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How to Make Perfume Video

Filed Under: Lotion

Learn how to custom blend your own perfume on Soap Queen TV. In this episode, I’m going to show you how to blend fragrance oils to create your very own unique scent. Then I’ll share my recipes for an all natural solid and a luxurious, floral spray perfume.

To make the Solid Perfume you will need:

 

To make the Spray Perfume you will need:

 

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70 Comments

    • Hi Ginger!

      You can absolutely use essential oil! Some of our essential oils, like 10x Orange Essential Oil, aren’t recommended for leave-on products because they can cause irritation or photosensitivity.

      Each essential oil will say if they can be used on our website. 🙂

      Essential Oils: https://www.brambleberry.com/Essential-Oils-C157.aspx

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  2. Hi,
    Thanks for your video l have some questions :
    1- If I planned to use 38 % of essential oil what is the recommended percentage ratios of alcohol, water and polysorbate?
    2. Could I use 5% of water instead of what you mentioned? And what is the different it will be?

    • Hi Hamad!

      For the recipe above, we used the fragrance oil blend at 5%. A little bit goes a long way!

      Looking at your recipe, I would recommend using the same amount of water and less essential oil. Adding too much can cause some irritation on your skin.

      If you do want to give it a try, I’d recommend making a small test batch first. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  3. i read above that someone suggested using the lotion option on the fragrance calculator for a perfume oil. can it be used this way?

    • Hi Ginger,
      Great questions and yes you can use the fragrance calculator using the lotion option. 🙂
      ~Kevin with Bramble Berry

  4. if i were to use lemon cake fo to make a perfume oil what should my ratio be if i am using fractionated coconut oil? or can i use the lemon cake fo?

  5. How do you make the perfumed oil with fractionated coconut oil an fragrance? Do you have to add a preservative?

    • Hi Ginger!

      If your recipe does not have water, then you do not need to use a preservative :). If you’re looking to make a perfumed oil, you can simply add the fragrance or essential oil to your Fractionated Coconut Oil! I would recommend adding a small amount at first, and adding more depending on your personal preference!

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  6. Hello AM,

    Thanks for the video.
    1. Could you share us tips on how to make the perfume last longer? I tried this recipe, but after a week I think the smell evaporate from my tin container 🙁 still smell nice, but hardly there. I really want to make it long lasting.
    2. What is the difference between using only beeswax and combining coconut butter and jojoba/almond oil to solid perfumes?

    Thanks AM, you inspired me!

    • Hi Femmy!

      Good questions. To make the smell a little more long lasting, I would recommend using a little more essential oil! This will help the scent to be stronger, and hopefully last longer for you.

      Using beeswax in the solid perfume helps the mixture to be firmer and less greasy feeling. The oils and butters add softness and moisturizing properties. The combination of both is a great way to receive benefits of both! Using only beeswax would be extremely hard, and hard to apply.

      I hope this helps 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

      • Hello Amanda,

        Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I don’t have essential oil, only fragrance oil. How many oz should I add to the recipe? Thanks Amanda you’re the best!
        Femmy

        • Hi Femmy!

          You’re so welcome, I’m happy to help! You could use fragrance oil as well, I would recommend using about the same amount as the essential oil, depending on your personal preference. Some people like stronger scents, and some fragrances just happen to be stronger than others, so you can use less or more if you’d like 🙂

          -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  8. I was going to buy some more of the Bramble Berry Perfume Base. But thought about trying to make my own, since I have some things that I am not going to use for their intended purpose. I have what may seem to be a silly question though.
    Can you use Soy Wax and Castor Oil ? I also have some Candelilla Wax.

    Would I have to add a butter ?

    Sorry for the question, but I would hate for them to go to waste.

    • Hi Mandy!

      Our perfume base is already formulated and we found that it works really well. Changing the recipe will change the end product, but if you’d like to experiment, go for it :). You may also find the frozen spoon trick to be helpful!

      The frozen spoon trick is a super easy way to test if you like the consistency of the fragrance base you are making before it hardens up.

      All you need to do is stick 1-2 spoons in the freezer about 10 minutes prior to melting your ingredients. Once all of your ingredients are melted, you pull the spoons out of the freezer and stick the tip of it in your melted mixture. It will immediately harden up and be the texture and consistency it would be when your recipe has hardened. It is a super easy way to adjust your recipe before you’ve poured it in your containers!

      You can see the trick in action in this Soap Queen TV episode: http://vimeo.com/26122357

      Hope this helps 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

    • Hi Tara!

