How To Make Skin & Body Care Products With No. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo Fragrance Oil

Natasha Bruce-Carline
How To Make Skin & Body Care Products With No. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo Fragrance Oil

Take the gently ethereal and deeply intimate scent of No. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo Fragrance Oil and make a luxurious, yet simple, range of skin and body care products. Harness the revitalizing zing of bitter orange and sweet, green notes of matcha tea.  Bolster the luscious fruity fig heart space with base accords of earthy vetiver, spicy clove, and woody Cedar.  You can create a complete range of skin and body care products with only a handful of ingredients. Match recipes for a refreshing cleanser, revitalizing toner, hydrating moisturizer, and nourishing serum with an exfoliating body scrub and absorbing body lotion. Finally, add extra nourishment with a shimmer body oil for skin glowing with health and vitality. 

Where To Start Exploring NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 by Le Labo

Before we start, read last week's article on blending diffuser blends with NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 by Le Labo. This article will help you understand the intimate and enigmatic nature of this fragrance. It will give you the basic guidelines on how best to blend and balance it to make serene, calm, and tranquil blends.  

Then use those blending skills to create a sublime skincare and beautiful body care collection. 

Scent Profile

Center yourself and connect with inner calm with this refreshing citrus aroma, laced with sweet, green florals, and earthy and spicy aromatic delights.

Imagine the peace and tranquility of a Japanese Zen garden. A low table is set for a traditional Matcha tea ceremony to engage in the quiet reflection.

Revitalizing bitter orange weaves through sweet, green matcha tea. The heart space sings with fresh florals and fruitiness of sun-ripened figs—earthy accords of vetiver and spicy clove unfurling with woody Cedar notes.

Fragrance Notes

    • Top: Bitter Orange, Citrus
    • Heart: Fig, Floral 
    • Base: Cedar, Clove, Vetiver

Choose The Right Variation of NO. 1308

For making any kind of topical products you want to use the Soaps & Candles variation of NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 by Le Labo. 

Our Soaps & Candles fragrance oils are specifically designed to create high-quality, luxurious products that are skin-safe and free from unnecessary chemicals like parabens, phthalates, SLES, and SLS.  They are also cruelty-free and never tested on animals.

Never use the Diffuser variation for topical products, they are designed only for use in cold air and nebulizing diffusers.

How to Design Skin and Body Care with NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo 

When I created the diffuser blends, I wanted to stay true to the perfumer’s original vision for the scent and emulate the emotions and feelings they intended to foster. It’s such a beautifully crafted scent that I would like to do the same here. 

It was designed to be intimate. Someone has to be close to get a waft of the enigmatic scent. I’d like to honor that and I will show you how to strengthen it along the way for a bolder appeal.

There was the intention to design a scent that feels like you are being centered, that you are coming home to yourself, and a place where everything feels familiar and cherished. It is a gently reviving and refreshing aroma, perfect for creating skin and body care to envelop ourselves in. 

I focused the diffuser blends on creating a quiet, soulful, introspective space in which to be mindful and relax. We can create topical products that support your meditation, yoga, and prayer practices too. 

Working Safely With NO. 1308

Part of your design process should always be around safety. When you decide you want to work with a particular fragrance oil and create topical products, the first thing you should do is check the IFRA Statement.

This document tells you the maximum amount of that fragrance oil you can use to remain within skin safety limits. It gives you this information in different categories covering various types of topical and nontopical products.

For instance, to formulate these recipes I have to check the skin safety dilution rates for skin care and various types of body products as they fall into two different categories. 

    • Face care falls into category 5B which has a skin-safe limit of 0.35% (Very low)
    • Body lotion falls into category 5A which has a skin-safe limit of 7.17% (Medium)
    • Body Spray falls into category 2 which has a skin-safe limit of 2.33% (Low)
    • Liquid Soap falls into category 9 which has a skin-safe limit of 3.17% (Low)
    • Remember guys, these are maximum skin safety dilution rates and NOT recipe recommendations.

How Do I Translate This IFRA Safety Information?

Looking at skin care in Category 5B has a maximum skin safety dilution rate of 0.35%. This means that I can only use 0.35ml of NO. 1308 in 100ml of any face care products. That equates to about 7 drops. I appreciate that it seems very little but we can bolster it with complimentary essential oils to maintain the integrity of the scent and give us all their active benefits. Which is perfect for creating skin care because it gives us the best of both worlds. 

