A Natural Perfumers Journal

As a child I remember playing under the row of blackcurrant bushes that grew along the side of our path. I recall some children complaining that the bushes smelled like cat pee when they brushed past the leaves. But I loved the smell. I would rub the leaves and stems and buds just to get the smell. I loved the way it smelled on skin. To me it wasn't cat pee, but a green fruity peppery smell. When I ordered a small amount of blackcurrant bud absolute I could already imagine what it was going to be like. When it arrived I smelled the outside of the bottle before I opened it and there I was back in my yard in early summer like a child again. I want to make a perfume with it that I would have liked at that age. Something sweet, something strong, something bursting with life, something that would be *too much* for Mom, and Granny. I have made almost a dozen different experimental blends and I will leave them alone for a while. I have an idea more now of where I want the perfume to go. I...

First Whiff 1. Himalayan geranium: initial smell is sweet, light and floral. 2. Atlantic bourbon geranium (certified organic): initial smell is dry, floral and slightly bitter. 3, Anatolian bourbon geranium: initial smell, rounder and also dry. More floral than the Atlantic. After 2 minutes 1. Light and sweet but drying out slightly, not at all bitter. A sweet floral note. 2. Much dryer, becoming more leafy now and a green tinge coming through. 3. Also much dryer but becoming more fruity than leafy, more of a soft fruity floral. After 5 minutes 1. Is still light and now fruity floral, still more sweet than dry. 2. A distinct bitterness which is not present in the Himalayan geranium, a dry floral note. 3. No bitterness, the more fruity of the three. After 10 minutes 1. A definite citrus note coming in from nowhere, lifting this one up again, mmmmh I'm really enjoying the Himalayan geranium. 2. A softer herbal tea type note, less bitter and a little cloying compared to the Himalayan ...