1. What is your minimum order policy?

50 lbs. In certain cases we will honor smaller order quantities, but surcharges may apply.

2. What is the difference between an essential oil and a fragrance?

An essential oil is an all-natural distillate of a fruit, flower, or another botanical species. A fragrance is a blend of essential oils, nature-derived chemicals, and synthetic chemicals.

3. How do fragrances perform vs. essential oils?

In many cases, fragrances perform more predictably and with more stability than essential oils. However, there are important exceptions to this rule. This determination must be made on a case-by-case basis. Our perfumers will guide you through the selection of your available options.

4. Are all fragrances safe to wear on skin?

Most are. The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) publishes guidelines for the maximum concentration that fragrance materials may be used on skin. These guidelines are built into our design process, ensuring that all of our fragrances are appropriately safe for skin when necessary.

5. How do I know how much fragrance oil to use in my product?

Our perfumers will guide you through this process. It is important to add enough fragrance to overcome the odor of a challenging base without altering the properties of the product. The exact level is ultimately determined experimentally in our application lab.

6. Are your fragrances approved for use in Europe?

The European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) has published the EU Cosmetics Directive, which serves “as the European Cosmetics regulatory ‘bible’”. The 7th amendment of this directive lists 26 fragrance ingredients that commission’s dermatologists believe may elicit skin reactions in some people. If an added fragrance contains any of these items, the cosmetics manufacturer must list them on the packaging label, whereas before it was sufficient to simply list “fragrance” or “perfume”. Custom Essence will assist you in understanding the proper labeling requirements, and can even design “COLIPA-free” versions of some formulations. For more information, go to www.colipa.com

7. Are your fragrances safe to eat?

The FDA publishes a list of chemicals that are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) for ingestion. Not all aroma chemicals are GRAS. On request, we can make fragrances that are GRAS. Where the possibility for accidental ingestion exists, it may be important to think about the effects of skin exposure as well. We will guide you through the appropriate considerations for your product.

8. If you design a scent for me, is it possible that you might sell it to someone else?

We will not sell a scent designed specifically for one customer to anyone else.