We can use a lot more in our body lotions up to 7.17%, but honestly, we don’t need that much. I’d start with 2% and build up from there if you feel you need a bit more intensity. I’d never add more than 5% to a face or body care product, you just don’t need that much! Even with aromas as ethereal as this. 

Creating Face Products and Skin Care with NO. 1308

NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo is perfect for creating luxurious skin-care and face products. Its intimate, gentle, and reviving aroma offers an appealing scent to use in moisturizers, toners, serums, and nourishing creams. It also lends itself to blending with essential oils so we can harness all their active benefits in caring for our skin type. 

I’m going to keep these recipes super simple, so you feel you can have a go if you are a complete beginner. Even the more experienced amongst us might enjoy the elegant simplicity of these reviving skin care products.

I’ve also used highly versatile ingredients to show you what you can do with just a small handful of nourishing ingredients and to keep this as sustainable and economical as possible. You will be able to use them for body care products too. 

All of these face care products appearing in IFRA Category 5B have a skin safety dilution rate of 0.35%. 

You Will Need:

    • Measuring jugs
    • Bowls
    • Stainless steel spoons
    • Jar and bottle funnel
    • 2 x 100ml bottles
    • 1 x 100ml jar
    • 1 x 20ml rubber-topped dropper bottle
    • Oil and waterproof labels

Cleanser

To make your life easy, use a commercially prepared cleanser base. Keep things as simple as possible, then we can fill it with nourishment and skin-reviving ingredients to help it along! 

Glycerine helps remove impurities from the skin attracts water from the atmosphere and very kindly plonks it into your skin cells for a boost of hydration! Thank you Glycerine!  Rosehip carrier oil is packed with free radical-fighting antioxidants and can reduce the signs associated with aging. 

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy

Method:

    1. Simply combine the fragrance oil and essential oils into the rosehip carrier oil.
    2. Add the glycerine to the cleanser base and then add in the oil mix and combine for a couple of minutes until fully incorporated. No oil should float to the top, it should all be incorporated and emulsified into the cleanser base.  
    3. Decant into a dark bottle and label clearly listing all ingredients for safety. 
    4. Add the date and expiry date of 3 months.

How To Use:

    1. Do a 24 -48 hour patch test before first use.
    2. Apply liberally to the face, neck and decolletage and allow to absorb for a minute.
    3. Remove with paper tissue or wash off in tepid water.
    4. Follow with the toner. 

Toner

Toners are so simple to make I don’t think I have bought one since about 1986 (yeah, I am that old)! Give your face a spritz of this and it will thank you. I actually prefer to pop mine into a fine spray bottle and just spritz my face and let it air dry.

I think you will love the green and citrus-clean freshness of this reviving and refreshing toner. 

A note about Polysorbate 20, this is a dispersant, meaning it disperses oils in water-based liquids. Therefore, you can use polysorbate 20 to create room and body sprays with both essential oils and fragrance oils. It’s a product worth buying as you can use it for several different projects. 

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy

Method:

    1. Combine the fragrance oil and the essential oils with the rosehip carrier oil and the polysorbate 20. You generally need equal quantities of each, but check your dispersant instructions. 
    2. Mix the orange flower water, witch hazel, and glycerin together in a measuring jug and combine thoroughly.
    3. Add the polysorbate and oil mix and combine well. If any oil floats to the top you need more dispersant, add a little now.
    4. Once fully dispersed, it is ready for use. 
    5. Decant into a bottle using a funnel for ease and label clearly listing all ingredients for safety. 
    6. Add the date and expiry date of 3 months

How To Use:

    1. Do a 24 - 48 patch test before first use.
    2. I like mine in a spray bottle and I simply close my eyes and spritz my face a couple of times and let my skin air dry.
    3. If you wish, just pop your toner in a normal bottle and apply with a cotton pad to remove anything your cleanser missed!
    4. Follow with a moisturizer.

Moisturizer

I can’t abide these heavy, claggy moisturizers that make you feel like you just spread lard on your face! I like light, hydrating, and silky moisturizers that leave your skin feeling like velvet. 

