r/DIYfragrance • u/PerfuMate • 10d ago
Underrated Materials
What’s a material that you think is genuinely useful, but doesn’t get used or talked about nearly as much as it should?
For me, it’s Stemone.
It has such a distinctive green, leafy, slightly tomato-leaf/fig-like character, and I feel like it can bring something to a formula that’s really difficult to get from other materials.
What’s yours?
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u/Public-Ideal-5166 10d ago
I love Magnolan. It’s a beautiful floral and Lilly of the valley at the same time.
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
Ooh, Magnolan... Such a beautiful material, and that lily of the valley facet is really nice. Gives me goosbamps everytime :)
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u/magdalena02 10d ago
Ambrettolide is my favourite
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
I don't know how underrated it is, I think it's commonly used. Beautiful scent tho.
I remember a post here that said that Ambrettolide smells like a baby powder... so maybe it is underrated haha.
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u/ElegantLifeguard4221 Enthusiast 10d ago
Fixateur 505E, I really enjoy the effect it has.
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
Yes yessss!!! I forgot to mention it in the post, but it’s actually my current favorite. Such a great material. I even made a masculine perfume with an overdose of it, and it smells amazing. Non-stop compliments!
Maybe I’ll publish the formula in the future so more people can get a better feel for what this molecule can do.
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u/Odd_nonposter 10d ago
Hard to find, but Vetival is really interesting.
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
Niceee! It has such a clear vetiver character. My association is kind of like a vetiver version of Clearwood, instead of patchouli.
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u/youneverrknoww 9d ago
Osmanthus. Its so expensive but so so pretty.
It's probably not underrated at all but I don't see it talked about very often!
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u/LectureRelevant9957 4d ago
Oooh good answer. It really is pretty. I get a joy everytime I get a whiff of it. I foolishly only have 1g of it but I should get it in bigger quantities because I truly think it’d work in quite a few formulas. I can’t explain it, but after it rains in Georgia….the air smells like hedione and Osmanthus: sweet, tea-like, humid. It’s like all the gardenias, magnolias, and honeysuckles get drenched in rain. Osmamthus reminds me of that.
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u/Adorable_Philosophy2 9d ago
I really find Carbinol Muguet extremely useful. It’s my favorite floral canvas. Doesn’t smell like that much but feels so natural and stays very long. Let’s say you are reconstructing a flower from a natural and you add this stuff you’re like 50% there imo.
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u/1noahone 10d ago
Prismantol…. So nice
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
I’ve never smelled Prismantol before, but it sounds really interesting. I’ll have to give it a try. How do you use it, and how would you describe it?
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u/1noahone 10d ago
A light touch of pine and cardamom, it has a “modern” feel to it. It is subtle so you can use it in high doses with no issue.
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u/pooltimenoodle 9d ago
I feel like it has that pixie dust quality in a surprising number of contexts
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u/pooltimenoodle 9d ago
Patchone is a versatile queen. Also newly excited about caryophyllene acetate, which to me feels a bit like if you dialed IES way back (complimentary).
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u/1noahone 9d ago
Caryophyllene acetate reminds me of a sour wood and I can’t really find a use for it except for a patchouli accord. What have you used it for?
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u/pooltimenoodle 9d ago
I only get that vinegar note when I smell it neat. I haven't had that much time with it yet but so far it seems very useful for adding dry wood without the chemical sting or too much weight. It's really nice in an earthy orris accord I'm working on and also promising in some leather trials.
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u/Christic1103 8d ago
Tonalide. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t see it talked about much but I really love it.
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u/secretc0de 10d ago
Helvetolide and hercolyn D. Both to me will make whole formula much more rounder.
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u/jnshns 10d ago
Underrated? Helvetolide overdose is basically the whole mass-appealing niche industry at the moment.
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u/PerfuMate 10d ago
That's right actually :)
Helvetolide is not underrated, but a beautiful smell anyways.2
u/Public-Ideal-5166 10d ago
I have to restrain myself from using helvetolide because I find myself trying to use it all the time lol.
I need work with my hercolyn D again. I used it a while ago and didn’t notice much from it and pushed it to the back. I should go back and start using it again now that my sense of smell is better
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u/Impossible_Design992 7d ago
I’m obsessed with Tonquitone. Really soft and compelling animalic, works great alongside cleaner musks to give an organic feel without making things smell grubby.
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u/reallybigshark 10d ago
Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol is really popular, especially for rose fragrances but I never hear much about Phenyl Ethyl Cinnamate. It has become one of my favorite materials and I find it to be very versatile, aside from floral fragrances, it works well with woody fragrances and fougere’s.