Blenders Needed!

[Cynna]

I've been working on a project for a year now (well, more like I worked on it for two weeks and got frustrated and sidelined it) and I realized I'm not good at this, so I'm putting out a plea for good blenders who know a thing or two about notes.  I would like to work with someone local, but at this point any advice is helpful.  I'm trying to develop "gemstone" scents that stick to the florals and elements associated with the stones.  They aren't always the greatest combinations and make blending a real chore.  The problem is even when I can find a workable blend, there's something missing from them.  I picked up some samples of things like Floral Aldehyde, Pink Peppercorn, Ozone, etc. but I am not good with notes at all and don't really know what to use when to get things to really mesh.  The blending charts are great, the problem is I'm not just making up scents, I'm working with a limited list of what is associated with the stones.  For example, the working blend I have for Opal is Water Lily and Sandalwood.  It has a nice powdery quality to it, the problem is it's missing something to really pull it together.  The same with Garnet - Cinnamon and Rose.  It sounds like it would be a fantastic scent, but it isn't (I tried several types of cinnamon scents including a dry apothecary version and a sweet one).  I'm open to adding an element to give it that final kick, I just don't know what it is (I know it'll vary from combo to combo).  A lot of the scents we know and love are layered with so many notes that we'd never expect to be in there, and I think that's where I'm falling short.  This is an intensive process, and I would really love to partner with someone with some background knowledge and a good nose.  I make jewelry in addition to wax melts, and I really want to make samples of wax melts for the birthstones to send along with jewelry purchases.  This whole project was actually inspired by a customer who makes subscription boxes and wanted to find scents to match themes.  I didn't want to create my own version of what I think Rose Quartz smells like or buy someone else's idea of it, I want to create something that uses the actual associations.  Garnet for example is red rose, geranium, cinnamon, copal and pine, which is how I got cinnamon rose. 

Right now I'm working with SOS sniffies, but if there's another company that sells good notes to experiment with I am all ears! 

 

I did already scour Basenotes for some topics/advice.  I realize this is more of a 'perfumery' type of thing, but I'm using fragrance oils not perfume oils and it's only for wax products, and seeing as how there are so many out here who blend their own scents a lot for candles, I was hoping someone might be willing to pitch in.  Frankly I'm floored by some of the blends people come up with.  You guys are amazing.  

[Cross-stitch]

I'm afraid that I'm not sure how much help I can be.  But, one thing I can share is that when I'm looking to make a new blend I constantly look at this website.  https://www.mefragrance.com/fragrance-oils.cfm

 

It doesn't have every scent out there, but enough to help me out enough.  Each item on here will tell what scents blend with which as well as if the one you're looking at is a top, middle or base note.  At least it gives me an idea as to what to look for.  

 

I hope this helps you out at least some...

[TallTayl]

I would jump over to the perfumers apprentice for more info about creating accords that meet your wishes. 
 

once you create a more populated Perfumers Organ you will begin to understand how those aromachemicals combine. You will find as you collect more essences that there are many different qualities of fragrance than SOS offers. 
(example in linked article here: https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/What_is_a_perfumers_organ/154495)

The difference between perfumery and scents for wax melts is often not as big as you might think.  Many times the difference is the diluent. Aroma chemicals are suspended in a fluid to make them usable in different applications (candles, soap, perfume, etc).  Some diluents, like DPG, work VERY well in perfumery, but cause soap to curdle and candles to not burn (= fail). Swapping the DPG for IPM or DEP solves the problem for soap (and candles)

 

sometimes perfumery and home scent products differ only by usage rate.  Whereas a soap might be limited to 5%, for instance for aromachemicals in a specific blend, the same blend often has no limit for candles, melts, etc. as noted in category 11 of the IFRA guidelines for that blend.

 

I have to ask, why are you focused on just those particular notes and descriptions? Often someone else’s idea back us into a difficult corner. Making wonderful blends and adapt then working backward to a theme often is quicker, and more successful than trying to create a scent that matches someone else’s idea of the theme. 
 

for the spicy notes in your garnet, I would think carnation be good.  A real carnation scent has a clove type bite which  adds the element of mystery it sounds like you need. 

[Laura C]

This is an interesting post.

[Cynna]

I didn't think about the carnation - thank you for that!  That's a great suggestion.

 

I'm using a chart that lists all the florals and herbs/spices that are associated with gemstones.  Kind of like how months and signs of the zodiac have stones  & flowers known as your birth flower or birthstone.  I know it's not really commonly known that stones have associations too, but they do.  So that's what I'm trying to stick to.  Some are easy to work with, but others are just blech.  That's why I realized I was going to have to add things that aren't in there to make a fragrance smell less like a science experiment and more like a real fragrance you'd like to have in your home.  I'm sticking to fragrance oils that I can blend easily, but I did pick up some key notes that might help I'm just not good at knowing which key notes to add to what type of scents.  This is getting way more complicated than I wanted it to!  I will definitely check out the link and do some more research.  Thank you!