Here is one of my favorite simple recipes. Feel free to add more nourishment and add some cosmetic butter if you wish. I’ve played on the floral heart notes of NO. 1308 here for an enigmatic feminine allure. 

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 37 weeks of pregnancy

Method:

    1. Mix the NO. 1308 Soaps & Candles fragrance oil, essential oils, and rosehip carrier oil together.
    2. Measure out the aqueous cream into a bowl, add the oil mix, and combine thoroughly.
    3. Add the glycerine and mix well.
    4. Add the orange flower water until you have a consistency you really like, you can add more or less water to suit your own preference.
    5. Mix it all together for a couple of minutes until it is all evenly distributed. If you see any oils floating to the top, add a bit more aqueous cream until it disappears.  
    6. Decant into a jar using a jar funnel and lid.
    7. Add an oil and waterproof label listing all ingredients. 
    8. Add the date and expiry date of 3 months

How To Use:

    1. Please don’t forget to do a 24- 48 hour patch test! 
    2. After cleansing and toning or on clean skin, apply in small circular upward motions. 
    3. I like to add it liberally if my skin feels dry, and I let it sink in. Then I will massage any excess into my skin.
    4. Follow with serum.

Serum 

Serums are wonderfully rich and you don’t need to use them every day, two or three times a week is generally fine. I always tend to need a bit more in the winter though. In terms of how much I use and how often I need to use it. 

This one is chock full of all the great fatty acids your skin loves,  like linoleic acid and antioxidants that are renowned for fighting the signs of aging! It’s tempting to think you need a bucketful, but honestly, less is more here. A tiny bottle really is all you need. 

Castor oil can often leave a little gloss on the skin which is why it is perfect for making lip balms. If this is an issue for you, feel free to omit it and simply add more Camellia carrier oil. Just to confirm, I definitely mean Camellia carrier oil (Camellia japonica) and not Camelina (Camelina sativa) which is different. 

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy

Method:

    1. Combine everything together in a measuring jug and stir for a couple of minutes until thoroughly combined.
    2. Use a funnel and decant it into a 20ml bottle fitted with a rubber-topped dropper/pipette
    3. Add an oil and waterproof label and list all ingredients clearly for safety.
    4. Add the date and expiry date of 3 months

How To Use:

    1. Patch test, please! 
    2. After cleansing and moisturizing, apply to clean dry skin.
    3. Use one to two drops warmed in your hand and then apply in small upward circular motions. 
    4. Remove any excess with a paper tissue, if you have to remove any excess, you added too much, use less. 
    5. Allow it to sink in. 
    6. Be aware if you use this last thing at night, the oils can transfer onto your bed linen. Consider cutting and edging a silk square and placing that over your pillow slip. They can be easily laundered. 

Easy Peasy Face Care 

I think you will agree, that is some easy-peasy homemade face care, right? I do hope it will inspire you to have a go. 

I have tried to use similar ingredients, so if you have to start from scratch it will work out more economically for you. You will also be able to use some of these ingredients for the following projects to get the most out of your money and to work more sustainability, stretching what we have. 

If your budget is tight, buy jojoba and rosehip carrier oils and swap everything else out, you can get by with just those two amazing oils in these recipes. Don’t skimp on the glycerine though, it’s a magical ingredient for skin hydration. Shop for Rosewater and Orange Flower Water in world food stores for competitive pricing and good quality products. Shop around for the best deals and don’t forget to search for organic variations if those appeal. 

Please do try these easy projects and don’t be afraid to make them your own. If the moisturizer feels too thick, add some rosewater to thin it out, if your budget is really tight, use spring water instead. If you love Argan oil and want that in your serum, use it, swap out another oil instead. You learn more by experimenting and if you make a mistake, most of the time they are fairly easy to fix. Jump in and have fun with it! 

Shall we look at making some exciting body care products now? 

Creating Body Care Products with NO. 1308

The enigmatic and ethereal scent of NO. 1308 - Inspired By: Thé Matcha 26 By Le Labo is perfect for creating light and luxurious body care products. The lightness of scent can be emboldened with essential oils and other complementary fragrance oils to create sublime body care. 

Again, I am keeping these recipes super simple and will be using similar ingredients that we used in our skincare to keep this sustainable and cost-effective for you. It also demonstrates the range of exciting products you can create from just a handful of ingredients. 

