Alcohol, concentration, dilution and maceration: short answers
By Omer Siton, founder of PerfuMate · Updated
Which alcohol, how strong, how to dilute and how long to rest: these are the questions every perfume in alcohol raises between the formula and the bottle. Each answer below is the short version of a page that works it through, with the arithmetic shown.
Is there alcohol in perfume, and what kind is used?
Yes: a spray perfume is mostly alcohol, about 80 to 85 percent of an eau de parfum by weight and more in an eau de toilette or cologne. The alcohol is perfumer's alcohol, ethanol of about 95 to 96 percent, usually denatured so it is undrinkable and free of beverage tax; in the US, formula SDA 40-B is one of the denatured alcohols authorized for perfumes and colognes (27 CFR 21.76). What alcohol to use for perfume.
What is perfumer's alcohol, and which alcohol should I use to make perfume?
Use perfumer's alcohol: high-purity ethanol of about 95 percent, denatured with an agent that does not smell, so the perfume smells of the formula and not of the solvent. It dissolves almost every aromatic material, lifts the top notes and then disappears. In the catalog it is Perfumer's ethanol. What alcohol to use for perfume.
Perfumer's alcohol vs ethanol: what is the difference?
Perfumer's alcohol is ethanol: the difference is a small amount of denaturant, chosen not to smell, that makes it undrinkable and removes the beverage tax. Some products sold as "perfumer's alcohol" or "perfume base" also carry a glycol or a fixative, which you should write into the formula as a material. What is perfumer's alcohol?
Which alcohol should you use for an essential oil perfume?
The same perfumer's alcohol: ethanol at about 95 percent dissolves essential oils fully and clearly, which watery spirits do not. If the whole bottle must be natural, make the perfume as an oil in jojoba instead, because perfumer's ethanol is not marked natural in the catalog. What alcohol to use for perfume.
Can you make perfume with vodka?
Not a real one: most vodka is 40 percent alcohol and 60 percent water, and many perfume materials will not dissolve in that much water, so the blend turns cloudy, separates or simply smells weaker. Only a very light citrus cologne tolerates some water. Can I use vodka?
Can you use rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol to make perfume?
No: isopropyl alcohol has a harsh, medical smell that sits over the top notes, and rubbing alcohol is not made to be left on skin. The same goes for anything sold for cleaning. Rubbing alcohol and isopropyl alcohol.
Can you make perfume with Everclear instead of perfumer's alcohol?
Yes, if it is the full-strength version: Everclear at 190 proof is 95 percent ethanol, the same strength as perfumer's alcohol, only undenatured and taxed as a drink. The 151-proof and 120-proof versions carry 24.5 and 40 percent water, which clouds a perfume the way vodka does. Everclear and other grain alcohol.
Is perfumer's alcohol natural or vegan?
It depends on the bottle: ethanol can be fermented from plants or made from ethylene, a petrochemical, and the name "perfumer's alcohol" does not say which, so PerfuMate's catalog does not mark it natural. Ethanol is not an animal product, so a vegan claim depends on the supplier's process; ask for it in writing. Is perfumer's alcohol natural or vegan?
How do you make perfume with perfumer's alcohol?
Weigh the concentrate, choose the strength, and add perfumer's alcohol by weight to make up the rest: for a 30 ml bottle at 18 percent, 4.5 g of a concentrate with no solvent in it and 20.5 g of alcohol. Cap it, date it, let it rest, then chill and filter it before bottling. How to make perfume at home.
What are the perfume concentration levels (parfum, EDP, EDT, EDC)?
The usual ranges, by weight of concentrate in the finished perfume, are 20 to 30 percent for an extrait de parfum, 15 to 20 for an eau de parfum, 5 to 15 for an eau de toilette and 2 to 5 for an eau de cologne, with perfume oils at about 10 to 30 percent in a carrier. They are trade conventions, not regulated grades, and published charts disagree by several points. The concentrations, with sources.
What is a perfume concentrate (perfume oil concentrate)?
A perfume concentrate is the blend of aromatic materials before it is diluted, the part that is 18 percent of an 18 percent eau de parfum; the trade also calls it the compound or the fragrance oil. A concentrate is usually too strong to wear as it is: a formula that passes IFRA at a cologne strength can be several times over a limit when worn neat. What a concentrate is, and how to use one.
What does eau de parfum (EDP) mean?
Eau de parfum is the name for a perfume with roughly 15 to 20 percent concentrate in alcohol: stronger and longer-lasting than an eau de toilette, lighter than an extrait. The name is a convention; a house can put a little more or less in and keep it. What EDP and EDT mean.
What does eau de toilette (EDT) mean?
