Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fragrance

A loverly scent!

mittenbex — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:22:24 -0800

I want a new signature scent. What will I like if I also like CK1? I love perfume but don't like harsh scents that I associate with something my mother or grandmother would wear.

I currently go between wearing CK1 and Amor Amor.

If you wear one of these or know what they're like - what might I also like?

Something light/fresh -- maybe slightly sweet like Amor Amor. I'm 25 so let's keep me young-person smelling, please :)

Where can I find reliable information on essential oils?

quarantine — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:47:02 -0800

I need further information about essential oils, but I'm having difficulty cutting through the questionable information online. Among my questions are:

1. Where can I find detailed information about extraction methods (books -- even expensive books -- are fine)?
2. What does "pure essential oil" really mean, and is that a legally-defined term in the U.S.? Can a "pure essential oil", for instance, contain solvents, waxes or resins from the botanical, other oils, etc?
3. Is there a way to tell through terminology whether benzyl benzoate is used (as it apparently sometimes is)? I'm allergic to that compound.
4. Where is the best place to find out any toxic effects of such oils used internally (I have The Commission E Monographs already)?
5. And, specifically, my google-foo is failing me: can anyone find for me pure violet flower essential oil, through any extraction method? I've seen this and this, both of which seem priced too low to be believable, and the latter link's owners confirmed that benzyl benzoate is present.

And yes, I've read Süskind ;-)

WANT TO PRODUCE A FRAGRANCE: HOW?

defmute — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:56:31 -0800

I want to sell a cologne. How do I do that? I have a brilliant idea for a new fragrance. Now what? Can I patent a fragrance before it goes into production?

The sweet smell of... Santa Fe

Westringia F. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:59:20 -0800

I'm in Santa Fe, NM for the first time (actually, just outside Santa Fe), and there's a sweet floral aroma everywhere. What am I smelling?

Please help me Identify a Perfume/Fragrance

snsranch — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:21:21 -0800

I'm trying to figure out what this perfume is so I can get some for my wife...I know it sounds crazy, but the smell of it is pretty singular. It's lemony but barely, like lemon blossoms. It smells just incredibly clean and natural, better than fresh air. It hits the pallet like cucumber water because it is so fresh. It's been around for at least 20 years and might be a European thing...I've witnessed it there, many years ago, and recently here in California while in a crowd of Euro tourists.

Forgive me if this is silly, but it sounds like something that might be common or easily identifiable among MeFite women/girls.

Many thanks in advance!

Repurposing perfume oil

slightlybewildered — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:13:29 -0800

Can I make a room fragrance from perfume oil? I have some nearly-full bottles of Body Shop perfume oil, which I don't want to wear any more. (Some I was given, some I'm just tired of the scent). How can I best use these as a room fragrance? I could only find one fairly elaborate recipe to make a spray. I tried just putting some on a cottonwool ball but it didn't work! Ideally the solution would not involve candles as I have little kids.

How to get cigarette smoke smell out of my laptop?

ibechase — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:49:44 -0800

I recently purchased a laptop on ebay, what I failed to notice is that the seller noted (in a separate 'About Me' webpage) that he was a smoker. How can I get rid of the smell of smoke? So, now I've got a great computer that works perfectly, but reeks of smoke. I have a pretty strong allergy to any sort of cigarette smoke, so I'm in a tough spot here. I'm looking for ideas that are low risk and/or that have been proven to work to help get rid of smoke smell from electronics/computers.

I've google'd a bit and the only things I am coming up with are industrial strength liquids which would work for the exterior of the computer, but not the interior for obvious reasons. Also, people saying put the laptop in an airtight box with baking soda/vinegar/lemon peels/tea bags/coffee/etc. These ideas all sound great, but no one really recommends anything with confidence. Has anyone tried any of these with any success?

I've got time and I am extremely patient, so something that takes a while wouldn't be ruled out. Does any one have a endall solution to help me out? What have you done to get cigarette smoke out of your items? Thanks in advance to you all.

Help me make my apartment smell like a sexy man's home should smell!

2oh1 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:02:37 -0800

Help me make my apartment smell like a sexy man's home should smell! I'm especially looking for thoughts from women... What works? What doesn't? I love the way certain people and places smell, and I'd like to find a way to make my home one of those places. I live in a 560 square foot open loft/studio type apartment. I don't smoke, have pets or any odors I'm trying to cover up. My doesn't smell bad. In fact, it doesn't smell at all. I'd like to change that.

Advice?

Who makes personalized bath products?

campy — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:32:33 -0800

What web site provides a "Design Your Own" service for unique personalized bath abd body products? Several years ago I found a web site (via MeFi or some other similar method) that created personalized bath products for you or someone you know. The process involved a questionaire that I completed online with questions relating to the person's personality, likes and dislikes, and colors and other concepts.

Somehow, by using this information, they create customized products for you. I completed the questions then ordered body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash. The packaging and product names were also personalized with messages that I chose... in small words on the back of the bottles there was a link to the web site with a code to reorder that specific type of product.

Fast forward to Christmas, 2007. Wife tells me that this was one of her favorite gifts of all time and that she would like me to order it for her... trouble is I have no idea what the site was, nor do I have the original bottles or email from the order.

Lots of googling and reading has left me with absolutely nothing... not even a similar service. Does anyone know of the company that I am looking for? Have they gone out of business? Is there a similar site where I can order this type of personalized product?

