Long-lasting perfumes are special and popular among men. There is this mysterious magic that can linger on for hours or even throughout the day. But what makes these perfumes long-lasting? The simple answer is the ingredients. These ingredients that perfume companies use are not easy to find. They come from flowers, while some have to be created in a laboratory. Each has a vital role to play in the perfume, and high-end perfume houses often go to great lengths to acquire and create these ingredients. In this blog, we will take a look at some of the ingredients and see how they are the building blocks of the best perfumes for men.
The secret to long-lasting perfumes
The secret behind long-lasting perfumes lies in something known as “base notes.” Perfumes are made of three layers of scent: the top notes, middle notes, and base notes. The top notes are the smells you will catch right after you spray a perfume. These fragrances are usually fresh and light, but they quickly fade away. The middle notes have a longer life than the top notes. It is the base notes that make the perfume last long. Base notes linger on your skin for many hours and even times more, giving depth and richness to a perfume.
What Makes Base Notes Long Lasting?
Base notes are long-lasting because they consist of stronger scents of wood, musk, and vanilla. These will not fade so fast as will the more light, fresh scents, which is why they are best for a long-lasting perfume. So, if you want a perfume that’ll last longer, look for the one with strong base notes. Some of the common base note ingredients are sandalwood, amber, and patchouli. The ingredients of base notes are among the costliest and hardest to come by, so perfumes made with them tend to be more expensive.
The Major Base Note Ingredients
Below we will discuss some of the major base ingredients that are used to make long-lasting perfumes for men!
- Sandalwood
Sandalwood is one of the most crucial ingredients in lasting perfumes. Its warm, creamy fragrance stays on the skin for an extended period and is used heavily in perfumes. It is a product of a tree that grows mainly in India and Australia. The wood is crushed into powder, and afterward, oil is extracted from it. This is what perfume producers make use of. Sandalwood is not only for its fragrance but has other uses as well.
Sandal is hard to acquire as pure sandalwood oil is not very commercially available. The sandalwood tree is exclusively protected in India under laws because it is rare and highly priced. Thus, perfume houses have to go through some strict procedures to acquire it. Other producers use the plantations of sandalwood in Australia. Here, trees are cultivated in a relatively controlled environment. Because it is so hard to get, sandalwood is expensive, and only high-end perfume houses can afford to use it.
- Amber
Amber is another vital component in long-lasting perfumes. It’s excellent for winter and evening perfumes with its sweet, warm fragrance that also gives an aura of spice. Amber is not naturally a composed element, unlike sandalwood. Instead, it is a mixture of several elements that all have a collective aroma similar to ambergris. Ambergris is a rare and waxy substance found in the intestines of sperm whales. It was once used in perfume, but because it’s difficult to find and somewhat controversial. So, it’s been replaced by several perfume manufacturers through a synthetic composition called “amber.” To make amber, perfume chemists combine ingredients like vanilla, labdanum, and benzoin.
- Musk
Of all of the perfume ingredients, musk is probably the most famous of all time. It is one of the biggest contributors to scents lasting for very long. When perfume was first concocted, it never made use of synthetic forms of this ingredient. Instead, it came from a small animal called the musk deer. Of course, with all the harm the animals received because of this practice, synthetic musk is now used. Synthetic musk smells like the real thing, but it’s cruelty-free and easier to produce.
This one is artificially created in laboratories. Synthetic musk smells dry or earthy-powdery and seamlessly blends with other scents. That is why it forms a basic note of most perfumes. Having this special quality also makes other odours of the perfume last longer. Even large perfume houses have their formulas for musk and keep them as secret trades. Because of its tendency to “stick” to the skin, musk is included in almost every durable perfume.
- Patchouli
Patchouli is a plant known for its earthy, spicy smell. Its typical scent is rich and smoky with a degree of sweetness. Patchouli oil comes from the leaves of the patchouli plant, found in Southeast Asia. The leaves are harvested, dried, and then distilled to produce the oil. Oil is viscous and black and thus can be used in long-lasting perfumes as a base note.
Patchouli is a fragrance ingredient once primarily used in “hippie”-scented perfumes. Nowadays, it’s used in many luxurious perfumes. Large perfume houses buy patchouli from Indonesia and India, where the plant grows naturally. Some companies even partner with farmers to source the best patchouli oil available. They also engage with local farmers, hence empowering the communities that cultivate the plants.
- Vanilla
Vanilla is a popular perfume flavour. Vanilla is at once rich, creamy, and reassuring, and the odour really lasts on the skin for a long time. Vanilla extract is made from vanilla beans, which are actually an orchid variety. For the most part, vanilla beans are cultivated in Madagascar and Mexico. It’s a long and labour-intensive process of making vanilla. The beans have to ripen for a long time and then dry, so real vanilla doesn’t come cheap.
Some perfume houses use real vanilla in their perfumes, and some use synthetic vanilla. Synthetic vanilla has almost the same smell as the real one; it is cheaper, but it is more stable. As a base note, vanilla—both natural and synthetic—is important for making a perfume last longer. Many of the world’s large perfume houses buy vanilla from the small farmers of Madagascar. They often pay additional to ensure that fair prices are paid to the farmers for their labour.
- Oud
Often referred to as agarwood, it is one of the rarest, most costly ingredients used in perfumery. Oud comes from a species of tree called the Aquilaria, found in Southeast Asia. It is a tree infected by a certain genus of mould and starts secreting resin from this infection. The resin turns dark and has a pungent and strong smell that helps the tree protect itself. This resin gives the scent its distinct smoky and a bit sweet character.
Oud is quite valuable in the Middle East since it was widely used in oriental perfume manufacturing. It is also highly sought today in Western perfumes, especially those that are longer lasting. Perfume houses are willing to spend much money to obtain oud. They have special agreements with suppliers of oud to ensure they get a continuous supply of this resin. Some brands use synthetic oud, which is lab-made to mimic the scent of the real thing.
How perfume houses get their ingredients
Perfume companies do their best to acquire the best ingredients for their perfumes. Some perfume houses have farms of their own to cultivate flowers and plants for their perfumes. One such firm is Chanel, which grows roses and jasmine in the southern regions of France because the climate there is suitable for these flowers. Only by growing their flowers can they exercise total control over quality and be certain of the selection of the best ingredients.
Perfume houses source most of the ingredients from around the world through suppliers. They buy sandalwood from Australia, vanilla from Madagascar, or oud from Southeast Asia. Some perfume houses often have contracts with local farmers, while others buy from big suppliers who handle them. In many instances, perfume companies pay extra to make sure that the farmers are compensated to ensure sustainability.
Perfume houses often invest in the production of synthetic ingredients. They rely on chemists who produce these ingredients in a lab. These lab-made materials have an odour very close to the natural ones. Synthetic musk, for example, gives a perfume manufacturer an excuse not to use animal products. Thus, synthetic ingredients are cruelty-free and reliable.
Why Expensive, Long-lasting Perfume Costs More
Naturally, ingredients for perfumes to last are rare and very costly to purchase. It takes time and effort to plant plants such as vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli. Furthermore, certain trees in specific regions of the world have gone, which is almost impossible to acquire. These are some of the many reasons long-lasting perfumes for men are often more expensive compared to more lightweight and fresh ones.