They are perfect for complete beginners and those who like the elegant simplicity of these stunning body care products. 

Most of these body care products appearing in IFRA Category 5A have a skin safety dilution rate of 7.17 % unless stated on the individual recipe.

You Will Need:

    • Stainless steel spoons
    • Measuring jugs
    • Mixing bowls
    • Jar and bottle funnels
    • 2 x 100ml bottles, one to be dark glass
    • 1 x 750ml - 1-litre wide mouth airtight jar
    • Oil and waterproof labels

Body Scrub

Exfoliating your skin removes dead skin skins and reveals new healthy skin that glows with vitality and health. Make exfoliating part of your weekly routine to keep your skin in tip-top condition.

I think you will love this combination of NO. 1308 and a burst of revitalizing and energizing citrus. It’s like a ray of sunshine infusing your day.

Now you can use any salt here, except don’t use table salt, as it is full of anti-caking agents. You can also use any kind of sugar as long as it is coarse to the touch. Coconut sugar is particularly lovely. For a deeper delve, check out How to Make Bath Scrubs With Essential Oils.

Salt Scrubs appear in IFRA Category 9 have a skin safety dilution rate of 3.17%.

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. 
    • Do not use this scrub over areas of broken or irritated skin.
    • Avoid intimate areas.
    • This product is not intended for use on the face.

Method:

    1. Mix your fragrance oil and essential oils into the carrier oil and combine thoroughly. 
    2. In a mixing bowl, combine your salt, sugar, and carrier oil mix.
    3. Stir the mix thoroughly with a spoon. You want to ensure that all the salt has been covered in oil.
    4. Use a jar funnel to decant into a wide-mouth jar with an airtight lid, and clean the rim meticulously to stop the chances of mold or bacteria formation. 
    5. Label, listing all ingredients clearly for safety reasons. Use an oil and waterproof label for best results.

How To Use

    1. You need to keep this in the dark, preferably at a consistent and ambient temperature. This helps to stop the carrier oil from turning rancid. This recipe should be stored for at least six months, if kept under the right conditions, or longer if you use a preservative. If the oil does go rancid, you will smell it as soon as you open the jar. Simply discard and make a new batch, Sweet Almond carrier oil tends to last a longer time than Jojoba. 
    2. Do a 24 - 48 hour patch test before first use.
    3. To use, wet the skin and rub gently into the skin using upward circular and long stroking motions, this will also help to get your circulation moving to help with cell renewal. 
    4. Work a little firmer over areas of hard skin like knees, elbows, and heels. 
    5. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, use soap if you wish. 
    6. Alight carefully from the shower or bath as it could be slippery, use handrails and non-slip mats.

Body Lotion

You can tailor this body lotion to suit your preferences. Personally, I prefer a super light body lotion that will absorb fully and quickly. I don’t want to be dancing around the bathroom flapping like an egg-bound chicken trying to ‘dry’ off. 

I can tailor this to my needs by how much water-based liquid I add to the aqueous cream. If you like yours to be of a thicker consistency, simply add less water-based liquid. I’d stick with the amount of carrier oil I have used to keep it skin nourishing and leave your skin feeling smooth and silky. 

I’ve focused the fragrance on light florals to keep this smell as fresh as it feels on the skin. 

Ingredients:

Optional - Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances. 

Safety:

    • Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. 
    • Avoid intimate areas.
    • This product is not intended for use on the face.

Method:

    1. Take the NO. 1308 Soaps & Candles fragrance oil, essential oils, and rosehip carrier oil and combine them all together.
    2. Careful, measure out the aqueous cream into a bowl, pour in the oil and glycerine, and mix together thoroughly. 
    3. Now this is where you can choose the consistency that you prefer, simply add the orange flower water or rosewater until you have a consistency you really like, and you can add more or less water to suit your own preference.
    4. Mix it all together for a couple of minutes until it is all evenly distributed. If you see any oils floating to the top, add a bit more aqueous cream until it disappears.  
    5. Decant into a jar using a jar funnel and lid.
    6. Add an oil and waterproof label listing all ingredients. 
    7. Add the date and expiry date of 3-6 months

How To Use:

    1. Please make sure that you do a 24-48 hour patch test before first use.
    2. Apply liberally to clean skin, your skin can be wet or dry. Applying it to wet skin can help lock in more moisture and the glycerine can take the molecules of water and plop it right into your thirsty skin cells. Magic!
    3. You should be able to dress right away. 

