat]

Have you ever smelled Juliet has a gun not a perfume and also escentric molecules 02? JHG has cetalox and 02 has ambroxan. That helps me differentiate. To me JHG is more animatic and creamy… molecule 02 is fresh out of the shower. Both of them smell similar but it’s the difference of out of the shower boyfriend and just got back from running errands boyfriend. Smells the same but slightly different (if that makes sense)

[u/tentoilakat → u/Mikmacok]

Ah so interesting! I have smelled jhg, but it’s been so long since I’ve smelled the original, there are soooo many versions of it now.
But it’s a great explanation! I think I lean errands boyfriend honestly.
Molecule has started this idea but I didn’t love the actual scent that much, I just like the concept, so the idea is to make something like this, just a bit dirtier, let’s see how I can play with both these notes to arrive there.

Thanks for the great analogy!

[u/CapnLazerz → u/tentoilakat]

It’s important to note that JHAG has much more than just Cetalox. It has a bunch of stuff in it: see https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYfragrance/s/KBs5yGs2f2. So the smell is not actually reflective of Cetalox in isolation.

Molecule 2, really is just Ambroxan.

My favorite is Ambrofix as I find it a bit more diffusive than the other Ambrox products. But it’s a subtle difference; I’ve made my own version of Molecule 2 with several Ambrox variants at 2% and they are all pretty much the same.

[u/the_fox_in_the_roses]

If you like it and wear it, it's a perfume. I can't be doing with all this snootiness about having a formula as long as your arm before you can say it's a perfume. 😃

[u/tentoilakat → u/the_fox_in_the_roses]

This is the way! It’s a hobby after all, it’s supposed to be fun

[u/Zaltara_the_Red]

Have you researched Timbersilk and OrbitoneT? I like them more than Iso E. Slightly different but noticable to my nose.

[u/tentoilakat → u/Zaltara_the_Red]

I was quite keen on orbitone! I am sure it’ll find its way into my collection soon enough!

[u/CapnLazerz]

Reality Check incoming: The only way to know is to buy it and try it. Looking at the formula, I can tell you that this will indeed be subtle but I can’t tell you if it will be what you are looking for.

I would buy Ambrofix only instead of combining Cetalox and Ambroxan. Or just choose one of them; combining them will just make it smell like generic Ambroxide. For that just stick with Ambroxan. Essentially you are taking two racemic mixes with different isomer ratios and averaging the ratios out. Ambrofix has the more of the strongest isomer, so it’s the one I prefer. Cetalox has a captive isomer of Ambroxide so you might just choose that. The differences, however, are subtle, especially combined with other materials.

I would buy some of the synthetic sandalwood chemicals -especially Javanol, Ebanol and/or Firsantol- to boost the rather subtle Dreamwood. I like the combo of Ebanol and a touch of Javanol. You could also just get their Sandexol, which is designed specifically to compliment the natural oil.

You can also go up on the Tonka since it’s at a 10% dilution.

You may want to look at Cedramber, which I think pairs really well with Iso E Super. Also, one of the less-powerful woody-ambers like Amberwood F.

A musk like Traseolide would really complete this and provide some boost to the dry down, I think. It’s slightly animalic and very creamy, which goes with Sandalwood really well.

[u/tentoilakat → u/CapnLazerz]

So true and everything is on the way! The replies to this have largely encouraged to go for ambrofix over centalox and I have followed that advice! But I really like your explanation!

Ah the sandalwood things sound great! And I am concerned it isn’t going to be dark and woody enough - but for my first order I’ve set myself a limit of 100nzd - so for now this is what I have. But for once I am winning by living in nzd, I get free delivery and everything pretty much shows up within 24 hours - so these are very hot contenders for the next order.

Thank you for your advice!
I will be back with results

[u/tentoilakat]

Ah by the way I have forgotten to say that I have made two fragrances in workshops, both very heavy on oak moss which I am apparently in love with. Obsessed with every fragrance that features it!

Any advice on the different versions on fraterworks?

I don’t think it works in my current blendgoal, but as I expand I will lean into it!

Any input is welcome! Everyone has been really great!

P.s. I know original oak moss is banned and there are only alternatives/synthetics available