      Absolutely! In this recipe, you can substitute out the Meadowfoam and Avocado and replace them at the same measurements. The only time you would need to check on a recipe is if it is a cold process recipe. You always want to run those through the lye calculator when you change ingredients. I hope that this helps! =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  10. Hello!
    I am interested in trying your recipe! I don’t have Avocado oil, or Meadow Foam Oil..What would be good substitutions? I do have sweet almond, olive oil, and grapeseed oil.
    How well does this recipe do in transit, or shipping?
    Thanks!!

    • Hi Tara!

      With this recipe, you will want to make sure and keep the Coconut Oil and White Beeswax so that your perfume stays solid. You can actually substitute out the Meadowfoam and Avocado Oil for other fixed oils of your choice. I would suggest using the Sweet Almond Oil and Grapeseed Oil.

      The solid perfume does great in shipping because of the beeswax. Beeswax has a higher melt point than all oils and butters and keeps its solid form longer.

      Let us know how your batch turns out! 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  11. Can I substitute witch hazel for the alcohol, and if I can is it the same amount?

    • Hi Amber!

      If you wanted to use witch hazel in this recipe, you could do a 50/50 witch hazel and water solution and that would work really great! But, you will want to make sure that if you use water, that you use a preservative like Optiphen — you wouldn’t want any microbes or bacteria to grow in your product. I would suggest making a super small test batch first, to make sure you like how it works for you!
      I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      • So if I were to use the 50/50 formula with this recipe, would I use 9 ml witch hazel and 9 ml water instead of 18 ml water and 16 ml alcohol? Or would I use 18 ml water and 18 ml witch hazel? Thanks!

  12. Hi! Can you use vodka instead of rubbing alcohol? I’ve seen that in recipes before.

    • Good morning, Shannon!

      We’ve never used vodka in our recipes, but if you don’t want to use the rubbing alcohol, vodka would be a great substitution. Be sure to make a small test batch and let us know how it works out for you. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  13. Can the avocado oil be substituded for something else. I have a friend that is allergic to it.

  14. Hi –

    Great video, A-M.

    A couple of questions:
    – For the solid perfume, can I substitude Candelilla Wax for the beeswax to keep it vegan? If so, is it a 1-1 substitution?
    – I notice that some of the spray perfume recipes contain distilled water and some contain no water at all. What’s the deciding factor?

    Thanks!!
    Sarah

    • Hi Sarah!

      You can totally use Candellila Wax in substitution of the Beeswax in this recipe. You are going to want to use less of it because Candellila is about 15-20% harder than Beeswax. If you want to use Candellila in your recipe, I’d make a super small batch and add it a little at a time until the consistency is how you’d like it.

      Candellila Wax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Candellila-Wax-P4207.aspx

      To test the consistency before it hardens up, all you need to do it the frozen spoon trick. This trick is a super easy way to test if you like the consistency of the lip balm you are making before it hardens up.

      All you need to do is stick 1-2 spoons in the freezer about 10 minutes prior to melting your ingredients. Once all of your ingredients are melted, you pull the spoons out of the freezer and stick the tip of it in your melted mixture. It will immediately harden up and be the texture and consistency it would be when your recipe has hardened. It is a super easy way to adjust your recipe before you’ve poured it in your containers!

      You can see the trick in action in this Soap Queen TV episode: http://vimeo.com/26122357

      For the perfumes, it is really just a personal choice of whether it contains water or not. We’ve done a couple different recipes for those people who want to us water (and a preservative) and those that don’t want to use a preservative. It is really up to you on how your make your liquid spray perfumes.

      I hope this helps! =)
      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  15. Used polysorbate 80 from 2 different companies… and my perfume stays white. Even after stirring, and stirring, and stirring… it will settle to a kind of clear after sitting for a week or so, but the minute you pick it up and jostle it, or shake it… back to white. Called your company, and they’re stumped. Followed your instructions perfectly. Wondering if Anne Marie herself might know why?

        • I tried the same with polysorbate 20 and my perfume solution is opaque yellow, and I used all the fragrances from Brambleberry.

          • I’d be interested to know where you bought the Polysorbate? I’m wondering if you have to buy Bramble Berry’s. I should have been more accurate on color description. I would agree with you that opaque yellow is much closer to the color I have than “white”.

          • Yup. Did that. Added a little at a time, until there was 3 times the amount needed, and it wouldn’t spray out of the bottle anymore. But, again, if I’m using the exact same fragrances as in the video… well, I’m just stumped.

