Cannabis Flower Perfume?? Dank right.

Marijuana Perfume - Would You Wear It? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Ah, the smell of green bliss, the smell we all love. Now here’s a product that lets you take your favorite smell with you wherever you go… (but you might want to skip on wearing it to the office).

Sometime ago, cosmetics giant Sephora asked perfumer Mark Crames to design a scent based on the smell of… pot. Crames knew he was up for a challenge in terms of capturing that dank smell cannabis is known for, but make it good enough that people will want to wear it on themselves. Crames tested several different versions before he finally came up with one that he felt was decent.

“I look at cannabis like liquor – it’s about capturing great, memorable tastes, smells and experiences,” Crames says. “The first three versions we made were authentic, but you could not leave the house wearing it.” But this was 12 years ago. The scent Crames made never made it to Sephora’s shelves since the brand said it didn’t feel the scent was right for them. Later on they launched the Cannabis Santal line.

cannabis bud
Since Crames already did some R&D, he eventually released his scent called Cannabis Flower, under his line Demeter Fragrances. Since then, Cannabis Flower proved to be the most popular product in Crames’ line.

The demand for almost everything-cannabis is evident even in the cosmetics and fragrance industry. Different kinds of cannabis-inspired fragrances have been designed from independent perfume makers in the USA to high-end perfumeries in Europe.

But where do you draw the line when it comes to top-quality cannabis perfume? Surely you’ll want to be able to detect a trace of it but it shouldn’t be too strong so that you can wear it in public. Cannabis oil can’t be used by most perfumers, so they work on chemically imitating the scent of cannabis.

By profession, Mark Crames is actually a lawyer but his passions (and his nose) took him to France to study at a traditional perfume school. Even as a professional hobby, becoming a perfumer requires years of study and training, and Crames has logged in over 15 years, so he knows what he’s talking about. After working as a fragrance distributor, his business was able to get a manufacturing license and he was able to create his own commercial fragrances.

In 2002 he purchased Demeter, which was launched by perfume artist Christopher Brosius some 10 years ago.

What Gives Cannabis Its Unique Scent?

We all know that part of the experience of enjoying cannabis is the smell. We sniff out new strains, and enjoy the scent as it floats out of our containers and in dispensaries. Discerning cannabis enthusiasts know that each strain has its own unique scent, although we still lack the vocabulary to describe the scents. And just like with perfume, the experience is highly subjective: a strain that smells like heaven for me, could send you running away and gagging.

perfume for marijuana lovers

A wonderful class of hydrocarbons called terpenes are responsible for that dank scent of cannabis. Terpenes are actually produced by other plants too, as well as some insects. It’s the main component of plants and essential oils, and evolutionary speaking, are designed to deter insects and protect it from environmental stress. Terpenes also act as chemical building blocks cannabinoids and other complex molecules.

Most plant terpenes work synergistically with the terpenes in other plants, and depending on the kinds of terpenes used, the chemical combination of these can result in the inhibition or the catalyzation of compounds in the plant. Manipulating terpenes is also how some breeders and scientists can produce strains containing a specific ratio of cannabinoids. Some believe that the combination of terpenes in a strain can also influence how strong your high will be.

Cannabis usually contains a large amount of beta-caryophyllene (BCP), which gives it a strong flavor and aroma. BCP is also found in other spices and herbs, such as black pepper, and it also activates your CB-2 receptor. Since it binds to the cannabinoid receptors, it’s considered a cannabinoid. BCP is FDA-approved and ingested in food making it the first kind of dietary cannabinoid.

Do you use scent to guide your purchase when shopping for a strain? Would you enjoy wearing a cannabis-inspired scent? Share with us in the comments below.