--- title: "Perfume Blend Calculator: Top, Heart & Base | Peach Lumin" description: "Plan a DIY perfume: top, heart and base note amounts in mL, drops and grams for any bottle and strength, plus alcohol, resting time and a citrus sun check." url: https://peachlumin.beauty/ --- Top · heart · base # Perfume blend calculator Pick a bottle size and strength, split the fragrance concentrate between top, heart and base notes, and get every amount in millilitres, drops and grams, plus the alcohol to add and how long to let it rest. ## Recipe Bergamot & cedar (example) 30 mL at 15% by volume Printed from peachlumin.beauty. Drops are approximate (20 drops per mL); weigh for accuracy. - Fragrance concentrate 4.5 mL≈ 90 drops · 4.05 g - Perfumer's alcohol 25.5 mL 20.4 g at 0.8 g/mL - Finished bottle 30 mL 1.01 fl oz · 24.5 g Within the usual ranges for parfum, eau de parfum and eau de toilette. By weight the concentrate is 16.6% of the bottle. Finished bottle Concentrate | Note | Share | Volume | Drops | Weight | In bottle | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Top notes | 30% | 1.35 mL | ≈ 27 drops | 1.22 g | 4.97% | | Bergamot FCF (bergapten-free) | 66.7% | 0.9 mL | ≈ 18 drops | 0.81 g | 3.31% | | Pink pepper | 33.3% | 0.45 mL | ≈ 9 drops | 0.41 g | 1.66% | | Heart notes | 50% | 2.25 mL | ≈ 45 drops | 2.03 g | 8.28% | | Lavender | 75% | 1.69 mL | ≈ 34 drops | 1.52 g | 6.21% | | Geranium | 25% | 0.56 mL | ≈ 11 drops | 0.51 g | 2.07% | | Base notes | 20% | 0.9 mL | ≈ 18 drops | 0.81 g | 3.31% | | Cedarwood | 66.7% | 0.6 mL | ≈ 12 drops | 0.54 g | 2.21% | | Vanilla | 33.3% | 0.3 mL | ≈ 6 drops | 0.27 g | 1.1% | | All notes | 100% | 4.5 mL | ≈ 90 drops | 4.05 g | 16.6% | "Share" is the part of its tier (or of the concentrate). "In bottle" is the share of the finished perfume by weight, the figure to compare with a supplier's IFRA certificate or a published skin maximum. Drops assume 20 per mL and are only approximate. Ethanol is highly flammable (its vapour can ignite from about 13 °C / 55 °F). Mix away from flames, hobs and heaters, and keep the bottle closed and out of children's reach. ### Mix, then rest 1. Measure the base notes first and the top notes last, then add the alcohol. 2. Rest it 2 to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place, and smell it each week. Light citrus blends may be ready sooner. 3. Mixed today? Smell it from **13 Nov 2026**; it should have settled by about **11 Dec 2026**. 4. Label the bottle with the recipe and date, and patch test before wearing it. ## How to use the blend calculator **Batch size** is the finished perfume you want, in millilitres or US fluid ounces; the chips fill in common bottle sizes. **Fragrance concentrate** is your oils' share of the bottle by volume: choose a type or type your own figure. **Dilute with** perfumer's alcohol for a spray, or a carrier oil such as jojoba for a roll-on. The **note split** divides the concentrate between top notes (the bright opening that fades first), heart notes (the main character) and base notes (the long-lasting foundation). 30/50/20 is a common starting point, not a rule; the three must add up to 100%. Under **Materials**, list the oils in each tier with parts, and each gets its own amount. ### Worked example The example is 30 mL of eau de parfum at 15%: 4.5 mL of concentrate (about 90 drops) and 25.5 mL of alcohol. Split 30/50/20, that is 1.35 mL of top notes, 2.25 mL of heart notes and 0.9 mL of base notes, or about 27, 45 and 18 drops. Bergamot FCF takes two of the three top-note parts: 0.9 mL, about 18 drops. ### Drops, grams and "In bottle" Drop counts assume 20 drops per mL, which is only approximate: drops vary with the dropper, the oil's thickness, temperature and the angle you hold the bottle. A 0.01 g scale is more reliable, and grams come from the densities under "Drops and densities". The "In bottle" column is each material's percentage of the finished perfume by weight, the figure to compare with a fragrance oil's IFRA certificate or an essential oil's published maximum. ## Before you wear it - **Patch test.** The American Academy of Dermatology suggests trying a new product on a coin-sized spot, such as the inside of the elbow, twice a day for 7 to 10 days, and not using it if the skin turns red, itchy or swollen. - **Citrus and sunlight.** Cold-pressed bergamot, lime, lemon, bitter orange and grapefruit oils can cause burn-like reactions and dark marks when skin meets sun or a tanning bed. The calculator flags the names it recognises; furanocoumarin-free (FCF) or distilled versions avoid the problem. - **Every material has its own limit.