How many times have you been told to make perfumes based on their fragrance family? Or to make aromatherapy blends based on the synergy of oils?
Well, you may be surprised to learn that those are not the only approaches you can use to formulate with natural aromatics. You may have already developed your own method, possibly based on intuition, experience, and personal preferences, and that is great.
I’d like to share a method based on colour, which may sound simplistic or even elementary. But let me tell you, it’s not. In fact, it carries its own internal logic. Besides, you can choose how to engage with the colours of absolutes, oils, and tinctures from a symbolic, visual, or emotional perspective.
Natural aromatics tend to have rich, deep shades. Interestingly, many big brands are wary of using colour in their perfumes, preferring natural isolates and synthetics, which are typically clear and more stable. But I’ve always loved seeing how colours interact and have felt a little frustrated when everything ends up brownish-amber in the end.
Let’s say you’re working with two beautiful aromatics: one a deep green oil, the other a dark mahogany absolute. If you blend them, it can be hard to retain their visual distinctiveness or aesthetic appeal. The perfume may smell beautiful, but the sensory experience of colour might be lost. For some the magic of plant essences can be partially lost too. One can definitely not equate natural perfume making to painting (but we will still do that!) but let’s imagine for a moment, we can and what can come out of it!