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#15 BE PATIENT

These days, everyone seems to be in a hurry. Like that old Queen Song,

“I want it all, and I want it now.”

Masterpieces take time. Some perfumes have taken as long as 10-15 years to perfect!

I’m not saying it will take you that long, but bear this in mind when creating. In the early 20th century, perfumes were given time to mature before being released. This process is called maceration. It’s when the perfume blend or ‘jus’ is left to rest, allowing all the components to ‘marry together in harmony.’

Given time, your perfume will take on a new life. Which is why, when experimenting, you need to wait before judging the scent.

Have you ever noticed how your perfume that’s been left standing for ages smells different to the new one you just bought? It’s because the maceration process never stops, like a vintage wine.

Nowadays, most perfume houses don’t have time to wait. With consumer demand and tough competition, they can knock out a scent in just 3 days. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, and it is crowded, you can do things differently. That’s the beauty of being an Indie perfumer. You don’t have to answer to people with calculators and spreadsheets.