u/Alternative_Let_8153

Hi,

I recently bought some oils (bergamot, red mandarin, Ylang-ylang 3, Haiti vetiver...) from a general aromatherapy/natural cosmetics supplier rather than a specialized perfumery supplier.

My question is: how much does that actually matter when learning perfumery?If I smelled the same material side by side (one from an aromatherapy supplier and one from a perfumery supplier), would I realistically be able to tell the difference as a beginner? And more generally: are aromatherapy-grade oils still good enough to train your nose and learn composition basics?

I’m asking because they’re significantly cheaper, and I’m wondering if it makes more sense to learn from “low budget” materials first rather than using premium ones too early. Thanksss!

PS: Of course, I’m also completing this collection with other oils that are only available from perfumery suppliers. My question only concerns the ones that are also found in aromatherapy / natural cosmetics contexts.

Hi, I’m starting a to learn aroma materials (as many of us here!) I want to proceed as thoroughly as i can. I’ve selected ten different raw materials that I want to study progressively before moving into composition.

My current plan looks like this:

• Dilute all materials to 10%
• Store everything in 15 mL amber glass bottles
• Study each material individually first (max 3 per day, at different times to study evolution)

Then I want to move to a second phase, which is where things become tricky for me. I'd like to study binary combinations of materials with different ratios (for example 2/8, 3/7, 5/5, and the reverse). The issue is that this approach quickly multiplies the number of samples, and I only have about 30 glass bottles available in total.

So I’m trying to decide between two approaches:

1. Select exploration approach. Briefly pair materials on blotters first, (eg: 2 top notes together, or one base + middle note ...) identify promising directions, and only then select a smaller number of mixtures to actually bottle and track.
2. Systematic approach with more containers : Try to test everything properly in solution, but expand capacity (for example using plastic test tubes or small vials) to increase throughput without constantly re-bottling everything.

• Which strategy would you recommend better according to your personal experience? If it's the selected exploration approach, do you proceed by exploring top+top, (for a good blend) or tops + middles / middles+ base to feel the contrast etc? I'm curious on how each person develops their own system to study material !
• I've heard people talking about plastic test tubes or disposable vials for temporary mixing but I can't recall where i've read that. Are they reliable enough for rapid olfactive work, or do they distort the smell too much?

Any advice or experience would be really appreciated.Thxxx

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