March 18th, 2011, Cincinnati, OH
Hi Mandy,
I wanted to touch base with you on the project. I finally got a chance to set out some of my materials and will be building an accord around the ylang first. I’m working up one with tea and honey, and another with mimosa absolute and something yellow, though not sure on “which” yellow yet.
I’m using the Comoros Ylang Extra. I was also wondering if you would be using natural fractions or other plant based materials (other than traditional EO’s & absolutes) in your composition. I can go either way, but do intend that the perfume not contain any man-made petro/molecules, etc.
It’s taking me some time to warm up to this Ylang Ylang. I wasn’t aware that my distaste for it had become so palpable.
Liz
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March 19th, 2011, Berkeley, CA
Dear Liz,
I’ve only tried different essences on perfume blotters to get a very general sense of the possibilities. Often ideas on blotters are tossed out right along with the blotters as they don’t really hold up for long.
Here’s where that has led me: I like softening the galbanum with tarragon and lime. I find my fear of the galbanum’s sharpness growing with every whiff. I do like ylang ylang and I’m thinking of using the extra from Comoros. I also happen to have the most extraordinary ylang concrete from Morocco, and I could send you some to play with. It’s very rare and I can’t get it anymore — but it is my favorite ylang and perhaps it will massage away some of your distaste.
I’m thinking of building the base around vetiver. It has that greenness that I think would offset the galangal but yet add another facet to the greenness.
I’m planning to use natural fractions in this perfume along with essential oils and absolute. Will you be using them too? I would be fine if you used synthetics, if that was what you felt was needed artistically. I enjoy learning about whatever is right for your process.
Mandy
Please let me know if you would like me to send you some ylang concrete.
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March 26th, 2011, Cincinnati, OH
Hi Mandy,
I haven’t worked at all on the perfume this past week, but intend to get back to it in the next few days. I’m fine working with just the naturals and maybe a couple fractions.
After my first trials with the Ylang accord, I do feel myself moving in the direction of a tea. I will probably try and weave the galbanum into the heart accord to make it more linear rather than a distinct transition. As it can be a stark opening note, I want to create a little surprise for the nose. Kill it with kindness, so to speak.
Thank you for the generous offer of the Ylang, but I think I’ll stick with what I’ve been working with. I know how it is with those rare finds. A shame that such amazing things cannot be reproduced.
I like the idea of using vetiver — I work with green notes a lot, and am always trying to find ways to add more interest and depth to them. I wear greens more than any other scent family.
LZ
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March 28th, 2011, Berkeley, CA
Dear Liz
I made two versions of the galbanum/ylang and they both share the same base and middle, but I have too many ideas about the top. There are so many ways to go wrong with galbanum. Galbanum fills me with a giddy dread whenever I hook it up with another essence.
So here’s the good news — I really like the vetiver as the foundation for the galbanum. The vetiver is a green, earthy anchor for the “starkness” of the galbanum. I sweetened the vetiver with vanilla and lightened it with some musky angelica root. In the middle, of course, I included the ylang ylang extra. Then added some honeysuckle and clary sage to tone down the powdery sweetness of the ylang.
So far, so good.
The top, however, was problematic. The first thing I did was tincture the galbanum down to 20%. This turned out to be a bad idea — I lost the edginess of the galbanum. In the next version, I used the galbanum at full strength and foolishly put too much in. I didn’t realize my mistake until days later when the galbanum “grew” in the bottle. I’ve had this experience before with other intense notes, where they pick up steam while seeming to rest in the bottle with the other essences.
Galbanum growing all in a row — photo by Aftelier
I paired the galbanum with the fresh sweetness of spearmint to bring a little shade to the razor sharpness. Then I filled in with some Mexican lime. I was very pleased with this blend right after I’d made it, but the next day the green razor sharpness of the galbanum was too penetrating. Afterwards, I began thinking again of tarragon, basil, bergamot and coriander co2.
Have you done much work with basil? I find that I like it, but seem to avoid it.
Mandy
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April 4th, 2011, Cincinnati, OH
HI Mandy,
I’ve been working in a bit of a different way. I had several materials that I wanted to work with, so I mocked up a complete new formula today beginning with the galbanum, leaf alcohol, bergamot, pink pepper and ionone alpha. I added a touch of bay laurel, cinnamon, a touch of ginger, damascenone (trace) and broom.
As a top modifier, I’ve used marigold, and for the heart a bit of frangipani . . . the bottom is very basic: (for now) labdanum, sandalwood from Australia, opoponax and tonka tincture. For a tester, I’ve diluted it at 20% in a citrus spice alcohol. I’ll let this sit a day or so — I may need to add a little weight in the heart, as it’ll be an edp, so the idea of it being a spray was how I thought about the way it would disperse and develop.
