Most people wear perfumes on the expectation that it would last a long time without evaporating, but for us to smell the perfume in the first place, the perfume needs to evaporate. To solve this problem, one specific ingredient is used: alcohol.

The history of perfumes actually begins with oil-based perfumes. For example, Egyptians used a combination of various plants, oils, and animal fats for the ingredients. Even Greco-Romans used multiple plants and oils.

When using oils as the solvent, the scent lingers longer on the skin due to their slower evaporation rate than alcohol. Although they last longer, it’s important to note that oil is denser than alcohol. Due to the higher density, oil-based perfumes have a lower rate of evaporation than alcohol-based perfumes. As a result, even though the scent lingers longer, the scent doesn’t evaporate as well as alcohol-based perfumes, which is why alcohol is used more often than oil as solvents. When oil-based perfumes are stored properly, they have a longer shelf life than alcohol-based perfumes; however, that is only when they are stored in a condition where they undergo less oxidation than alcohol-based perfumes. The oil-based perfumes slowly transition into alcohol based perfumes multiple decades after the first perfume was created.

The first alcohol-based perfume, created with alcohol, oils, and herbs, appeared in Hungary under the request of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. These alcohol-based perfumes and modern perfumery began to appear during the 18th century in Grasse, France.

When using alcohol as the solvent, it allows the aromatic compounds to dissolve and be sprayed evenly. With its lower density than oil-based perfumes and volatility, the perfume evaporates rapidly, helping to disperse the fragrance into the air. As a result, the fragrance projects better from the skin than oil-based perfumes. Additionally, alcohol’s rapid evaporation helps release different notes that allow the scent to be smelled consistently over a long period of time. Alcohol-based perfumes, specifically ones that use ethanol, helps the preservation of perfumes with its antimicrobial property that kills bacteria. Due to the advantages that alcohol-based perfumes have, alcohol-based perfumes became more common than oil-based perfumes nowadays.

Although alcohol-based perfumes are more common, oils still play a crucial role in perfumery today. For example, the percentage of oil concentration determines whether the fragrance is a perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, etc. As a result, it can be said that oil and alcohol are the most crucial combination in perfumes that influence the fragrance’s diffusion, intensity, and longevity.

The different types of fragrances based on the oil concentration.

However, there’s one critical problem with alcohol: it evaporates quickly. To solve this problem, a “fixative” comes into play to fix the scent. This will be talked about more in the next post!

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Alcohol

Fixatives