How Do Companies Make Perfume?

Perfume is normally manufactured using plant substances, animal products (obtained by extracting fatty substances from animals such as deer and beavers) or chemicals (which comprise synthetic perfumes or are created by chemists). Each perfume is generally comprised of dozens or even hundreds of ingredients and is usually put together by a perfumer, sometimes known as a "nez," which means "nose" in French.

Extraction

The process begins by extracting oils from plant substances, which is done using several methods. Expression, for example, is the oldest method of extraction and involves pressing the plant or fruit rind to squeeze the essential oils out. Steam distillation is a newer method in which steam passes through the plants or fruit rinds, first turning the essential oils to gas. The gas is then cooled and liquefied. These extracted oils usually comprise the ingredients of fine perfumes. Chemically developed scents are growing more common in the perfume industry and are often responsible for lower-priced perfumes.

Blending

Using as many as 800 ingredients, a perfumer blends together the elements of a perfume, testing again and again until a palatable formula is achieved. This process may take up to a few years. The developed scent is quite concentrated and, once established, is diluted with alcohol and water for consumer sale. Perfumes have the largest percentage of perfume oil--usually 10 to 20 percent dissolved in alcohol--while cologne and eau de toilette have much lower perfume oil content and much higher percentages of alcohol and water, which is what allows them to be less expensive in the marketplace.

Aging

Fine perfumes are often aged for months or even years after the blending process, whereas less expensive perfumes often make it to market more quickly. Much like fine wines, perfumes grow more complex as they age. After aging, a perfumer will once again test the scent before releasing it for sale.