Eau de toilette is the name for a lighter perfume, roughly 5 to 15 percent concentrate in alcohol: brighter at the opening and shorter on skin than an eau de parfum. "Toilette" keeps its older meaning of personal grooming, not the modern bathroom one. What EDP and EDT mean.
What is the difference between eau de parfum and eau de toilette?
Strength first: an eau de parfum carries about 15 to 20 percent concentrate and an eau de toilette about 5 to 15, so the EDP lasts longer and the EDT is lighter and brighter. A house may also rebuild the formula for each version of one perfume, so the two can smell different as well as stronger or weaker. EDP vs EDT.
What is the difference between parfum, extrait de parfum and eau de parfum?
Parfum and extrait de parfum usually name the same strongest tier, about 20 to 30 percent concentrate, while eau de parfum is the next one down at about 15 to 20. Some charts list parfum slightly below extrait, so read the strength rather than the word when it matters. Extrait, parfum and eau de parfum.
What is extrait de parfum?
Extrait de parfum is the most concentrated perfume tier, usually 20 to 30 percent concentrate and occasionally more: it sits closest to the skin and lasts longest. It is applied in small amounts, a dab or one or two sprays. What extrait de parfum is.
What is eau de cologne?
An eau de cologne is a light citrus-aromatic perfume at low strength, about 2 to 5 percent concentrate: mostly citrus and herbs with a little neroli or lavender, made to be splashed on and renewed. It is named after the city of Cologne, where the original was made in 1709. How to make an eau de cologne.
Perfume vs cologne: what is the difference?
In perfumery, cologne is the lightest strength, about 2 to 5 percent concentrate, and "perfume" usually means the stronger ones; in American shops, "cologne" is also used loosely for fragrances marketed to men, though both men and women wear it. So a men's "cologne" can be an eau de toilette or an eau de parfum. Perfume vs cologne.
Does eau de parfum last longer than eau de toilette?
For the same formula, yes, because more of every slow material reaches the skin. Across different perfumes, the formula matters more than the label: PerfuMate's wear model estimates an all-citrus cologne at 12 percent at a little over two hours on skin and an amber-woody extrait at 30 percent at about 15. Which lasts longer, and why.
Parfum vs eau de toilette: which is better?
Neither: a parfum lasts longer and wears closer to the skin, an eau de toilette is brighter and lighter, and which is better depends on the formula and the wearer. Past a formula's best strength, extra concentrate buys hours, not projection. Which concentration is better.
How much fragrance oil goes into a perfume (EDP, EDT, extrait)?
By weight, about 15 to 20 percent of an eau de parfum, 5 to 15 percent of an eau de toilette and 20 to 30 percent of an extrait. A 30 ml bottle holds about 24 g of perfume; at 18 percent, make 25 g with 4.5 g of concentrate. Perfume oil to alcohol ratio, by concentration.
What is the right ratio of fragrance oil to alcohol in perfume?
The ratio is the concentration you choose, measured by weight: 1 part concentrate to 4 parts alcohol makes 20 percent, and about 1 to 5.7 makes 15 percent. Weigh both, because alcohol is lighter than water, about 0.8 g per ml. Perfume oil to alcohol ratio, or let the perfume making calculator do the grams.
How do you mix perfume oil with alcohol to make a spray?
Weigh the concentrate into the bottle, add perfumer's alcohol to the target weight, cap it and swirl until clear, then rest, chill and filter. If your "perfume oil" is already diluted in a carrier oil, mix a small test first, because the carrier may cloud or separate in alcohol. The 30 ml arithmetic and diluting a perfume oil.
How do you calculate perfume concentration (oil percentage)?
Concentration is total aromatic mass divided by total batch mass, where every line weighed from a dilution counts only its aromatic share and the denominator includes every gram of solvent and alcohol. 20 g of aromatics in a 100 g batch is 20 percent; carry it to 200 g and it is 10 percent. The dilution math and the free batch calculator.
How do you dilute perfume (or a perfume that is too strong)?
Add perfumer's alcohol by weight, in a small test first: every material falls in proportion, so adding half the perfume's weight in alcohol takes it to two thirds of its strength. Dilute an alcohol perfume with alcohol, not with water or vodka, and expect it to wear for a shorter time. How to dilute a perfume that is too strong.
How do you dilute perfume oil or a perfume concentrate?
A concentrate goes into perfumer's alcohol for a spray or into a carrier oil for a roll-on, by weight, at the strength you choose; to thin a fragrance oil without alcohol, use an odorless solvent such as dipropylene glycol. An oil that is already in a carrier should be diluted with more of the same carrier. Diluting a perfume oil or a concentrate.