I may also have to anchor the bottom as well and increase my percentage of those notes.
After this, I still had several things on the bench that didn’t make it into the blend, so I have some room to play and expand on the idea if need be. For the whole, I’m thinking synergy with nuances rather than showcasing the individual parts.
I’ve used tarragon in a few things — I like it, as well as fennel, basil, anise and caraway. Each have their own way of developing, but in general I like the licorice feel in the opening. Probably sweet fennel the best. Lime is also something that I like and use. I also like the Combava Petitgrain (Kaffir Lime). It’s one of the things still sitting on my bench that I didn’t use today.
I did use the galbanum at a higher percentage than the other materials in the top grouping, as well the ylang in the heart grouping. Will check it tomorrow or next, to see if anything jumped the shark. And start making my adjustments from there.
Best,
Liz
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April 7th, 2011, Berkeley, CA
Dear Liz,
I am finding the galbanum very mercurial. It seems to move around in my blends, sometimes receding altogether while at other times completely dominating. My ability to predict its movement –- something I think I’m quite good at with many oils — is not working. At the moment, I’m not focusing much on the middle and base, but just on the top.
I liked your idea of using bergamot, and made a couple of formulae substituting the more floral Italian bergamot for my more aggressive and brighter Mexican lime. I also tried tarragon on the top. I confess, tarragon is a real favorite of mine and I used it a lot in my very early perfumes so many years ago. I had a great feeling about it when smelling it with the galbanum on perfume blotters, but when I actually added it to a blend it — as you said, “jumped the shark”!
I was wondering if your leaf alcohol and damascenone are natural? I’ve never smelled these and would love to know more about their capacities for perfume. Could you tell me more about them?
I’m also interested that you mentioned you might add marigold, bay and cinnamon because I’ve found them to have very high odor intensity. Are you thinking of using only a tiny amount?
Where I am now is, I’ve been making just top chords, to test out my ideas in isolation — something I very rarely do. I’m checking back and still finding there is a great deal of movement in how the chord smells until it settles down, almost as if I were using civet or an animal essence. My experience with animal essences has been that they “open up” the other essences and transform them until they reach a stable place.
Best,
Mandy
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April 8th, 2011, Cincinnati, OH
Hi Mandy,
I’ve placed some of my first blend into a sprayer, and I’m not impressed with the opening. It’s too green, and I love green so I can’t believe that came out of my mouth, but it’s true, I will need to tone it down.
The transition to the tea/heart I like very much, but it still needs something, and I’m thinking to replace the bay with a warmer spice blend, but in dilution, so that it’s in the background and doesn’t swallow the tea note. The bottom, I’m fine with — it just needs to be increased a bit. So I’m back to the drawing board to make these little adjustments to the entire formula.
I use the marigold as a top note modifier, in a low level, just to lend nuance, as I like the way it pops up with that quick full-on marigold, then disappears.
I do use the bay and cinnamon in small amounts. I keep a good Saigon Cinnamon at a 2% dilution in alcohol. The leaf alcohol and damascenone are natural. The leaf alcohol smells like cut grass and I use it sparingly, as well the damascenone which is the beta version — a rose ketone. I have this in both a natural at 1% in alcohol (it comes that way), and a synthetic version in a 10% IPM solution. It’s very powerful: a berry-wine note with rose undertones. The synthetic even at the same dilution is much stronger than the natural, and has a slightly different scent profile.
In the synthetic, the wine note is much more present, which I do like for some things. It’s used at trace levels in formulation, but in my formula I’m not getting what I want out of it, so will likely eliminate it. I will keep the leaf alcohol, but must alter the galbanum — as with your blend, it’s a big green monster.
Trials and tribulations #1 — photo by Liz Zorn Perfumes
In my Sinti Parfum, I paired the galbanum with an alpine note and clary sage, so I may work up two different versions of my next mod. There is also a natural leaf acetate that smells like green apple and pears, which blends well with the leaf alcohol — so I may try that, as well.
In my other work, I’ve noticed with many natural vs. synthetic materials of the same name, synthetics usually have more tenacity, and are best used at the mfg. suggested dilutions and levels. I even go beyond that and dilute them more, as I don’t want them to over power the subtleties of the naturals that I use. Mostly, for me, it’s about that fine balance, and sometimes even a bit of shock.
Which really boils down to the telling of the story and how best to do that.
I’ve included an attachment image of the #1 trial.
Liz
***This is a continuation of a series. You can find the previous letters between Mandy Aftel and Liz Zorn at the link below:
#1) Mandy Aftel & Liz Zorn: Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 1)
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