Isa

creating my very first perfume dedicated to my mother

The 25th of February 2023 marked a major milestone in my multi-sensory journey specific to the wonderful world of scents. It was the day I created my very first perfume. Before we discuss that further, let us briefly talk about the curious case of our vocabulary for the sense of smell.

The experience of scents, for me, is quite hard to describe in written and spoken form especially in English as my second language. When I try to do so, it always borrows words from the experience of other senses.

Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the number or variety of words specific to the experience of scents we have in our vocabulary.

I have some Filipino (Tagalog, specifically) terms for certain scents that have no exact English equivalents. For instance, Filipinos can use the term “malangsa” to describe the smell of raw fish or raw meat. It is not a word that translates the word “fish”, “raw”, or “meat” but a specific word to describe that particular scent. While in English it will just be referred to as “a fishy smell”, which means it borrowed from the object (fish) where that smell came from.

For those of you who are fluent in another language other than English, can you think of other examples in your native language? For native English speakers, can you think of specific words pertaining to scents that do not borrow from the object being described?

Photo by Fulvio Ciccolo on Unsplash

Now, let us go back to the perfume that I made last year.

I sourced my ingredients from the perfume capital itself - Grasse, France. I took a few private classes on the basics of perfume-making and I wanted to try creating one so I can make my study of the sense of smell in a fun (and fancy) way.

I named my first creation, “Isa” because the word means “One” in Filipino. Isa opens up with fresh bergamot citrus, a hint of green tea, and sweet orange flowers. It has floral heart notes, which will remind you of fresh provincial air with a whisper of gentle peonies and wild jasmine blossoms. Isa then settles down with a vibrant woody scent accompanied by tonka beans and amber.

I allowed the fragrance to macerate for eight long weeks before I tested it again. Maceration is the term used for the process of allowing the fragrance oils to slowly blend together and dissolve into the alcohol solvent to produce a unique scent.

After eight weeks, I dabbed a few drops on my skin. The resulting fragrance smelled fresh and the balance between herbal tea and citrus was noticeable. After about an hour, I noticed that it transitioned into a mild floral fragrance dominated by jasmine blossoms but with the hints of the initial notes. Three hours after application I started noticing the darker and sweeter aromas of wood, honey, almonds, and vanilla emerging from tonka beans.

Wow. Not bad for my first try. Perhaps I should bottle this and sell it. Just kidding.

The first batch is for my mother because I know she is going to cherish it even if it turned out to be an awful perfume. That is one of the many, many, many reasons why mothers are the best!

Read more about my journey through the sense of smell: Redolence Series Archive

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💡How about you?

❓What are your favorite scents?

🔤 Use the word “macerate” in a sentence.

🔄 Restack and tag me about the answers that you come up with.