PerfuMate vs a spreadsheet

Choose PerfuMate for a connected formula workflow. Start free, then compare a spreadsheet's published offering below.

Why choose PerfuMate for your daily formula work?

Start with described materials: odor, olfactive families, impact and substantivity, with CAS numbers where available and estimated constituent tables for 739 materials. View the catalog coverage.
Read the scent profile and explore the modeled drydown, then find substitutes from your shelf. Estimates support your evaluation; they do not replace smelling a trial.
Keep experiments in a branching evolution tree with version diffs and restore, included in Unlimited.
Take the formula into a batch: dilution-aware scaling, costing, guided weighing, stock deductions and a maceration journal.
Use optional AI Studio to ask questions, refine a formula or build from your shelf. AI usage has its own credits; Unlimited is not unlimited AI.

Start free with no account. A free account keeps unlimited shelf materials and three formulas; view the plan limits and paid options.

	PerfuMate	Spreadsheets
What it is	A browser workspace for independent perfumers: described materials, formulation, scent analysis, live indicative IFRA checks, optional shelf-grounded AI and batch work	General-purpose calculation grid (Excel, Google Sheets)
Ships with a materials database	Yes. 2,211 materials, each described and classified: odor description, olfactive families with percentage dominance, impact and substantivity, a CAS number where one exists (1,642; a compounded base has none to give), plus estimated constituent tables for 739	No, every material is typed in by hand
IFRA checking and scope	Checked live while composing, on every tier including free, and it counts one molecule arriving from several naturals at once. Category 4 (fine fragrance on skin), 51st Amendment, indicative: verify against the official standards before you sell	By hand, if you build the formulas yourself
Formula work	Dilution-aware milligram scaling and costing, guided weighing with actual-pour adjustment, stock deductions, batch and maceration tracking, shelf-based substitutes, and branching version history with diffs and restore (Unlimited)	Whatever you build; data validation can reject some bad entries, but a wrong number that is still a number goes through
Scent analysis and drydown	Interactive family and sub-note profile, amount and impact views, and a modeled drydown timeline. Estimates, not a substitute for smelling a trial	Custom charts and calculations you build; no perfumery model supplied by the spreadsheet itself
AI assistance and context	Optional AI Studio: Ask about materials or attached formulas, Build from your own shelf, and refine formulas. Shelf context and server-side formula checks; AI usage uses separate credits	Depends on the spreadsheet product and add-ons; perfumery-specific AI context not assessed here
Import and export	Import from PDF, CSV, TSV or pasted text; export PDF, EU allergen declaration, INCI label, GHS SDS draft	CSV in and out, by hand (Excel's CSV export saves only the active sheet)
Runs on	Any browser, desktop or phone, and installs as an app; an Android app on Google Play; no native iPhone app	Anywhere Excel or Sheets runs, in a browser or offline
Price to start	PerfuMate: free with no expiry. A free account holds unlimited materials and 3 formulas, with the whole catalog, indicative IFRA checking, allergen and INCI label text, the scent profile and drydown. Bottle labels, the pack that contains them, color PDF themes and formula version history are paid. On the free plan each formula exports once; full backups are always free. PerfuMate's paid plan is $12.90 a month, $68.00 a year or $119.98 once. Monthly and yearly renew until canceled; Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Optional AI usage uses separate credits	Spreadsheet: free to start, with Google Sheets or Excel for the web

When PerfuMate is the better choice

The arithmetic (percentages, dilution corrections, IFRA shares, allergen totals) is done by tested code rather than by formulas you maintain.
The materials arrive described: 2,211 of them, with odor, families, impact and substantivity, instead of a row you type for each.
Version history is per formula, with diffs and branching (on the paid plan), instead of a history of the whole file; Excel keeps one only for files in OneDrive or SharePoint.

What a spreadsheet emphasizes

You want total control over the layout and the formulas, and you already know Excel or Sheets. Source
You want to start free with nothing new to learn: Google Sheets with a Google account, or Excel for the web with a Microsoft account. Source
You need file-level history and nothing finer: Sheets keeps up to 15 named versions per spreadsheet. Source

Moving from a spreadsheet to PerfuMate

Export the sheet as CSV (in Excel, one sheet at a time: its CSV export saves only the active sheet) or copy the rows. PerfuMate imports CSV, TSV and pasted rows, and each material is matched against the catalog, and you confirm the matches before saving. Import a formula, free.

Questions

Can I keep my spreadsheet formulas?

Yes: export each sheet as CSV or copy its rows, and import them into PerfuMate; each material is matched against the catalog, and you confirm the matches before saving.

Do spreadsheets keep version history?

For the whole file: Google Sheets keeps a revision history with up to 15 named versions per spreadsheet, and Excel keeps versions for files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Neither keeps a history per formula with diffs.

Is a spreadsheet free?

To start, yes: Google Sheets with a Google account, Excel for the web with a Microsoft account. PerfuMate also has a free tier without expiry: unlimited materials and 3 formulas.

Sources

Read on 2026-10-14: Google Sheets version history, Google Sheets data validation, Excel version history, Excel CSV export, Excel for the web.

What is the difference between PerfuMate and a spreadsheet?

PerfuMate brings 2,211 described materials, live indicative IFRA checking, an interactive scent profile and drydown, shelf-based substitutes, formula editing and batch work into one browser workspace for independent perfumers. Unlimited adds branching version history, and optional AI Studio helps you ask about and build formulas from your own shelf. A spreadsheet gives you control of the layout and file-level history. Perfumery calculations, material data, dilution corrections and IFRA checks are yours to build and maintain. PerfuMate supplies those as a connected workflow instead. PerfuMate's paid plan is $12.90 a month, $68.00 a year or $119.98 once. AI usage uses separate credits. Competitor details are vendor-published claims reviewed on 2026-10-14, not independent test results.

Try it on a formula of your own

No account needed to start.

Start a formula, free

Import a formula, inspect its scent profile, check its IFRA limits, and judge the workflow with your own materials.

View the workflow in real screenshots

This is PerfuMate's own product comparison. Our recommendation is based on the connected workflow demonstrated in our app and guides. Competitor entries summarize their published descriptions, reviewed between 2026-10-06 and 2026-10-14, not hands-on test results. Not assessed means this review has not established a capability, not that the product lacks it. A larger entry count alone does not establish data quality, coverage or formulation usefulness. Sources for a spreadsheet, read 2026-10-14: Google Sheets version history, Google Sheets data validation, Excel version history, Excel CSV export, Excel for the web. PerfuMate's catalog counts come from the material seed the app ships. Wrong or out of date? Tell us.