A Different Kind of Dry January: Rethinking Your Scent Ritual
January asks for a pause. It is a quiet month; a natural time to reconsider the habits and rituals we carry with us through the rest of the year.
For many, this translates into "Dry January"—a collective reset where we step away from alcohol in what we drink. It’s a choice made for clarity, health, and a fresh start.
At Dilli House, alcohol-free isn't just a January resolution. It is the foundation of everything we make. But our journey to a water-based perfume wasn't a straight line; it was a process of questioning the industry standard and finding a kinder way.
THE STANDARD APPROACH
Look at almost any perfume bottle on a department store shelf, and you will find the same primary ingredient: ethanol.
Modern perfumery has relied on alcohol for centuries because it is an efficient solvent. It dissolves fragrance oils easily and, because it is highly volatile, it evaporates aggressively. This creates the powerful "lift" or projection we are used to in mainstream scents.
But that lift comes with significant compromises. That sharp, chemical blast you smell when you first spray a traditional perfume isn’t the fragrance notes; it is alcohol flash-evaporating off your skin. It is drying, it can be irritating to sensitive skin, and it fills the air around you with a harsh rush before the true scent can settle.
The Search for a Third Way
When we began developing Prem Rouge, we knew we had to avoid alcohol. Naturally, we looked backward to the ancient traditions of oil-based perfumery.
We spent our early trials blending rich absolutes into natural oil carriers. We hoped for softness and depth. But by Trial #2, we realised it wasn’t working.
While natural, the oils felt heavy on the skin and risked staining fabrics. Worst of all, the oil "trapped" the scent. The delicate complexity of the rose and tuberose felt muffled and distorted, unable to breathe.
We didn’t want the harshness of alcohol, but we couldn’t accept the heaviness of oil. We needed a third way.
The Discovery: Water Plant Emulsion
Our search led us to specialists in France and a technology called Water Plant Emulsion (WPE). This process allows us to do something that usually defies basic physics: mixing oil and water without using harsh synthetic solvents.
Instead of dissolving fragrance, WPE uses plant-derived emulsifiers to suspend microscopic droplets of pure essential oils directly in water. It creates a stable, milky micro-emulsion that changed the character of our perfume entirely.
The shift to water means Prem Rouge behaves differently:
It is Truer Alcohol distorts delicate notes in the first few minutes of wear. With a water base, the scent isn't forced to "flash off." What you smell in the bottle is exactly what you smell on your skin – clear, immediate, and honest.
It is Kinder Rather than stripping moisture away, the water-based emulsion hydrates as it scents. It leaves a soft, non-sticky finish that nourishes rather than dries.
It is Lasting There is a misconception that alcohol makes scent last. In reality, alcohol speeds up evaporation. Water evaporates slowly. Our emulsion releases scent gradually over days, not hours, especially when worn on clothing where the fibres protect the oil droplets from body heat.
A Conscious Shift
Choosing a water-based scent is a small adjustment to your routine, but a meaningful one. It is a move away from the harsh and the hurried, towards something slower, safer, and more considered.
Whether you are participating in Dry January or simply re-evaluating your daily choices for the year ahead, water offers a cleaner way to wear scent—without compromising on complexity or pleasure.