The most common question from someone new to home perfumery is not "what should I make?" but "what should I buy?" A perfumer's catalogue lists hundreds of materials, but the overlap between that and what you actually need to start building real formulas is surprisingly small. This guide outlines a practical starter kit of synthetic aroma chemicals — covering the materials that appear most frequently in modern fragrance — for a total under $200 AUD.
No naturals are included here. Natural essential oils and absolutes are valuable but expensive, variable in quality between batches, and not necessary to start learning structure. Once you can work confidently with synthetics, adding naturals makes far more sense and costs less in mistakes.
What you need before the materials
A precision scale. You need to weigh to 0.01 g accuracy. A good jewellery or lab scale costs $20–40 AUD and is non-negotiable. Perfumery is done by weight, not volume.
Perfumer's alcohol. Specially denatured ethanol (SDA 40B or equivalent) at 96%+ purity is the standard diluent for finished fragrances. 250 ml is more than enough for initial work — around $15–25 AUD from a supplier.
DPG (Dipropylene glycol). A carrier solvent for pre-diluting potent materials and making evaluation samples. A 100 ml bottle costs under $10.
Glass vials and smelling strips. Small sample vials for storing dilutions; paper blotter strips for evaluation. Inexpensive and essential.
These four purchases — before a single aroma chemical — will cost roughly $50–60 AUD and make all subsequent work accurate and reproducible. Do not skip the scale.
The materials: ~$120–140 AUD for 10 core synthetics
Purchase the smallest quantities available from your supplier — 5 g or 10 g per material. You will use less than you think on initial batches.
Base materials
Ambroxan (CAS 6790-58-5) — 5 g. The single most useful material in contemporary perfumery. Warm, skin-like, essential for amber and woody structures. Comes as a white crystalline solid; dissolve a small amount in DPG before weighing to make handling easier. Full breakdown.
Iso E Super (CAS 54464-57-2) — 10 g. Versatile woody base material, appears in almost every woody, amber, and masculine formula. Liquid at room temperature. Full breakdown.
Galaxolide (CAS 1222-05-5) — 10 g. The most widely used clean musk in the industry. Excellent substantivity, adds softness and longevity to almost any structure.
Benzyl salicylate (CAS 118-58-1) — 10 g. Floral fixative and blending material. Extends longevity and smooths the overall impression. Cheap and effective.
Heart materials
Hedione (CAS 24851-98-7) — 10 g. The diffusiveness and radiance material. Makes a formula project outward rather than sitting flat on skin. Full breakdown.
Linalool (CAS 78-70-6) — 10 g. Versatile floral-herbal modifier present in lavender, bergamot, and hundreds of other sources. Bridges floral and woody materials, softens sharp edges. One of the most useful single materials on this list.
Coumarin (CAS 91-64-5) — 5 g. Sweet, warm, hay-like. Foundational for fougère structures; effective in ambers and orientals. Comes as a white solid, dissolve in DPG for easy weighing.
Top materials
Linalyl acetate (CAS 115-95-7) — 10 g. The primary scent compound of bergamot, providing fresh, floral-citrus character. More stable than fresh citrus oils and easier to weigh accurately.
Dihydromyrcenol (CAS 18479-58-8) — 5 g. Fresh, clean, laundry-aquatic quality. Very powerful — start at 1–3% and work up. Essential for fresh and fougère structures.
Citronellol (CAS 106-22-9) — 10 g. Soft rose material, useful in floral and oriental structures. A gentler rose facet than geraniol.
Where to buy
The most accessible suppliers for hobby quantities (5–25 g) internationally and in Australia:
- The Perfumer's Apprentice (USA, ships internationally) — wide stock, reliable quality, reasonable international shipping
- Pell Wall Perfumes (UK) — excellent range of synthetics, detailed scent descriptions in their listings, good for beginners
- Hermitage Oils (Australia) — local option, carries a reasonable range of the most common materials
- Gracefruit / Plush Folly (UK) — good secondary option for European materials
Order the smallest available quantity of each material until you know which ones you will use regularly. Aroma chemicals are shelf-stable for years when stored cool and sealed, so there is no urgency to use them up.
What to do with the kit
Before building formulas, evaluate each material alone. Add 10 drops to 1 ml of DPG. Smell on a strip after 30 seconds, after 5 minutes, and after 30 minutes. Note the character, intensity, and how it changes. Pay attention to what you dislike — those reactions are as informative as what you enjoy.
Then make simple two-material blends: Ambroxan + Galaxolide, Hedione + linalool, Iso E Super + Ambroxan. At 50:50 first, then skewed ratios. Note what each material does to the other.
After this calibration, you will have enough sensory reference to begin working with the ScentFormulas beginner formulas. Most beginner-level formulas use a small number of materials in clear proportions — many of which will be on this starter list. You can purchase the few additional materials each specific formula requires and build from a palette you already understand.
$200 AUD covers you for dozens of test batches. The per-formula material cost, once your kit is assembled, is typically under $5.