Fixatives
As mentioned in my previous post, alcohol has one critical problem: it evaporates quickly. Fixatives are any substances that “fix” a fragrance to make the scent last longer. Fixatives solve the problem of rapid evaporation.
“In an alcohol-based format like an EDP or EDT, a fixative material helps lower the evaporation rate of the alcohol which helps to hold the scent for a slower release”. This happens due to the fixative’s high density, which allows for a lower rate of evaporation.
This is frankincense, an example of a fixative.
There are two categories of fixatives: organic and synthetic. Organic fixatives are known as resinoids, or additives secreted from plants. Some examples are benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, and olibanum. Synthetic fixatives are substances with low volatility and odorless solvents with low vapor pressures. For example, ambergris, castoreum, and galaxolide. Nowadays, synthetic fixatives are mostly used due to strict environmental protection laws, making natural fixatives difficult to use.
Recently, the fixative market has been booming. The Fragrance Fixatives Market was valued $1.65 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach $1.93 billion by 2029.
Fixatives play an important role in perfumes, and it’s clear that they will be around for a long time.
