About
How ScentFormulas works
GCMS-informed reconstructions of the world's most recognised designer fragrances — built to be made, not just read.
ScentFormulas exists because the gap between a great fragrance and understanding how it was built is smaller than most people think — and because that gap is exactly where serious amateur perfumers live. The formulas on this site are not approximations or creative interpretations. They are carefully constructed reconstructions: methodical attempts to identify the materials behind specific fragrance profiles, document them precisely, and present them in a form that anyone with a scale and a supplier can use at a home bench.
Every formula starts with analytical data and ends with sensory evaluation. The process is painstaking, batch-intensive, and deliberately exact — because a formula that gets you close to a reference but doesn't tell you exactly what is in it is not a formula: it is a suggestion.
Built on GCMS analysis
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS) is the analytical technique perfumers use to identify the aroma chemicals present in a finished fragrance. Each compound elutes through a GC column at a characteristic time and produces a mass-spectrum fingerprint that can be matched against reference libraries. We use GCMS data as the starting point for every reconstruction — not as a shortcut, but as a foundation that rules out guesswork and lets iterative sensory work focus on balance and proportion rather than identification.
Sensory validation, not just chemistry
GCMS tells you what is there but not how much. Concentrations from chromatographic analysis require interpretation: co-eluting materials blur peaks, naturals are complex mixtures rather than single compounds, and real formulas are calibrated for skin chemistry, substantivity, and time-release that no instrument can fully capture. Every formula on this site goes through multiple bench trials and blind sensory comparison against the original fragrance before it is considered complete. Chemistry informs the starting point; evaluation completes it.
Sourceable, wearable materials
A reconstruction is only useful if you can actually make it. We build every formula using materials that are readily available from the major hobby-perfumery suppliers in the US, EU, UK and Australia — no discontinued materials, no laboratory-only synthetics, no natural absolutes that cost more per gram than gold. Where a precise material is hard to source, we provide a compliant substitute that achieves the same olfactory effect. The goal is a formula you can weigh out this weekend.
IFRA compliance by design
Every formula includes IFRA guidance based on current Standards for skin-applied applications. Where restricted materials appear — oakmoss, certain musks, specific aldehydes — we note the restriction and provide either a compliant dosage or a substitution path. The percentages in each formula describe the concentrate; skin-level exposure depends on the final dilution you choose. For personal use, these formulas are designed to be used safely when followed as written.
No guesswork. Exact percentages
Every material in every formula is listed with its full percentage in the concentrate, not a vague 'a touch of' or a percentage range. Each entry includes the CAS number — the Chemical Abstracts Service identifier that lets you order the precise material regardless of what a supplier decides to call it. Gram-per-100g figures mean you can weigh directly without mental arithmetic. This level of precision is what separates a bench-ready formula from a reference card.
What these formulas are not
No formula on this site is a copy of a designer house’s confidential formulae. Fragrance scents are not protected by copyright, and the formulas we publish are original reconstructions developed independently through analytical and sensory work. Brand names appear only to describe the style a formula explores — we have no affiliation with, endorsement from, or connection to any fragrance house. The formulas are sold for personal, educational use. If you intend to use any fragrance you make for commercial sale, it is your responsibility to check IFRA Standards, trademark law, and the regulations that apply in your territory.
Ready to make your first formula?
If you’re new to bench perfumery, start with the how it works page for an overview of the process, or read the free ingredients guide to understand sourcing before you buy. The beginner formulas collection is the right place to start your first build.