Perfumes and Toiletries

History of Perfume

The history of perfume is as old as the human being exists, as speaking about paradise; you imagine a luxuri ant garden, full of scenting flowers. But nobody knows exactly when the perfume culture originated. The Egyptians were the first who used perfume for personal enjoyment, but the production of perfume was reserved for the priests.  Now it is used by thousands of Consumers . This posts explains how the perfumes are made and what ingredients are involved in it. Most perfumes are composed of a three-part structure. The “head,” “heart”  and “base”.

Ingredients

A perfume consists of 78 to 95 percent ethyl alcohol  and Essential oils comprise the remaining 10-15% ingredients. The staying power of a scent compound in a perfume depends on its rate of evaporation. Perfumes also have different classes of fragrance such as “floral,” “woody” or “citrus” notes.  Now a days more and more perfumes are being made compared to past, Modern perfumes contain many synthetic compounds that are changed them unique characteristics than other perfumes such as increased odor.  Synthetic materials are cheaper to use than natural ones.

 

Summary of the properties of perfume

property	why the property is important
non-toxic	does not poison the wearer
does not irritate the skin	prevents the wearer from suffering rashes
evaporates easily – very volatile	perfume molecules reach the nose easily
insoluble in water	it is not washed off easily
does not react with water	avoids the perfume reacting with perspiration

 

Natural Perfume Ingredients

Traditionally, the discovery and the development of new synthetic
chemicals were based on the analysis of natural sources like plants ( such as lavender and jasmine), fruits (for example, lemon and orange) and animals (including musk from the musk deer and ambergris from the sperm whale ). Currently animal ingredients are not used due to ethical reasons. Other resources like alcohol, petrochemicals, coal, and coal tars are also used in the manufacture of perfumes. Some plants, such as lily of the valley, do not produce oils naturally. In fact, only about 2,000 of the 250,000 known flowering plant species contain these essential oils. Therefore, synthetic chemicals must be used to re-create the smells of non-oily substances. Synthetics also create original scents not found in nature.

Aroma chemicals are isolated fragrance molecules that are either synthetically produced or refined from plant sources. For example, the compound vanillin is what gives vanilla its characteristic odour and flavour. Artificial vanilla flavour is usually pure synthetic vanillin. Natural vanilla has many more compounds than just vanillin, which is why it tastes better!

 

How Do We Smell Perfume?

The part of perfume that gives it a specific smell is called its “juice.” Juice is a mixture of different oils, each with a specific scent. You smell these scents because they evaporate, which means to change from a liquid to a gas. These scented gas molecules move through the air and you smell them when they enter your nose. The more scent molecules that enters your nose, the stronger is the smell.

 

Process for Making Perfumes

 

Each perfumery has a preferred perfume manufacturing process, but there are some basic steps.

Collection of raw materials is the first step in the perfume making process. Fragrance can be obtained from flowers, grasses, mosses, leaves, tree barks and fruit peels. Once raw materials are collected, the fragrance is extracted by distillation, absorption or extraction using solvents.

In the distillation method, raw materials are steamed. As the steam rises, the scent is carried into a glass tube where the mixture condenses as it cools. The mixture is then put into flask where the essential oil naturally rises to the top and is skimmed off for use in the perfume.

Absorption is used for raw materials that can’t with stand the heat of the distillation process. They are steeped in heated fats or oils, then filtered through fabric to obtain the scented solid. The solid is then washed in alcohol. When the fat is removed, the perfumed alcohol remains.

Extraction: fragrance also is drawn when plant matter and volatile solvents are combined in a rotating tank. The solvent extracts the essential oils and dissolves the plant matter. Once the oil has evaporated, a perfume paste remains.

Aromas: musk and castor are animal secretions frequently used in perfume making. Synthetically produced aromas also are used.

Once the perfume oil is extracted, the blendingprocess commences. The man responsible of that task, known as “a nose,” uses an extensive knowledge of fragrance characteristic to blend anywhere from 20 to 800 raw materials to compose a scent. Once the scent is developed and tested, batches are robotically mixed.

The pure perfume oil is then diluted with alcohol and water. If a full perfume is desired, 10 to 20 percent of the oil is dissolved in alcohol with a minute amount of water. Cologne is 3 to 5 percent oil, 80 to 90 percent alcohol and 10 percent water. An eau de toilette is 2 percent oil, 60 to 80 percent alcohol and 20 percent water. Then the perfume is ready to be aged, filtered and bottled.

 

Putting the Theory to Use

If want to create your own fragrance, essential and synthetic oils can be obtained from perfume making suppliers. Experiment by combining oils, then smell and test the combinations on your skin. Once the desired aroma is achieved, mix the oils with the appropriate ratios of alcohol and water. Purchase perfume alcohol from perfume materials suppliers. Or clear drinking alcohol that has no smell, such as vodka, can be substituted. Once poured into a bottle, the fragrance is ready to be enjoyed.