In short
This project takes one of your fragrances and plans its adaptation into two different product bases, for example a liquid soap and a candle, or a body lotion and a fabric softener. Your output is a written plan: risk reviews, adapted formulas, a test plan and a frank list of what still needs checking. You can run small safe trials, but the plan itself is the deliverable, and it doesn't establish a working product.
What you will learn
- Assess one fragrance for two different bases
- Write adapted formulas with reasons for each change
- Write a test plan, with clearly stated checks still required
Before this lesson: Dose, Cost and Performance Trade-Offs
Choosing a pair
| Pair | Why it's interesting | Practical testing |
|---|---|---|
| Shower gel and reed diffuser | Rinse-off bloom and long evaporation | Simple trials possible |
| Soap and candle | High pH and heat | Needs safe process training |
| Lotion and room spray | Oil holdback and water solubility | Simple trials, not for skin |
| Liquid detergent and fabric softener | Deposition in two systems | Swatch trials; limited realism |
Plan structure
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| 1. Starting fragrance | Formula record, character and what's essential to it |
| 2. Target products | Base, process, usage, category, dose range, and stages that matter |
| 3. Physical review | LogP and volatility by line; expected partitioning |
| 4. Chemical review | Each line's risk in each base, with reasoning |
| 5. Adapted formulas | Versions A and B, each with changes and their reasons |
| 6. Compliance notes | Limits and allergens in each category; sources and dates |
| 7. Cost | Cost per unit in each base, with a stated dose |
| 8. Test plan | Screens, controls, conditions, measures, pass and fail rules |
| 9. Results, if run | Any small trials, with limits stated |
| 10. Remaining checks | What a formulator, laboratory or assessor must still do |
A sample risk table, invented
| Line | Share | Group | Shower gel risk | Reed diffuser risk | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon oil | 8% | Terpenes, citral | Medium: oxidation, fading | Medium: leaves early | Support with a stable citrus note |
| Benzyl acetate | 6% | Ester | Medium in neutral base; check pH | Low | Keep, then test |
| Vanillin | 2% | Phenolic aldehyde | Color risk | Color and solubility risk | Reduce; note color |
| Musk blend | 15% | High logP | Low, may thin | Slow to evaporate | Keep; test viscosity |
What "same fragrance" means
Write what must survive: perhaps "green and clean at bloom, with a dry woody finish". Then test for that. Have assessors compare your two adapted versions and the original on suitable media, without knowing which is which, and describe them. You could ask whether they seem related. Expect differences. The goal is a recognized family resemblance, as in a flanker, and an identical smell is usually unrealistic.
What you can and cannot do alone
| You can | You should bring in help for |
|---|---|
| Paper chemistry review | Formal stability, preservative challenge |
| Costs and dose calculations | Safety assessment of each product |
| Small jar and strip trials | Scale-up and process validation |
| Self-checks against sources | Regulatory filings and final labels |
| Candle burn trials, if trained | Certified burn safety |
Assessment
| Criterion | Meets it if |
|---|---|
| Reasoning | Each change traces to physics, chemistry, cost or a rule |
| Formulas | Versions total 100% and are separately versioned |
| Compliance | Each base has its own category and dated sources |
| Test plan | Controls, conditions and rules are stated in advance |
| Honesty | The remaining checks list is specific, and nothing implies validation |
| Review | Someone with product or formulation experience has read it, if you can arrange that |
Practical exercise: Final project: an adaptation plan
Write the full plan. Run only those small trials that are within your training and that keep to strips, jars and swatches, with no use on skin. Allow at least three weeks, including any test intervals.
You have done this well if a formulator could read the plan and know what you need from them, and which problems you already foresee. Completing this track confers no qualification, and neither product is cleared for use.
Common mistakes
- Using one formula for both. It's rarely the right answer.
- Copying risk ratings from memory. Support them.
- Treating small trials as validation. They only provide direction.
Knowledge check
Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This is general education, not legal, regulatory, medical or safety advice. Example dilutions and exercises are for learning, are not validated products, and have not been safety-assessed. Completing a lesson confers no qualification. How we check these lessons.