Olentium launches oil-based perfumes – perfect for sensitive skin

Olentium has launched its first oil-based perfumes to complement our alcohol eau de parfums and give you the opportunity to experience our scents in a new and exciting way.

As a niche fragrance house, our mission has always been to serve our customers closely, so our decision to launch an oil-based range was driven by a desire to offer you versatile and accessible fragrances. “I wanted to create something that would allow our fragrances to be shipped worldwide and be more accessible to customers with sensitive skin,” said founder-perfumer Liz Grech, who has a diploma in organic skincare formulation. “I also wanted to offer our customers the exciting possibilities of layering fragrances, and to enable all cultures to explore fragrances without worrying about the presence of alcohol.”

Oil-based perfumes – a 2,000 year love affair

One of the oldest forms of perfume is oil-based perfumes, which have been used since ancient times. The earliest recorded use of perfumes comes from ancient Egypt, where people used oil-based fragrances to mask body odour and create a pleasant scent. They also used perfumes in religious ceremonies, believing that the scents could help them connect with the gods. Egyptians were known for their love of fragrances, and they used a variety of natural ingredients to create their perfumes, such as myrrh, frankincense, and lotus.

The Greeks and Romans also used perfumes, but they focused more on using scents to enhance their appearance and make themselves more attractive. They used a variety of oils and herbs to create their fragrances, including lavender, rosemary, and thyme.

Olentium has always looked to ancient Mediterranean beauty and bathing rituals for inspiration, and our oil perfumes fit perfectly with this aim, and have a sense of history to them.

Parfum extrait a’ huile: strength and longevity

Our oil perfumes are extrait strength so intense and powerful as well as longer lasting. All our perfumes are made using high-quality ingredients , including a high percentage of naturals (never less than around 50% of the fragrance blend before dilution).  For our oil extrait, we chose a natural carrier oil called Triethyl citrate (TEC) that is derived from citric acid and is known for its skin benefits. It is often used in skincare products as it has excellent moisturising properties, is an excellent diluent and is easily absorbed onto the skin. In addition, Triethyl citrate is a natural antioxidant and therefore helps extend the shelf life of the fragrance oils.

“Using Triethyl citrate as a carrier oil for our fragrances not only offers skin benefits, but also allows us to create a longer-lasting scent,” said Liz. “This light, dry oil is fast absorbing and won’t evaporate quickly like alcohol. Another plus of oil-based perfumes is that they evolve over  time with the warmth of your skin, so there is less need to reapply them in comparison to ethanol fragrances.”

We’ve an article about the advantages of oil-based perfumes:

Perfume oils: 4-in-1 fragrant beauty

How to apply our extrait perfume oils

The new range of oil-based perfumes comes in convenient 15ml travel or purse sizes and you can choose either a regular atomiser or a French flacon with its glass stopper. As the oil is so light and not at all viscous, you can apply it easily from an atomiser. In this form, it is also a safe travel option. We recommend wearing the extrait on the decolletage or pulse points. You can swipe a finger over the oil to disperse it further and then just leave a few seconds for it to absorb before dressing. If you enjoy a “slow perfume” experience dabbing on scent with the stopper, opt for the French flacons. The retro flacons are more suited to home wear rather than taken on your travels.

Which fragrances are available as oil-based perfumes?

Our inaugural offerings in this oil-based range feature two captivating fragrances: Olentium Le Parfum and Fiorissima.

Our aim is to create parfum extrait for all our popular fragrances so you’ve the oil option available, which is useful to know if you want to take your favourite Olentium scent away on travels. By offering both alcohol- and oil-based versions of our fragrances as they launch, we can provide you with the opportunity to layer your fragrances and create unique scent combinations that reflect their personal style and taste. Why not base layer with an oil extrait and then spray an EDP over it? The oil, just like body lotions, helps “fix” the alcohol perfume too.

“I am excited to offer Olentium customers this new range of extrait fragrances with the opportunities it presents,” said Liz. “Our fragrances have always been about creating an exceptional sensory experience, and I believe the oil-based range will only enhance that experience.”

Olentium oil-based perfumes come available with the launch of each partner eau de parfum. We are offering 15ml travel size in our eau de parfums as well. When more of our range comes on stream, we will be offering sets, so you can explore and experiment with different scent combinations. We hope to have the sets ready for later this year.

Like to know more about botanical oils?

See our other articles:

The benefit of botanical oils in skincare
Perfume oils and balms: seductive scented skincare