Making a perfume spray out of oil

Supplies needed

In order to transform a perfume oil into a spray version, both amateurs and professional brands do the same - mix the oils with an alcohol based solution, sometimes called Perfumer's Alcohol. In short, what you need is:

1. Perfume oil of your choosing
2. Alcohol based solution
3. Syringes, pipettes, something to measure and move both the oil and the alcohol
4. Empty spray bottle (atomizer) - find some here.

Anything plastic that touches a perfume oil will most likely retain it's smell, even when cleaning it with soap and using the washing machine, thus you'll need a pipette per oil.

You can get empty perfume bottles online on stores like Aliexpress, eBay or Amazon, or even on local supply shops. You can find some tried and tested bottles here. Also check out Misc links page for a list of sellers.

Perfumer's Alcohol alternatives

Since it's a flammable liquid, unless you live in a country that either has local producers or importers, getting it might be a little tough. eBay, Amazon and your local classifieds website should give you an idea.

Onto the alternatives - the key ingredient is always the same - ethyl alcohol. The concentration of this molecule is the difference between an insoluble mixture and an alcohol smelling mess. This video clearly illustrates how the different percentages influence the final result. In short, the best concentration is around the 95%. In some countries, this can be acquired in the hygiene department of every supermarket - check your own and see which options you have.

Choosing the right ratios

Nasomatto - Black Afgano at 20% v/v using 96% ethanol

How much alcohol should you add to your oil? It depends. Putting it simply, the higher the concentration of the oil, the stronger the smell will be. Too high of a concentration will make it harder to spray and might probably stain your clothes. Too low and the smell of the alcohol might be overpowering, while the overall smell will evaporate sooner.

In the experiences documented on Fragrantica's forum, 20-30% seems to be the golden interval. That is, for every 2-3ml of oil, you should add 8-7ml of your alcohol based solution. The variables that should affect your decision making here are how strong is your fragrance by nature (winter fragrances are already really strong, you might not need to make them as concentrated as a spring fragrance). You should try it first with a small quantity and choose the ratio is pleases you most.

Sometimes, you will find that the perfume disappears too quickly, independently if you use a high or a low concentration. This attests that the oil's quality is very poor, and that you should buy from a different shop.

Mixing process

With all the necessary ingredients, you can start the experiments.

There isn't much to it. Add the oil and the alcohol to the bottle and shake it vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds.

Make sure there are no "bubbles" of oil and that the whole mixture is uniform. If you see a clear difference between the alcohol and the oil, you might have a low concentration of alcohol or too much oil.

The end mixture should have the same tone as the oil before the process.

To the right, you see a 20ml bottle with 4ml of Nasomatto - Black Afgano oil from APO mixed with 16ml of 96% ethanol from a local supermarket.

Resting period and final remarks

Perfumes should not be used right away. In our experience, if you spray right after making the perfume, you will smell the alcohol a lot, and after a few moments, the fragrance. As time goes on, the smell of alcohol will disappear and after a few weeks (depending on alcohol, fragrance, etc), will not be present.

There isn't much literature on the issue, but one should give 2 to 4 weeks before using it, to let the oil and the alcohol really settle in. After that, feel free to use it as you would any other perfume you have purchased from a store; you've reached your destination.

Remember to keep the perfume outside humid and/or hot environments, avoid the sun, and the perfume will last a while.