Can you dilute perfume with water?
Not much: most perfume materials do not dissolve in water, so adding it turns a perfume cloudy or makes it separate, and it dulls the opening. A light citrus cologne tolerates a little; test a small bottle first and watch for haze. Can I dilute perfume with water?
What is a perfume base?
"Perfume base" means three different things: the alcohol or oil a concentrate is diluted in, the base notes at the bottom of a formula, or a supplier's ready-made blend sold as one material. Work out which one a recipe or a shop means before you buy or weigh anything. What is a perfume base?
How do you make a perfume base?
The simplest alcohol base is perfumer's alcohol itself; an oil base is jojoba, fractionated coconut oil or isopropyl myristate; and a base in the perfumer's sense is an accord of slow materials, such as PerfuMate's Classic Amber Accord, built once and dosed as one line. A supplier's compounded base is bought rather than made, and weighed as one line of the formula. How to make each kind.
Where can I buy perfume base?
Perfumery suppliers sell perfumer's alcohol, carrier oils and compounded bases; buy from one that tells you exactly what is in the bottle. For an alcohol base, ask the alcohol strength, the denaturant and any additives; for a compounded base, ask for its IFRA certificate and safety data sheet. What to ask for.
How do you macerate perfume, and what does maceration do?
Mix the concentrate and alcohol in a full, sealed bottle, store it cool and dark, shake it on day two, smell it on a strip on day seven and halfway, and chill and filter it at the end. Meanwhile the heavier materials finish dissolving, the raw smell of fresh alcohol fades and a few slow reactions round the blend. How to macerate a perfume, step by step.
Is perfume maceration real, and is it necessary?
Real, yes: a fresh blend smells different after a week, because it is still dissolving and settling. Necessary is another matter: it rounds a formula but never rescues one, nothing about it is a safety step, and practice varies from a maceration step of 15 to 90 minutes in the factory batch process that a patent application from Procter and Gamble describes to the two to four months PerfuMate's schedule gives a home batch. Is maceration real?
How long should you macerate perfume?
About 60 days for a perfume up to 15 percent, 90 days up to 25 percent and 120 days above that, counted from the day the batch is made at its strength. That is PerfuMate's schedule, not a rule: the perfume is ready when the strips stop changing. How long to macerate perfume, with a calculator for the dates.
How can you macerate perfume faster?
Not reliably: shaking in the first days helps resins and crystals dissolve, but the slow changes that round a perfume run at their own pace, and warming the bottle speeds up the reactions you do not want. What does help is a fixed start: count the rest from the day the batch is made at its strength, so every check falls on a real date. Can I make it faster?
Should you macerate perfume with the cap on or off?
On, tightly closed: an open bottle loses alcohol and the lightest top notes first, so the perfume ends up stronger and flatter than you made it, and ethanol takes up water from the air. PerfuMate's journal opens the bottle once, for a minute, on day two. Cap on or off?
Can you macerate perfume in the fridge or freezer?
Rest it at room temperature instead: cold slows the changes you are waiting for and pushes waxes and crystals out of solution, which is exactly why the fridge is used once, for a day, at the end. A freezer adds nothing; perfumer's alcohol does not freeze in one, but more material drops out. Fridge, freezer and temperature.
What is the best temperature for macerating perfume?
A steady, cool room temperature, away from light and heat sources; no standard sets a figure. Warmth drives off top notes and speeds oxidation, and the only cold step is the chill at about 4 degrees Celsius for a day before filtering. The best temperature for maceration.
Perfume maceration vs maturation: what is the difference?
Usage varies: in one common distinction, maturation ages the concentrate before alcohol is added and maceration ages the finished perfume afterwards, while some writers use the two words for the same thing. PerfuMate's journal times the second, from the day the batch is made at its strength. Maceration vs maturation.
Do perfume oils need maceration, and how?
Less of it: with no alcohol to settle, a week or two sealed and in the dark is usually enough, with a shake now and then, and oils rarely need chilling and filtering. If something settles at the bottom, that material needs a solvent, not more time. Does a perfume oil need maceration?
What machines are used for blending and producing perfume?
In the classic factory batch process, perfume is mixed in tanks, chilled to about 0 degrees Celsius and filtered to remove the precipitated waxes before filling; at home the essential instrument is a scale that reads 0.01 g. An ultrasonic "aging" machine can agitate and warm a bottle, but a few shakes do the first and warmth speeds up the reactions you do not want, so ask its seller for a test on finished perfume before you trust the claims. Machines for blending and aging perfume.
Every figure here comes from the pages linked under it, and the free calculators run the same arithmetic in your browser.