Shimmering Body Oil

Occasionally our skin needs ‘feeding’ and needs extra nourishment. This is where carrier oils come into their own and can be combined to create a sublime body oil. We let the carrier oils do all the heavy lifting here, instead of using essential oils. 

I have deepened the fragrance and used a complimentary fragrance oil to create a fresh, revitalizing aroma that is elegant and sophisticated. Oil always helps to set the scent on your skin and helps it to last longer. 

Ultrafine Mica powder gives a beautiful shimmer, choose a shade that matches your skin tone. Want to know which ones are best for your skin color and how much to use? Check out the Sunset Shimmer Lotion recipe for tips on working with Mica.

You can double this up as a hair oil but perhaps leave the mica shimmer out if you plan to do that. You can also add 10% Wheatgerm carrier oil (Triticum vulgare) to create a wonderfully relaxing and blissful massage oil.

Ingredients:

Optional -

    • Ultra fine Mica powder in a color of your choice, add small amounts until your reach your desired intensity of shimmer. 
    • Preservative of your choice - follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can elongate the life of your products up to 6 -12 months in some instances.

Safety:

    • Avoid intimate areas.
    • This product is not intended for use on the face. 
    • If you use this on your feet, please wear socks and slippers after application to reduce the chances of slips, trips and falls.
    • Take care as excess body oil may transfer to clothes, linen and furnishings.

Method:

    • This is really easy, simply combine everything together, decant into a dark glass bottle using a funnel and label, clearly listing all ingredients for obvious safety reasons. 

How To Use:

    1. Always do your patch first for 24- 48 hours, please! 
As Body Oil
    1. Add a small amount into the palm of your hand warm it through and apply to your body in long upward stroking motions.
    2. Massage the oils into the skin well and get the circulation moving to help with cell renewal and improved skin tone. 
    3. If you have a high mica content, use it along the length of your legs and arms to elongate their appearance. 
    4. Remove any excess oil with a paper tissue.
    5. If you use it on your feet, pop on socks and slippers to reduce the risk of slipping.
As Hair Oil
    1. Warm the oil in a small bowl set over hot water.
    2. Once warm, work through the hair, paying particular attention to any dry ends.
    3. If your scalp is dry and flaky, massage some into your scalp.
    4. Wrap your hair in a hot towel and wait at least 20 minutes. I’ll often do mine overnight. 
    5. Then wash your hair as normal, shampooing and rinsing twice, to make sure any excess oil is gently removed.

The Final Word

I hope you love the enigmatic and ethereal beauty of NO. 1308 as much as I do. It is classically elegant and sophisticated. It’s not ‘noisy’ and in your face, but quietly spoken, suave, and articulate.

Make the most of the perfumer’s original intention and revel in the intimacy of this fragrance oil. Use it to make products that are shared by you and only your closest confidantes. 

Make a whole range of glorious skin and body care with NO. 1308, using just a handful of ingredients. They may be economical, but we are not sacrificing any luxury here, quite the opposite in fact. 

We can make really decadent and luxurious products with NO. 1308 with some carefully considered ingredients. Plump for gorgeous ingredients like the hydrating and highly fragrant Orange Flower Water, the humectant qualities of Glycerine, and Rosehip carrier oil which is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids.

You can take NO. 1308 and make a whole range of effective natural skin care. Start with a refreshing cleanser, a revitalizing toner, hydrating moisturizer, and then finish with a super nourishing serum. Pair it with essential oils for the best of both worlds and highly effective skincare. 

We can follow a similar structure for caring for your body. Starting with a salt and sugar body scrub, then lacing our skin with hydration with our quick absorbing Body Lotion. Finally, add some gorgeous nourishment to your skin and leave it glowing with health and vitality with our  Shimmer Body Oil. You can even use it on your hair, albeit without the shimmer!  

However, you choose to use NO. 1308 for your face and body care, have oodles of fun with it, and enjoy that more ethereal and enigmatic side of this intimate fragrance oil.