Here’s how to make your own solid perfume!

Become a bona fide perfumer with just this recipe

Perfume does so many things. It can bring back long-forgotten memories, serve as an indispensable element of seduction, and help you stand out from the crowd. It’s so much more than a simple cosmetic! Each note in these cleverly created concoctions is carefully selected to create a beautiful, balanced scent. Coming up with a homemade perfume is an art unto itself, which we’re sharing with you today!

We chose to develop a solid perfume recipe for several reasons. Unlike traditional alcohol-based perfume sprays, which irritate some people’s skin, our DIY solid perfume is created with wax, butter, and oil, making it suitable for all skin types. Solid perfumes are also handy: you can easily bring this one along with you thanks to its wee metal container, making touch-ups quick and discreet—and you’ll never accidentally spray everyone around you! Lastly, solid perfumes are highly concentrated, so you don’t need to use very much. They’re practical, budget-friendly, efficient and easy to apply… what more could you want in a perfume? 

Except, perhaps, to be able to say that you made it yourself! Let’s get started.

How to make solid perfume

Ingredients

Solid base

• 21.6 g (37.9%) Golden Wax 415 soy wax
• 11.2 g (19.6%) caprylis oil
• 18.4 g (32.3%) mango butter
• 5.8 g (10.2%) scent blend

Suggested scent blends

Boreal Mist

• 1.2 g (2.3%) black spruce essential oil
• 1.2 g (2.3%) Virginia cedar essential oil
• 1.7 g (3.2%) white grapefruit essential oil
• 1.2 g (2.5%) frankincense essential oil

Flore

• 2.6 g (4.6%) Bulgarian rose aromatic essence
• 1.9 g (3.3%) lily of the valley aromatic essence
• 0.6 g (1.1%) rose geranium essential oil
• 0.7 g (1.2%) gardenia aromatic essence

Earthly Delights

• 3.2 g (5.6%) frankincense essential oil
• 0.6 g (1.1%) vetiver essential oil
• 0.6 g (1.1%) patchouli essential oil
• 1.3 g (2.3%) true lavender essential oil

Tools

• Small stainless steel bowl
• Components to make a double boiler
• Small silicone spatula
• Scale, accurate to 0.1 g
• A few pipettes
• A few ramekins
• Thermometer
• Two metal tins, 60 ml and 15 ml
• A fridge or freezer

Good to know!

• Boreal Mist will make you feel like you’re wandering in a deep green coniferous forest, catching the occasional surprising whiff of citrus. This woody and fruity blend is enhanced with frankincense, which adds comforting warmth. It’s the perfume for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.
• Flore is as light and floral as its name suggests! Combining sweetness and lightness with a subtle fruity note, it’s like a beautiful bouquet that you just can’t stop breathing in. Flore is the perfect perfume for spring and summer days or to brighten grey evenings in winter.
• Earthly Delights is a heady, earthy fragrance with spicy and floral notes. This rich and complex perfume never fails to leave an impression. It’s perfect for a soirée and suits anyone who likes to stand out from the crowd.
• We advise against modifying the proportions of the solid base; if you do so, the final product may not be optimal or safe for body use. You may alter the scent blends or create your own, but be sure to keep in mind the warnings at the end of this section about dermocaustic and photosensitizing essential oils.
• You can replace the caprylis oil with another vegetable oil. However, the oil you choose should not be prone to oxidation, or if it is, you will need to add 1% vitamin E and reduce the quantity of vegetable oil by 1%. 
• We strongly advise against replacing the Golden Wax 415 soy wax with another vegetable wax. This is the only wax that we recommend for skin application.
• We chose mango butter because it will yield a soft yet firm solid perfume. Also, it’s quickly absorbed by your skin, so it won’t leave a greasy film. 
• You can modify the essential oils and aromatic essences to make your solid perfume exactly what you want. However, some essential oils are dermocaustic (clary sage, cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, clove, ginger, oregano, peppermint, spearmint, thyme). You may choose to use them, but they cannot make up more than 0.5% of the total recipe, as dermocaustic essential oils can irritate or even burn your skin.
• Boreal Mist contains a photosensitizing essential oil (white grapefruit), so exercise caution! We advise against applying it prior to sun exposure, though you can apply it to a non-exposed area of skin. Note that this word of caution applies to all other photosensitizing essential oils that you may wish to add to your recipe (bergamot, celery, lemon, lime, litsea, pink grapefruit, red mandarin, sweet orange, tangerine, white grapefruit).

Steps to follow

1. Prepare and disinfect your equipment and workspace.
2. Weigh the ingredients for the solid base and melt them in a double boiler.
3. Weigh the scents in a ramekin. 
4. Once the base has melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Once the base has cooled to 45°C or less, add the scents.
5. Mix with the small spatula to evenly disperse the scents.
6. Pour the mixture into the tins.
7. Place the tins in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for one hour to set. If they still haven’t set when the time is up, leave them in your fridge or freezer a little while longer.

Use and conservation

This homemade perfume is formulated for all skin types. To apply, just rub the surface with your finger then apply to your wrists, neck, or behind your ears.

When made in optimal sanitary conditions, it will keep for at least six months. 

Store in a cool place and be sure to close the lid after each use.