Wit & West

Today I am sharing Part 2 of my series answering your most common questions about enfleurage. In this part of the series, I am focusing on the 2nd phase of the process after the enfleurage pomade is ready for use as a perfume ingredient.

Keep watching for the process overview, and see below for common questions I get:

1. What do you do after the enfleurage pomade is ready?

Once the enfleurage pomade (a neutral fat such as coconut oil that has absorbed the scent of flowers) is ready, you can either use the pomade as-is in a solid perfume or extract it further for an alcohol-based perfume.

2. How do you create the enfleurage extrait?

The enfleurage extrait is created by washing or macerating the pomade in perfumers alcohol (like tincturing). The pomade and alcohol are then stored in a cool, dark, and dry area while the alcohol slowly absorbs the fragrance from the pomade, a process that can take several months. Once it’s ready, I cold-filter the alcohol to create the extrait for use in a perfume.

3. What do you do with the enfleurage pomade after you’ve washed it in perfumers alcohol?

I re-use the pomade as many times as possible by repeatedly washing it in alcohol until there is no scent left. In some cases, I can re-use the pomade 3+ times.

4. Which Wit & West fragrances include an enfleurage extrait?

Currently, the Wit & West perfume The Violetear uses an iris enfleurage extrait. I have also created enfleurage extraits from roses, lilacs, and peonies, all of which have taken 7+ years to accumulate enough material to use in a fragrance.

5. When will you release another perfume with an enfleurage extrait?

Slow perfumery takes time. Even once an enfleurage extrait is complete, the process still is not finished. I then have to formulate a perfume that the extrait can be incorporated into, a process that can take months or longer. Right now, I am continuing to work on finding the perfect formulation for my next limited-edition perfume featuring an enfleurage extrait. Creating fragrances in this way requires patience and experimentation, but for me, that is part of what makes the process so meaningful.

In honor of Earth Day 🌎, I’m sharing Part 1 of a 2-part series answering your most common questions about enfleurage. I’ve been working with enfleurage for 7+ years, and it’s part of what drew me to natural perfumery. Some flowers take multiple seasons just to yield enough enfleurage extrait for a single perfume, a perfect example of “slow perfumery” connected to nature.

➡️ Keep watching for an overview of the process, and see below for some of the most commonly asked questions about enfleurage:

1. What is enfleurage?

Enfleurage is the traditional French method of extracting scent from flowers using a neutral fat, like coconut oil (called “pomade”), and fresh flowers that are replaced daily until the fat absorbs their scent.

2. What type of flowers can you use?

You can use almost any flower that “exhales” its scent after being picked and doesn’t wilt easily. I use lilacs, roses, peonies, and irises (it’s true, there are many fragrant species!). You can also use jasmine and gardenia. It’s best to select flowers you can access and harvest daily over a few weeks.

3. What type of fat/pomade can you use?

Any neutral, scentless fat, such as coconut oil.

4. What do you need to do to prepare the enfleurage pomade?

Melt the fat and combine it with a small amount of wax, such as beeswax or soy wax. Depending on your climate, wax may range from 0.5% to 2% or higher. Once solidified (room temp or refrigerated for a couple of hours), score it with a knife (see video for a demonstration).

5. Do you need to separate each flower and place them face down?

For flowers like lilacs, I don’t separate each bloom or place them face down, as I find that unnecessary and time-consuming. Instead, make sure you select fresh flowers that are not wilted or wet from humidity or rain, and that you are checking for bugs/debris. I replace them twice per day (when possible) and remove debris with tweezers before recharging with fresh flowers.

Wondering what comes next? Stay tuned for Part 2 of my enfleurage process, where I’ll cover more commonly asked questions.

Green botanical fragrances for springtime 🌿

If you’re drawn to green fragrance profiles that capture the feeling of being in nature, with fresh, citrusy, grassy, aromatic, herbal, and mossy elements, here are a few 100% all-natural botanical fragrances to explore from the Wit & West line:

Streetcar Magnolia: A genderless fragrance in an eau de cologne concentration that’s herbaceous, citrusy, and floral. Featuring yuzu, a touch of basil, magnolia, jasmine absolute, ambrette seed (botanical musk), patchouli, and sandalwood.

Miki Mochi: A sparkling fruity floral-green eau de parfum with soft hints of powder and tea. Featuring bergamot, mimosa, osmanthus, violet leaf, sandalwood, and orris butter.

Brumaire Woods: A classic aromatic, fresh fougère-style eau de parfum (from the French word for “fern”) that’s woodsy, mossy, and tranquil. Featuring lavender, peppermint, thyme, neroli, jasmine, to***co, and oakmoss.

Available in 1.5ml samples (individual or as part of one of our sample sets), 15ml, and 50ml bottles at witandwest.com.

100% All-Natural Ingredients • Cruelty-Free & Vegan • Artisan • Small-Batch Natural Perfumes & Colognes • Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, USA

Unique, Never Boring • Don’t Smell Like Everyone Else

Fragrance by Wit • Design by West

If you’re new to natural perfume, sampling is the perfect way to start exploring one (or several) of our 16 fragrances from the Wit & West Signature, Cologne, and Reserve Collections.

Each 1.5 ml sample contains about 15 spritzes, enough to truly experience how each fragrance evolves before committing to a full-size bottle.

