This fresh and sweet DIY fragrance oil contains three ingredients with relaxing and soothing properties: benzoin oleoresin (base note), petit grain essential oil (heart note), and tangerine essential oil (top note). The presence of the three types of notes makes the fragrance more complete and persistent.
It can be used to scent our DIY cosmetics as a classic cosmetic fragrance oil, but given its pleasantness and aromatherapeutic properties I recommend turning it into a perfume or a pillow spray by following the directions at the bottom of the page.
I use benzoin as a base note in almost every perfume I compose because I love its vanilla sweetness.
Tangerine essential oil is sweet, citrusy, and relaxing. I find it better than sweet orange oil when blended with other scents. However, if you do not have it, you can still substitute it with the latter.
As for petit grain, which comes from the leaves of the bitter orange tree, I bought it because it is a widely used ingredient in perfumes, but it took a bit before I decided to dare using it. I have always found it difficult, bitter, insolent and even a bit unpleasant. However, I was pleased to notice that once included in a perfume it loses its insolence and blends perfectly with the other ingredients giving it strength and prominence.
A nice discovery that taught me once again that we should not have prejudices with botanical scents. An ingredient that seems a bit hostile to us at first glance can turn out to be the key element.
Don't forget to let your DIY fragrance oil sit for at least 1 to 2 weeks. The fragrance evolves over time and is always different from the first day. This is very important!
Ingredients for 5 ml of DIY fragrance oil
- Benzoin oleoresin: 54 drops
- Petit grain essential oil: 15 drops
- Tangerine essential oil: 54 drops
- Cosmetic grade alcohol: 0.9 g
How to make Sweet Tangerine homemade fragrance oil
- Place the benzoin oleoresin in a 5 ml dark flask and add the cosmetic grade alcohol. FYI, the alcohol is added to make the oleoresin a little more fluid, allowing it to blend better with the other ingredients.
- Pour in petit grain and tangerine essential oils.
- Stir and let sit for at least 1 to 2 weeks before using.
Dosage, notes and use
- Dosage: 1 to 2 g (1-2%) of this fragrance oil per 100 g of product is enough to scent a DIY body lotion. Tangerine essential oil is a little photosensitizing, so it is best to avoid using it in summer or during sun exposure.
- IMPORTANT: The DIY tangerine fragrance oil is very concentrated and should NEVER be used pure on the skin. You should ALWAYS DILUTE IT! To turn it into a perfume or a relaxing pillow spray, dilute one gram in 9 grams of cosmetic grade alcohol and pour it in a spray container.
- Creating your own fragrance oils is very satisfactory. You might also like my Sweet Dreams fragrance oil recipe, a relaxing scent you can make and use in your handmade cosmetics.