Sourcing Aromatic Materials
Although the idea of sourcing perfume ingredients individually from independent distillers sounds like an ideal and even romantic one for a natural perfumer, this is not always the case for small brands.
Most perfumers source their ingredients from agents or suppliers which specialise in natural aromatic materials and which in turn may obtain the ingredients from smaller distilleries as well as from big Grasse producers. This relationship helps perfumers to save time on choosing and testing the quality of oils, as well as buy in smaller quantities. Micro bratch perfumery cannot afford litres of oils which may go bad within months, storing them in big refrigerators is not an idea either. The whole process would be highly unsustainable. Making fresh batches of perfume which age for 1-3 months before being sold is the most common way. On the other hand, many oils, in particular base notes, for example vetiver and patchouli, get better with time and very often are sold at a higher price if they have aged for a few years. So knowing which oil is a risk (mostly top and heart notes) and may go bad soon and which oil might be a good investment is an important knowledge for a botanical perfumer.
But there is also a big difference in suppliers. Even though many claim they have the highest quality essential oils and absolutes, this is very often not true. I saw a tremendous difference between a specialized supplier vs a common supplier for diy cosmetics. Oils intended for professional perfumery and aromatherapy are the highest grade, they are soft, rich, without any harsh top notes, stable, long lasting and most important, never adulterated or diluted with other unknown materials to extend a more expensive scent. An experienced perfumer can easily recognise an unreliable supplier by simply checking the website or asking a couple of questions, the more transparent and informative the supplier is, the more it says about the quality and professionalism.
The main thing each perfumer is obliged to do is to be able to establish the primary source or the first hands which produced it (if necessary), which is to be able to have the official documentation from the supplier for each oil which states all the information which is required by law. A consumer cannot require this document, it is only necessary to know the chemical structure, safety information and other essential data for proper storage and handling of materials.
Many perfumers create their own materials such as distilling small batches of local plants or tincturing plant matter which is usually the only way to obtain scent from a certain plant or if this plant essence is very rare or expensive. Both methods require time and efforts and such aromatics are in the end more expensive due to labour and time spent on each batch. On the other hand, they may yield better or softer notes which may be the purpose of a certain project. Creating your own aromatic materials can create a unique palette and may help a perfumer stand out from the rest as the market of natural perfumery is saturated with the same repeating ingredients which in many cases may be boring for a sophisticated nose of a consumer.
Natural perfumers experiment a lot and different batches of the same fragrance may have different kinds of extraction involved, which is normal due to certain factors such as harvest, season, etc. It happens a lot that suppliers stop production of certain oils and an alternative has to be found. These are just some of the many reasons why natural perfumes are so dynamic and may slightly change their scent from batch to batch.
Perhaps, sourcing and choosing natural aromatic materials is one of the few parts which I find exciting in perfumery: the moment you smell a certain oil for the first time and decide how well it will fit into the composition you put on paper before. Just like testing a fragrance you read about so much and finally have it in your hands, like a precious gem which you own at last.