There is a unique kind of heartbreak that comes when you reach for your all time favourite perfume, only to discover it is officially discontinued. Suddenly that signature scent, the one tied to your favourite memories, the one that makes you feel confident is running out- drop, by drop.
The good news? you don't have to let your signature scent vanish forever.
Here is a step by step guide to your lost holy grail fragrance:
Step 1: Decode The Fragrance Pyramid
Every perfume is built off of a "fragrance pyramid" consisting of top, middle (heart), and base notes. when a retail perfume is discontinued, your first mission is to look up the original formula.
Write down the ingredients across these three tiers,
Top - these are the initial scents you smell right after spraying. These notes are usually light and evaporate after 15 minutes.
Common notes include : citrus notes, light fruits including pears and berries, as well as fresh herbs, such as mint and lavender.
Heart (Middle Notes)- Considered the core personality of the fragrance, these notes emerge just as the top notes but last a few hours. Think florals, jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, or spices and green leaves.
Base Notes- The foundation of the fragrance, these heavy molecules linger on your skin for the rest of the day and give the perfume its longevity.
Common base notes include, vanilla, musk, sandalwood and cedarwood like notes.
Step 2: Identify The Vibe/Fragrance Family.
Beyond the raw ingredients, you want to identify the dominant fragrance family of your discontinued perfume. Perfumes generally fall into 4 main categories.
Fresh: Clean, aquatic, citrusy or green
Floral: Sweet, powdery, and reminiscent of fresh cut flowers
Oriental/Spice: warm, sweet, and sensual
Woody: Earthy, rich, and deep.
Knowing the primary family helps ensure that when you select your custom ingredients, the overall balance remains faithful to the style of the original blend.
Step 3: Account For Skin Chemistry
If you are trying to replicate a scent from memory, remember that perfumes smell slightly different on everyone due to individual skin pH, oil levels, and body temperature.
When rebuilding your custom fragrance, focus on the notes that stood out to you most on your skin. You may want to strongly emphasize certain notes more to match your experience.
Step 4: Rebuild Your Perfume With Build My Fragrance
Once you have your target list of top, middle and base notes, you are ready to bring your perfume back to life with our custom perfume builder.
At Build My fragrance you have total creative control over your scent profile. Choose your bottle, choose your notes and name your creation.
Ready to bring your favourite scent back from the dead? don't let your signature scent become a memory, head over to buildmyfragrance.com and create your fragrance today.