How to make perfume oil: an alcohol-free roll-on

A perfume oil is fragrance oil diluted in an odorless carrier oil instead of alcohol, usually applied straight to skin from a roll-on bottle. People choose it to avoid alcohol, because alcohol dries their skin, or because they want a scent that stays close to them.

Perfume oil vs spray

There's no firm rule on which lasts longer. The scent can stay on skin for a long time in oil, but because it projects less, you and the people around you may perceive it as weaker. Which one feels longer-lasting depends on the oil itself.

Which carrier oil?

• Fractionated coconut oil (MCT). Clear, odorless, stays liquid at room temperature and keeps for a long time. The most common choice for roll-ons. Regular coconut oil from the kitchen solidifies when cool and has a scent of its own, so it isn't a substitute.
• Jojoba oil. Technically a liquid wax, which makes it very resistant to oxidation. It can have a faint smell; for perfume, choose a refined or deodorized one.
• Sweet almond oil. Easy to find, but it goes rancid sooner and isn't suitable for anyone with a nut allergy. For a perfume you'll keep for months, the first two are more reliable.

Some fragrance oils don't fully dissolve in a carrier and the blend can look cloudy. If that happens, compare the same oil in the other carrier in a small test.

What percentage?

A common starting range for perfume oils is 15–25% fragrance oil. The math is the same as for a spray: in a 10 ml roll-on, 20% is 2 ml of fragrance oil and 8 ml of carrier. The ceiling is still the IFRA limit on your oil's certificate; for a product that stays on skin, stay under the figure listed there.

Step by step: a 10 ml roll-on

1. 1Start with a clean, dry 10 ml glass roll-on bottle. Plastic can react with fragrance oil over time.
2. 2Measure 2 ml of fragrance oil into the bottle with a syringe.
3. 3Top up to 10 ml with the carrier oil.
4. 4Press in the roller ball, cap it and turn the bottle gently a few times to mix.
5. 5Leave it somewhere cool and dark for a few days. Without alcohol, resting may make less of a difference than it does for a spray, but a short wait can still help the oil settle into the carrier.
6. 6Before wearing it, try a small amount on the inside of your wrist.

If you work by weight, carrier oils have a different density from fragrance oil. In the calculator you can add a row for the carrier with the density from your supplier and see the same percentage in ml and grams side by side.

How it differs from a traditional attar

A traditional attar is made by distilling flowers or other botanicals and collecting the vapor in sandalwood oil, a method practiced in India for centuries. A perfume oil made at home by diluting fragrance oil in a carrier is worn the same way but made differently. The ingredient list of an "attar" you buy usually tells you which kind it is.

Storage

Keep perfume oils capped, away from light and heat. Carrier oils oxidize over time; if a blend starts to smell sharp, off or rancid, stop using it. Oil can mark fabric, so apply it to skin rather than clothes.