Here are some of our sample set options for those new to the genre of natural perfume:

Cologne Collection Sample Set: Three refreshing, genderless fragrances in an eau de cologne concentration that feature floral, citrus, and herbaceous elements that are great for warmer weather (or anytime).

Reserve Collection Sample Set: A rotating selection of 2–4 limited-edition perfumes, featuring in-house handcrafted ingredients, including those grown in the Wit & West garden.

New to Natural Perfume Sample Set: A curated introduction to the genre, featuring five of our most popular fragrances: La Valse, Rosé L.A., Yuzu Pop, Fleur du Riad, and Jasmine Bae Saranae.

Customizable Sample Set: Prefer to mix and match? Choose any five (5) samples from our Signature, Cologne, and Reserve Collections.

Individual samples and curated sets are available at witandwest.com. Still deciding? Our Signature & Cologne Sample Set includes all 13 fragrances from those collections—plus a $20 gift card toward your next purchase.

100% All-Natural Ingredients • Artisan • Small-Batch Natural Perfumes & Colognes • Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, USA

Unique, Never Boring • Don’t Smell Like Everyone Else

Fragrance by Wit • Design by West

witandwest

After aging for four months and cold filtering, I’m excited to share that our Wit & West perfume from the Reserve Collection, La Valse is back in stock.🌹

Originally created as a bespoke perfume for my sister-in-law, La Valse is inspired by my love for ballroom dancing—specifically the waltz. Featuring 100% all-natural ingredients, including our in-house Tahitian vanilla tincture, coconut CO2, black pepper, rose absolute, benzoin, patchouli, and sandalwood.

If you’ve been waiting to sample it or grab a bottle, 15ml bottles, individual samples, and the Reserve Collection Sample Set are now available on our website at witanwest.com.

100% All-Natural Ingredients • Artisan • Small-Batch Natural Perfumes & Colognes • Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, USA

Unique, Never Boring • Don’t Smell Like Everyone Else

Fragrance by Wit • Design by West

Our limited-edition perfume from the Wit & West Reserve Collection, The Violetear, is back in stock. Inspired by the Mexican hummingbird of the same name, The Violetear is a sparkling, floral-green, fougère-style fragrance in an eau de parfum concentration that features 100% all-natural ingredients, including bergamot, lavender, mimosa and rose absolutes, frankincense, oakmoss, tonka bean, and my in-house iris enfleurage extrait, hand-extracted from irises grown in the Wit & West garden during the 2025 season. Individual samples and 15 ml bottles are available at witandwest.com for a limited time. Once it’s gone, it won’t be back until late 2026.

100% All-Natural Ingredients • Cruelty-Free & Vegan • Artisan • Small-Batch Natural Perfumes & Colognes • Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, USA

Unique, Never Boring • Don’t Smell Like Everyone Else

Fragrance by Wit • Design by West

Between February and March, the flowering season for the evergreen shrub known as mimosa signals the first signs of spring through the Mediterranean region, including the South of France. While there are about 600 different species of mimosa, the species used in perfumery is an absolute oil that is solvent extracted from the blooms of the Acacia dealbata. A Wit & West favorite ingredient, these yellow pompom-like blooms produce a beautifully delicate floral fragrance that is soft and powdery, honeyed, with slight aspects of melon, cucumber, vanilla, and almond.

Mimosa absolute can be found in 2 perfumes in the Wit & West Perfumes Signature Collection, including Miki Mochi and Honeysuckle Halcyon.

➡️ Keep watching to see how these two Wit & West perfumes each feature mimosa in different ways.

Available in 1.5ml individual samples, as part of our curated sample sets, and in 15ml travel-size and 50ml standard size on our website at witandwest.com.

100% All-Natural Ingredients • Artisan • Small-Batch Natural Perfumes & Colognes • Handcrafted in Colorado, USA

Unique, Never Boring • Don’t Smell Like Everyone Else

Fragrance by Wit • Design by West

Last weekend, West and I bottled and packed up a wholesale order for our newest stockist, Ode to Perfume. We’re so excited to be featured alongside some of our favorite indie perfume brands in Denver’s first niche fragrance boutique that’s focused on a thoughtful, one-of-a-kind curation of niche, indie, and artisan perfume brands you won’t find anywhere else.

If you’re in the Denver area, make sure to stop by and meet Rachel and the rest of the wonderful team at Ode to Perfume. They are open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays 10-6pm and by appointment Wednesday-Friday. ♥️

Today marks five years of Wit & West Perfumes.

From extracting scent from flowers in the Wit & West garden through enfleurage, to fragrance formulation, packaging design, and compounding small batches of perfume in-house, to bottling and packaging every order by hand.

From pop-up events, to press features and meaningful collaborations, to becoming Leaping Bunny certified, welcoming new retailers like Olfactif, Sunflower Spa, and Taigrance, and giving back through 1% for the Planet with partners like Mother of Corals.

To receiving Best of Scent awards from ÇaFleureBon in 2023 for The Violetear and in 2025 for Caldera Flower.

While I can’t quite distill five years into a 30-second video and a few paragraphs, one thing I can say for sure is that Rob (West) and I consider ourselves lucky and are forever grateful for the journey, for being small business owners, handcrafting artisan botanical perfumes, and for the opportunity to share our creations with the world and with each of you.

Thank you for being a part of the Wit & West journey. We can’t wait for what’s next. ❤️

- Wit & West