        • Good morning, Juli! Were all the ingredients you were using from Bramble Berry? If you have a picture, we’d love to see so we can help you troubleshoot. You can e-mail us at info(at)brambleberry(dot)com. =)

          -Becky with Bramble Berry

          • I do have a picture… however… today… presto, it’s clear! No idea what I did differently. Would temperature or humidity play any part in this?

          • Temperature could definitely play a role. Cool temps tend to cloud, in my experience. Keep me posted on if it remains clear for you =)

  16. Thank you for the tutorial. If I use any fragrance oil that has vanilla in it, will it turn the perfume spray brown? I have used vanilla fragrance in lotion and it turn my lotion brown.

    Thanks again.

    • Hi Chris!

      For the liquid perfume, we did try out a couple of vanilla fragrances and didn’t noticed any browning. But, if you try it in the solid perfume, you are probably going to have the slightest bit discoloration. If you really wanted to do Vanilla in your solid perfume, I’d make a small batch and see how the color turns out so you know what you are dealing with. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  17. Hi…I enjoy reading all your viewers comment. I was wondering how to make my own perfume lotion which could be sprayed on most type of fabrics which won’t give much damaged to it and the fragrance would last longer (like a few days)

    • Good afternoon! Currently we don’t have a recipe for a room spray, but you could use the liquid perfume spray (above) as an alternative. Just make sure to test it on a small part of the fabric you plan on using it on to make sure it works for you. You can also ask the Teach Soap forums to see if ny of the crafters there have found a recipe that works for them:

      Teach Soap Forum: http://www.teachsoap.com/forum/

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  18. I want to make a men’s aftershave spray with witch hazel and a FO. But not harsh to the skin but so it will be a toner for men. How much water, alcohol to witch hazel to use. thank you, Pat

    • Hi Pat!

      A 50/50 witch hazel and water solution would be great, but it wouldn’t be very ‘drying’ or ‘bracing’, which is why most aftershaves include alcohol. We’d suggest a 30% water, 20% alcohol and 50% witch hazel solution. But, make sure you make a super small batch first to see if it works for the guys. Because you are using a recipe that includes water, we do suggest adding a preservative like Optiphen to keep any microbes or bacteria from growing in it. I hope this helps! Keep us updated. 🙂

      Optiphen: https://www.brambleberry.com/Optiphen-P3682.aspx

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

    • Thank you so much for your order, Jamilla. We are so excited for you to get it as well! I think that a blend of Moonlight Pomegranate and Grapefruit would be delightful. And, you can always test that blend out by adding a few drops of each to a cotton ball to test out the new blend. 🙂
      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  20. I watched this when you first posted it but now the video won’t work. Probably my internet connection. My finished recipe has a very strong alcohol smell. Does this eventually evaporate. It seems like you mentioned this in the video. Also what is the maximum usage rate for the FO? Thanks!

  21. How, exactly should we/do we label these? Should we go to each ingredient listed and get the INCI names?

  22. Hi, can I use phenonip instead of otiphen? Is it gonna be the same amount to that of otiphen?

  23. This is *Awesome* my daughter has Celiac disease and I have been making all of her soaps and now some lip balms as well. But I really think she would love this one as well. Thank you so much for all of you recipes and videos….:)

  24. Hello! Thanks for this tutorial. Really appreciate it. Just wondering though if a gum (ie. guar, xanthan) coult be used in place of the polysorbate.

    Thanks again!

  25. Thanks Ann Marie, you have just inspired me! I love the spice and ocean scents(not together) so would love to give that a try. Oh, by the way, I could be classified more as a gummie bear than one of ‘natural’ people. 🙂

  26. I’m wondering that coconut oil has its own smell. So if we use coconut oil in perfume, does it change any smell of the perfume?

    • Hello!

      The Coconut Oil smell won’t come through if you are using essential or fragrance oils in your batch. It is a very light smell that can be easily masked with the scent blend of your choice! 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  27. In another soapqueen tutorial that you did you used Polysorbate 20 instead. Do you find that the 80 works better than the 20?

    • Hi Toni!

      You can either use Polysorbate 80 or 20 in your perfumes, and we have noticed that either one works really well. Typically, the Polysorbate 80 is used as a co-emulsifier in lotions and in self-emulsifying sugar or salt scrubs, but it still works fabulously in perfumes. It is really up to you which one you want to use. 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry