Thread: When making scents what's the difference between cologne, eau de purfum, and perfume?

Originally Posted by Nightblade

I am curious...if say you wanted to make a 1/2 pint of AS/cologne/splash,would you use all alcohol or would you mix water with this at all ??

Water is not a common vehicle for any perfume products. Water and oil does not mix very well, and will fail to produce a clear solution. Alcohol is often used, because oil can be saturated in the mix. There is a limit to how much oil that can be dissolved in the mix, and the determining factor is the purity of the alcohol. In other words, the stronger the alcohol, the less chance of unclear finished product.
If you are working with real perfumers alcohol, it may be economical to dilute it down with water. If you are using vodka, or you are not particularily strapped for cash, you might not want to add any water at all in the mix.
I make my own splash, and usually add around 3% oils as a test. It might require a little more, depending on the oils used. It equals around 60 drops to 1 decilitre, or around 3.5 liquid ounces. I use 60% alcohol although I probably could dilute it down to 45% without any problems. It is not uncommon for perfumes to contain 25% essential oils, and also to have a finished product strength of 80% alcohol (160 proof). I am not in any shape or form neither a chemist nor a mathematician, but following the ratio it would seem logical that a 12% solution would be clear in 40% alcohol, and a 6% in 20. I never went down that road, but experiments could reveal possibilities. Perhaps, since I do not exeed 5% oils I could safely dilute the alcohol 1-1 with water.

If you are looking for alternatives to alcohol, oils are a common vehicle for ladies' perumes (possibly not such a great option for a splash or an AS unless you are going for a really slick look ). Witch hazel can also be used, but may cloud up. (I made a witch hazel concoction the other week, I am very happy with it.) Also note that clouding basically means the solution is not a stable mix, and therefore must be prepared before application. This is achieved through vigorously shaking the bottle for 10 secs (hey, there's your morning exercise taken care of ), so it really is no big thing if you are just making your own. Personally, I like the alcohol because of it's sterilizing effects and I don't mind the burn, so I keep mine strong.

I've noticed everyone tends to want to use drinking spirits of some sort. Is rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) ever ok to use? Is there too great a chemical difference between ethyl and isopropyl alcohols for the oils to bond? Do you just want to drink the leftovers from making your AS?
The reason I am asking is because I have an old (~10+ yrs) bottle of cologne (eau de toilet) that I recently unearthed. (I don't think this is off topic. Sorry if it is.) I am assuming the alcohol has all evaporated by this time. It still smells like I remember it and my wife likes it. I was thinking about reconstituting it with by adding some alcohol.
Is this a good idea?

Str8fencer....Sorry to sound a little thick,but lemme see if I got this right. so I'm not too bright with all the percentages and such but, basically am I to understand that you should use all alcohol to which oils are added and you could use drinking alcohol or perfumers alcohol ? Did I get that right???

Oh and also am I to understand that using a cheaper or less potent alcohol results in a clearer(see through) product ?? Sorry I'm more of a cook than a chemist so I think in kitchen like terms.

Originally Posted by milehiscott

Is rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) ever ok to use? Is there too great a chemical difference between ethyl and isopropyl alcohols for the oils to bond? Do you just want to drink the leftovers from making your AS?

I am sorry, I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. Afaik, we do not have rubbing alcohol in my country. I read on wikipedia about rubbing alcohol, it seems there is a chance it already contains perfume oils, or that the alcohol has it's own scent? I'd look for a chemist As for drinking the leftovers: Good heavens, absolutely not. The stuff is pretty horrid. On another note, my staple whisky brand just won the world championship for the world's best whisky in it's class. I am sad to say I got expencive taste

Originally Posted by milehiscott

I am assuming the alcohol has all evaporated by this time. It still smells like I remember it and my wife likes it.

I highly doubt the alcohol has evaporated. If the bottle was properly closed it should be just like when you got it. Test it after a shave to see if you get any burning, that will tell you if alcohol is still there. I'd be more worried about the oils going rancid, but if it smells nice it should be fine as well. Just enjoy

On the other hand, it certainly would be possible to dilute your AS with more alcohol. I would not use anything lower than 80 proof. A regular, basic vodka would probably do just fine.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

am I to understand that you should use all alcohol to which oils are added and you could use drinking alcohol or perfumers alcohol ? Did I get that right???

Yes, pretty much spot on. I use pure essential oils myself, and for an AS I use 30 drops of oil to 3.5 liquid ounces of alcohol. If the scent is too weak I add more oils, and could go as high as 60 drops. Too little is better than too much

Originally Posted by Nightblade

Oh and also am I to understand that using a cheaper or less potent alcohol results in a clearer(see through) product ??

This, I'm afraid, is wrong. Cloudiness is usually caused by too much oil in the mix. The stronger the alcohol, the more oil it can contain before it is saturated. Cloudiness is the parts of unabsorbed oils floating around in the mix. So, if you were trying to make a ladies perfume and your goal would be to end up with 15% oils in the finished product, you would probably need a rather strong alcohol like perfumers alcohol. If, on the other hand, you are trying to make an AS and your oil content will not exeed 5-6%, you would be fine using a mild, unscented and neuteral drinking alcohol, like a vodka. I also hear everclear is a viable option but I've never tried it.