Thank you!

spanish spices for home fragrance?

bukvich — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:29:56 -0800

Is there some spice or combination of spices from the Spanish market that I can get for home fragrance purposes? I just moved to a new neighborhood which has a large fraction of Spanish people. In the produce section at the supermarket, the spice cart smells good enough to knock you over. The most noticeable scent smells to me like cinnamon. But when I hold up the cinnamon right under my nose, it seems like that is not it. My first thought was they had some synthetic fragrance they were stashing near the cart to attract the shoppers' attention, but I don't know. Maybe there is some chile-cinnamon interaction that is causing the effect on my nose.

Does anybody use Spanish spice for home fragrance? What do you use?

MMM, freshly washed hair scent

MayNicholas — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:05:27 -0800

I'm looking for a hair fragrance. Someting to spray in your hair to keep it smelling freshly-washed between washings. There should be no alchohol in it to dry out the hair- Bonus if it has a moisturizing effect though! I remember Bath & Body works carrying something similar, but it had too much alchohol in it for my liking and it didn't soften my hair. Know of anything along these lines?

It smells so yummy...

wafaa — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:30:08 -0800

How do YOU bakhoor? I love the chunky, resin-y, incense that my Somalian co-worker led me to. He directed me to a tiny Arabic shop and I bought 5.00 worth. That's alot. So how do you burn it? I Googled and saw the burners made for bakhoor, etc. and my friend would burn it on a piece of aluminum foil on his stovetop. I don't want to order the burner and the stovetop thing doesn't have the ol' special "burning ritual" thing going on that I want. Yeah, so what do you do?

Watery Mud d'eBay...?

dmaterialized — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:40:34 -0800

Why does a brand-new bottle of cologne smell very different (and not in a good way) from a small sample vial of the same? i just bought a bottle of Terre d'Hermes (which I think is wonderful, and great on me) based on how great the sample vial I got on eBay smelled. The "real thing" is a lot less sharp and the layers are a lot muddier. It actually smells like it could be a knockoff! WTF? (a little more inside) I bought both the sample and this "real" on eBay, but this is NIB and for all intents seems perfectly legit. Is it because of a different spray type? Is this potentially due to the way it was stored? The only thing I noticed is that when I took it out of the package the bottle was really cold. It's since warmed up, and (two or three days later) it smells a little closer to how I expect--but it's still definitely not right.

Is it ruined? Was the sample vial just inaccurate somehow? Any ideas? Is there a scientific explanation for this?

Room Fragrance help

hankbear — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:47:51 -0800

Looking to find a source of a room fragrance for a friend. She bought it from a catalog that she cannot remember the name of, but it was discontinued. It is an 8.45 fl. oz. clear glass bottle with a light beige label. The label says:

Perfume for
CAPILLA

senteur

FLEURS BLANCHES

White Flowers
fragrance

Keep ot of the reach of chilren.
Do not drink. Do not apply on the skin.
Do not leave near a flame
or other source of heat.

Alcohol 74% vol.

8.45 fl. oz.

There are about half a dozen thin wooden rods that go into the top. They absorb the fragrance and help it slowly release into the room. I've googled and come up empty. I've extolled the virtues of the hive mind, so I'm hoping you all won't fail me. Thanks!

How to get that irresistable scent

GleepGlop — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 18:41:06 -0800

Girls: How do you like a guy to smell? What products should I use? Im asking this because I was thinking of looking into that body spray stuff because I think it may be more deodoranty than cologne and therefore better for everyday use because now that summers' started I may break into the odd sweat throughout the day and I dont intend to take a shower everytime that happens, but I also dont want to smell like sweat and I think I need something more than just deodorant...
Its happened to everyone: someone smells irresistable and you in turn find them irresistable based on nothing other than how they smell: so, what do you think they were using? Also ancient natural remedies welcome!

Summer mens fragrance in a blue bottle

lunkfish — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:52:25 -0800

What men's fragrance comes in a tallish bottle (not squat), is blue and smells quite light, but very classy? I know this sounds a bit metro, but some bloke had it in the changing room, and I want to get some. It smells quite summery and daytimey, but very classy and well balanced. I remember the bottle was quite tall and slim, not a stubby one. It was an older guy so the scent might have been around for a while.

How to find good quality incense.

parma — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 10:16:41 -0800

Where do you get good quality incense?

help me recreate a fabric softener fragrance

mirileh — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 05:53:14 -0800

Essential oil users: how do I recreate the fragrance of Comforts's former Green fabric conditioner fragrance? Once again the fabric conditioner I like is being discontinued. It's torture picking out another one (smelling them at the supermarket makes me sick and they smell differently after using them on clothes) so this time I am trying it on my own. I have a recipe (2 cups vinegar,2 cups baking soda,4 cups hot water) and I need that essential missing ingredient - fragrance!

so essential oil users, please help me with the following -

If you know the smell of Comforts's former Green fabric conditioner fragrance, please give me your guesses on what goes in it (I don't have any clues. Where I live it was just called the green fragrance. and if by any chance anyone out there is a Unilever employee and can help me with this - please do! So far I have had no luck with emailing Unilever on this one).

If you don't, alternative suggestions for coming up with a fragrance for the recipe would be welcome!

And last of all - how much oil would you add to the amount I'm making?

Thanks!

How do I make my car smell nice?

jeremias — Sat, 09 Apr 2005 13:17:07 -0800

How can I make the interior of my car smell nice? I'd like to stay away from the cheapo tree fragrance variety. Is there any pleasant (even subtle) fragrance providers out there?