Creating My Own Version of Petra Viola by Lattafa

I often come across fragrance note pyramids that immediately capture my imagination.

Not because I want to buy the perfume.

Not because I want to duplicate it.

And certainly not because I'm trying to create a perfect clone.

Sometimes the note pyramid looks like something I would enjoy, and I find myself wanting to do my own blend and see how it smells.

Petra Viola by Lattafa looked delicious when I came across an ad for it, and I gave in to the temptation...

Top: Raspberry, Violet, Pink Pepper

Heart: Cotton Candy, Lily of the Valley, Jasmine

Base: Musk, Sandalwood, Cedarwood

I have never smelled the original fragrance, so I have absolutely no idea how closely my finished blend resembles it. We can assume that there is a least a vague resemblance, because those are the same notes that I used. I have no way of knowing whether the original is violet-forward or raspberry-forward, or whether the notes are all carefully blended so that you really can’t pick out a single particular note.

On paper it struck me as pretty, feminine, sweet, and soft enough for daytime wear. So I decided to see where those notes would take me.

Start With What You Have

One of the things I enjoy most about DIY perfumery is working within limitations.

Rather than ordering a dozen new materials to match a note list exactly, I prefer to look at what I already own and ask:

"Can I achieve a similar effect with what I have available?"

In this case, I had nearly everything. The only missing note was cotton candy.

On the surface that sounds like a simple note to replace, but the more I thought about it, the less obvious the answer became.

What Is Cotton Candy’s Role in This Perfume?

Before choosing a substitute, I mixed everything else together and gave the blend a thorough smelling.

The fragrance was already surprisingly sweet.

My blend is slightly violet-forward. It has that soft, nostalgic sweetness that reminds me a little bit of those little girl fragrances from the 1960s and 1970s. They used to scent dolls, toys, gadgets, and so on with a violet-type fragrance. If you’re my age you might remember some of those from your childhood.

The remaining ingredients give it more body and make it less little-girlish and more modern, but there was already the impression of sweetness. Not quite sugary enough to evoke cotton candy, though. I don’t have anything with that specific note, so I stopped thinking about cotton candy as a specific note and started thinking about it as a function.

What role was it playing in the composition?

What was missing?

The answer seemed to be only a little extra sugary warmth.

Not a literal carnival cotton candy accord.

Just something that would round the edges and tie everything together.

The Unexpected Choice

At first glance, the fragrance oils I owned seemed completely unsuitable.

Included in my gourmand collection are oils such as Cherry Cheesecake and Pecan Pie.

Neither sounded like a logical substitute for cotton candy.

The Cherry Cheesecake was tempting because it contained a fruity sweetness that might blend naturally with the raspberry already present in the perfume.

But after smelling the blend, I became concerned that it might push things too far in a fruity direction.

The fragrance already had enough fruit.

It didn't need more.

What it needed was sweetness without additional character.

I reached for the pecan pie fragrance oil. I hoped that the sandalwood and cedar would suppress the nutty and caramel facets of that oil and just leave a warm, sugary effect.

I added a single drop of pecan pie and hoped. Success! The florals and woods absorbed the gourmand facets, transforming them into gentle sweetness.

The finished fragrance is delightful and balanced. It doesn’t feel like anything is missing, but I will definitely say that this is a subtle perfume that I consider as "daytime".

A Reminder About Creative Blending

Experiments like this remind me that combined fragrances never behave exactly the same way in a blend as they do by themselves.

When I smell a bottle labeled "Pecan Pie," I think of dessert. But once that same material is placed alongside violet, jasmine, musk, sandalwood, and cedarwood, it takes on an entirely different role.

Sometimes a material contributes its obvious character.

Other times it contributes only texture, warmth, sweetness, or depth.

That is one of the reasons I enjoy perfumery so much.

The labels only tell part of the story.

The Finished Fragrance

The final fragrance is exactly what I hoped it would be.

Light. Pretty. Easy to wear.

The violet gives it a nostalgic sweetness, the raspberry rounds it off and makes it less childish, and the woods and musk provide a light foundation.

It feels like a daytime fragrance to me, the sort of scent that can easily be worn at home or out and about. If I want something with a stronger presence, I would probably layer it with orange blossom or gardenia or a heavier oriental scent. It would also work very well with full-blown gourmands. I think it would be especially nice layered with Pistachio Ice Cream.

Whether my recipe smells anything like Petra Viola, I honestly couldn't say.

I've never smelled the original.

But that was never the objective.

The note pyramid simply served as inspiration, a creative spark that led me somewhere interesting.

And sometimes that's more rewarding than trying to reproduce someone else's perfume exactly.

After all, inspiration is where some of the most enjoyable blends begin.

Here is my exact recipe, in case you’d like to try it:

·       5 drops raspberry fragrance oil (Mystic Moments)

·       10 sprays Violette (Charrier Perfumes)

·       3 drops hemp & pink pepper fragrance oil (I Bolgheresi)

·       1 drop pecan pie fragrance oil (Mystic Moments)

·       5 sprays Lily of the Valley (No. 19 by Compagnia delle Indie)

·       10 sprays Jasmine Chanson d’Eau (Coty)

·       10 sprays White Musk (Monotheme)

·       2 drops sandalwood essential oil

·       1 drop cedar fragrance oil

·       4 ml perfumer’s alcohol (ethanol 96%) to dissolve the oils

Yield: approximately 6 to 7 ml total

This is the perfect amount for testing over a few days, to see how I like it, and if I feel like it needs any modifications.