Help me DIY a cow's milk scented perfume?

January 20, 2020 1:22 AM

I have professional perfumer's alcohol but where do I buy the milk scent to dilute?

I used to be a loyal customer of an artisanal perfumer who produced this delectable single-note parfum which smells like fresh, sweet cow's milk at a very reasonable price. Unfortunately she has closed down her shop since and I am having trouble finding a commercial replacement to my satisfaction.
I keep perfumer's alcohol around since I make perfumes using absolutes and essential oils so I am wondering if it is possible for me to DIY?
I am assuming I would have to buy some kind of liquid chemical scent which reproduces the scent of cow's milk. Where would I buy such a thing? Thank you.

posted by whitelotus to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Best answer: It doesn't sound like milk is going to be very easy to get right, but there is a milk lactone fragrance (apparently not actually a lactone) in smallish quantities which is where I'd be tempted to start, if you still want to do this. (I am not a chemist or a perfumer, just an interested perfume fan).
posted by carbide at 3:56 AM on January 20, 2020 [5 favorites]

I suggest pinging lipstick thespian who has experience with such things.
posted by terrapin at 5:30 AM on January 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

Could you write the perfumer a letter and ask what she used? If you let her know that you loved her perfume and you’re trying to reproduce the scent she might write back. If it was on Etsy, some people close their shop when they can’t keep up with on demand orders or want to try a new hobby. At the same time hobby artisans typically love sharing ideas with other hobby artisans so it may be worth a try. Maybe she’ll give you the recipe if you promise to use it for personal use only.
posted by donut_princess at 5:45 AM on January 20, 2020 [4 favorites]

Not exactly the same but maybe worth a try; Demeter has a condensed milk perfume. I haven’t smelled it, but Demeter usually gets it pretty spot-on with their other perfumes.
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:17 AM on January 20, 2020

Left field, but a relatively new cultivar of Oolong tea is available on the market called "milk oolong." The real stuff has no additives, it just naturally produces the flavour of milk.

Doing an extraction on that might be a possibility.
posted by porpoise at 2:58 PM on January 20, 2020