Creative Accord
COST: FRAGRANCE $1000; BASE (no ethanol) $350 USD
As I mentioned in my other post, I had an issue wherein these guys wouldn’t give me raw data – though later they did. However, the raw data did not match up with what I knew to be in the sample tested. I asked for an explanation and was given none – I have still not received one and I have since stopped using this service. The staff, particularly Justin, are wonderful people but alas the service was not quite up to what I was expecting.
This is a redacted copy of one of the $1,000 reports:
View attachment 317424
And this is the raw data I finally received:
View attachment 317425
CAVEAT: This was in 2015 – perhaps they produce reports differently now – many years have passed. I’d love to get an update. They really are such nice people that I hope their service is now second to none and they are doing well. Beyond the slight problems in the formula that I later discovered, I have no complaints (except the price! ouch!)
Phytochemia
Cost: $160 USD ($210 CAD in 2020)
Next we have PhytoChemia a company in Quebec. They are fast and the results are good though often with a lot of “unknowns”. I did a side-by-side comparison of Phytochemia with WB2Lab in China and I post the results below. For a while these guys were my go to and I had a LOT of samples tested by them. Service was fast and the staff are knowledgeable. As per the comments below, you can request a CSV file that will get you to 3 decimal places.
Here’s a snippet of one of their reports (note the absence of CAS numbers):
View attachment 317426
The result was listed as 96.65% consolidated total (including all the unknowns, and there are sometimes many).
WB2LAB
COST: $180 USD
WB2Lab is in China. The service is very similar to phytochemia but the results appear to be better (note I say “appear”). There are no “unknowns” and you get a 100% report. However, it is possible that they simply omit that data. There is no real reason to include it. I have used this company quite a lot and you shouldn’t be put off by the fact they are in China.
I had them analyse a number of the same products as PhytoChemia (same bottles, etc) and my preference when I blended the results was for the WB2LAB analysis in all cases. It appeared more nuanced and complete and closer to the original. By default they go down to 3 decimals which makes identifying essential oils easier as the traces often hide the clues. Here’s one of their reports:
View attachment 317427
They very nicely place in red the items they think are part of an essential oil, while the black are direct adds. However this is not always accurate (it’s not possible to be certain). For example – the above indicates real oakmoss as evernyl didn’t exist as a synthetic at the time this product was made. The decimal accuracy on the incensole and phytyl acetate really helps figure out the amount of olibanum and jasmin absolute. CAS numbers are really vital in some cases. Honestly no GCMS service should be issuing reports without CAS numbers.
COMPARISON – WB2LAB vs PhytoChemia
So I did a side-by-side with these two. I decanted the same amount of the product from the same bottle and sent it to both companies. Here are the side by side numbers that came back:
View attachment 317428
I blended both mixtures and the conclusion was that the WB2lab result was far closer to the sample I had sent.
NOTE ON SENDING SAMPLES
All companies above ask for a 2ml sample to work from. This can be supplied in any vessel safe for international transport. If you want to be really accurate in reporting this for international shipping, use HS code 3302.90.11 and in the description use “Synthetic Aroma materials, UN3082 Environmentally Hazardous Substance, not restricted”
UN3082 is technically dangerous goods but companies like DHL accept them as non-dangerous for shipping purposes as they are merely hazardous to the environment (if you dump them in streams for example). UN3082 will cover pretty much all non-ethanol products.
If you have alcohol (perfume sample), you will have to ship it as “Dangerous goods in excepted quantities” (UN1266 Perfumery Products) as per the IATA regulations. Most carriers won’t take these unless you have a dangerous goods certificate or use a DG third party shipper. Customs code for these are HS 3303.00.
