This invention relates to a fragrance or perfume composition, in particular a fragrance or perfume that provides a long lasting fragrant aroma, and that preferably is free of added alcohol and includes no synthetic ingredients.

Conventional fragrance compositions generally contain alcohol or other organic solvent materials that have been added to the formulation as solvents for one or more of the aromatic components. However, these solvents may cause stinging or other undesirable reaction when the composition is applied to the skin or clothing. It would therefore be desirable to provide a fragrance that contains reduced amounts of, and preferably no, added alcohol or other such solvents.

It would also be desirable to provide a fragrance composition that can provide a longer lasting fragrant aroma following application to the skin or clothing, in order to prolong the aromatic effect and thus reduce the need for repeated application over a longer time period.

We have found that it is possible to achieve these objects by a fragrance or perfume composition in accordance with the invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a fragrance or perfume composition comprising:

• (i) grapeseed oil;
• (ii) orris root;
• (iii) quartz crystal; and
• (iv) one or more aromatic oils.

The combination of components (i) to (iii) has been found to provide a suitable base for dissolving or solubilising the aromatic component (iv), and to afford the fragrance composition with a longer lasting fragrance aroma than would be expected from the use of component (iv) alone or in a conventional alcohol-based fragrance composition. For example, whereas a conventional fragrance may typically last 2-3 hours following application, the fragrance according to the invention may last 6-10 hours or even longer.

Furthermore, the combination of components (i) to (iii) allows the amount of added alcohol or other solvent to be reduced or eliminated altogether. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the fragrance or perfume composition is free of added alcohol.

The grapeseed oil, orris root and quartz crystal ingredients (components (i) to (iii)) are readily available from commercial sources, or can be obtained using conventional techniques known in the art. The orris root and quartz crystal ingredients are finely powdered. Preferred as quartz crystal is rose quartz crystal. Orris root also has aromatic properties that contribute to the overall fragrance aroma.

Suitable aromatic oils that may be included in or as component (iv) of the composition are any one or more aromatic oils or other aromatic substances that are not already present in components (i) to (iii), for example, rose oil, patchouli oil, vanilla oil, orange blossom oil, lavender oil, jasmine oil, champaka absolute and lotus absolute. Preferred aromatic oils are rose oil, patchouli oil, vanilla oil and orange blossom oil. The selection and relative amounts of the aromatic oils can of course by varied so as to provide a range of different fragrances. Preferably all the aromatic oils of component (iv), as well as the ingredients forming components (i) to (iii) are 'natural' ingredients that have not been manufactured or chemically synthesised.

In order to provide a longer-lasting fragrance or perfume composition according to the invention, we prefer that the ratio (v/v : w/v : w/v) of components (i) : (ii) : (iii) is 1 to 3 : 1 to 3 : 1, based on weights in grams (g) and volumes in millilitres (ml). More preferably the weight ratio (w/v : w/v) of components (ii) : (iii) is 2 : 1. Most preferably, the ratio (v/v : w/v : w/v) of components (i) : (ii) : (iii) is 2 : 2 : 1.

We further prefer that component (i) is present in an amount of 10 to 40%, more preferably 10 to 20%, by volume; component (ii) is present in an amount of 10 to 40%, more preferably 10 to 20%, by weight; component (iii) is present in an amount of 5 to 20%, more preferably 10 to 20%, by weight; based on the total volume of components (i)-(iv), and that the total amount of components (i)-(iii) is 25-80%, more preferably 25-40%, by volume of the composition.

In a preferred embodiment, the fragrance or perfume composition comprises:

• grapeseed oil in an amount of 10% by volume;
• orris root in an amount of 10% by weight;
• quartz crystal in an amount of 5% by weight;
• rose oil in an amount of 50% by volume;
• patchouli oil in an amount of 20% by volume;
• vanilla oil in an amount of 10% by volume;
• orange blossom oil in an amount of 5% by volume;

The composition may optionally comprise other conventional fragrance ingredients, in an amount of 0-20% by volume of the composition, for example alcohol or other conventional solvents. Preferably, however, the total amount of components (i)-(iv) is 100% by volume of the composition, and the composition therefore contains no added alcohol.

The ingredients can be blended and formulated using conventional techniques known in the art, and filled into suitable containers or dispensers for use, as appropriate.

The following ingredients were blended together using conventional formulation methodology to produce a perfume composition: 10 ml grapessed oil 10 g powdered orris root 5 g finely pulverised rose quartz crystal 50 ml rose oil 20 ml patchouli oil 10 ml vanilla oil 5 ml orange blossom oil.

The perfume composition was found to provide a long lasting fragrance aroma, lasting about 8 hours following application to the skin.