** Perfume strengths are far above the 1 to 3% the Tisserand Institute suggests for body oils, so check each fragrance oil's IFRA certificate and each essential oil's maximum. Oils such as cinnamon bark, clove and lemongrass are much more likely to irritate skin. - **Alcohol is flammable** and evaporates fast: mix in a ventilated room, away from flames, hobs and heaters. - **Keep bottles away from children and pets**, and never swallow essential oils or perfume. If someone does, call your poison centre or emergency number. - **Pregnant, breastfeeding, or living with a skin condition, asthma or epilepsy?** Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using essential oils. ## More perfumer's calculators - [Fragrance concentration calculator](https://peachlumin.beauty/fragrance-concentration-calculator/): See whether your blend is an eau de toilette or an eau de parfum, dilute or strengthen it, and check EU allergen labelling. - [Essential oil dilution calculator](https://peachlumin.beauty/essential-oil-dilution-calculator/): Drops for a target percentage in any bottle, or the percentage of the drops you used, against the Tisserand Institute's ranges. - [Scent pyramid builder](https://peachlumin.beauty/scent-pyramid-builder/): Arrange top, heart and base notes from a list of common notes or your own, then download the pyramid as an image. ## Recommended ### CleanTempMail Perfume supply shops and sample swaps often want an email before they send a discount code or a sample list. A free disposable inbox from CleanTempMail opens instantly with no sign-up, and its messages are deleted after three days, so the newsletters never reach your own address. [Get a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/) ### WebTraceCheck Ordering oils or bottles from a shop you have never used? WebTraceCheck can look up the shop's domain and check its website, or open a link in a disposable cloud browser that is deleted after each session, with nothing to install. [Check a shop first](https://webtracecheck.com/) ## Questions **What does a 30/50/20 note split mean?** It is how the fragrance concentrate is shared out: 30% top notes, 50% heart notes and 20% base notes. It is a balanced place to start, not a rule. A fresh cologne often leans on its top notes, and a warm amber or woody blend on its base. **How much fragrance oil goes into perfumer's alcohol?** It depends on the strength you want. The usual conventions are about 5 to 15% for an eau de toilette, 10 to 20% for an eau de parfum and 15 to 40% for a parfum. For 30 mL of eau de parfum at 15%, that is 4.5 mL of concentrate and 25.5 mL of alcohol. **How many drops are in 1 mL?** About 20 is the usual working figure, and the calculator uses it unless you change it. Real drops vary with the dropper, how thick the oil is and how you tilt the bottle, so count how many drops of your oil fill 1 mL, or weigh on a 0.01 g scale. **How long should homemade perfume rest?** There is no fixed rule. Many makers rest an alcohol blend 2 to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place and smell it weekly; base-heavy or resinous blends can keep changing for 2 to 3 months. Oil blends change less and are often judged after a few days to two weeks. **Can I make the same recipe as a roll-on oil?** Yes: choose jojoba or another carrier under "Dilute with" and the weights follow its density. For skin, the Tisserand Institute's guide suggests 1 to 3% for body oils and 3 to 10% for a rollerball used on a small area, much weaker than a spray perfume. **Where are my saved recipes kept?** Only in this browser's local storage, on this device. Nothing is uploaded. Use Export to download them as a file you can keep or import on another device, and Delete all to remove them. ## Sources - Tisserand Institute, [Phototoxicity: essential oils, sun and safety](https://tisserandinstitute.org/phototoxicity-essential-oils-sun-and-safety/) (Robert Tisserand, 2023), Table 2: phototoxic oils and their maximum levels; the 12-hour sun advice. - Tisserand Institute, [How to use essential oils safely](https://tisserandinstitute.org/safety/safety-guidelines/): general dilution guide (2022), irritating oils, flammability, children and pregnancy. - Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, *Essential Oil Safety*, 2nd edition, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014: the reference behind the Institute's tables. - International Fragrance Association, [IFRA Standards Library](https://ifrafragrance.org/standards-library): maximum use levels of fragrance materials by product category. - American Academy of Dermatology, [How to test skin care products](https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/prevent-skin-problems/test-skin-care-products): the 7 to 10 day patch test. - PubChem, [Ethanol (CID 702)](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/702): density 0.789 g/mL at 20 °C, flash point about 13 °C (55 °F). - Wikipedia, [Perfume](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume), concentration levels: the eau de toilette, eau de parfum and parfum conventions.