Perfume ingredients - what’s in a scent?
The first perfume has been dated back to the time of Ancient
Egypt when herbs, oils, flowers and spices were used to create potent aromas for
the hygiene obsessed ancient Egyptians. When compared to the fragrances of today,
manufacturing practices and perfume ingredients have evolved greatly from its
simple roots. Many natural extracts have been replaced by synthetic compounds
and the once alchemic process is now highly industrialized. Most people are
correct in assuming that perfumes are concocted from a mix of chemical and
natural ingredients, but as perfume formulas are kept strictly confidential,
it’s difficult to know what exactly is in our favorite scent. Even though we
wear it every day, we still find ourselves wondering, behind all of the gorgeous
packaging and heavenly smells, what are the ingredients in perfume?
The Basic Formula
All perfumes, from cost effective drugstore to high end
designer brands, have the same basic formula:
Water + Alcohol + Fragrance Oils + Chemical Compounds
These four ingredients form the basic structure of a perfume, but the variations
of fragrant oils and chemical additives used in each perfume are endless. Some
ingredients found in your favorite scent may even surprise you!
Perfume ingredients - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Natural Oils
Natural Oils are derived from two sources, plants and animals. Many natural oils
can be mimicked artificially and provide a cost and time efficient advantage
during the manufacturing process, but some perfume houses still prefer to use
the real thing.
Plant Sources
Flowers, blossoms, leaves, twigs, roots, bulbs, seeds, fruit, wood, moss and
bark are the most commonly used natural ingredients in perfume. Pure extracts of
these sources are called essential oils and are the most costly form of fragrant
oils.
Animal Sources
Most people are surprised to find that popular ingredients in perfumes are
extracted from animals. Musk is traditionally derived from the scent sacs of the
Asian musk deer, civet musk from the glandular secretions of the civet (a small
mammal found in Africa and Asia), ambergris from the intestines of the sperm
whale, castoreum from the scent sacs of the American beaver and more familiar
scents are derived from honeycombs. Some of these oils can also be created
synthetically which is the preferred option in the fragrance industry for
financial and ethical reasons.
Synthetic Oils
During the Industrial Revolution, it was found that many flower essences could
be chemically reproduced for a more cost effective option to extracting natural
oils. Virtually any scent can be imitated and hard to capture scents can also be
created through chemical compounds, for example Calone is the name of a sea
breeze scent that is widely used in the fragrance industry.
Fragrance oils
(synthetically made) are not to be confused with essential oils (highly
concentrated pure flower and plant extracts).
Chemical Compounds
Like any fragranced product, perfume has its fair share of undesirable chemical
additives. Whether used to prolong the scent, mimic a natural aroma or act as a
solvent, the chemicals found in perfume are numerous and many are toxic. Over
500 chemicals can be used to make one fragrance, the most popular being:
• Benzaldehyde
• Benzyl alcohol
• Camphor
• Ethanol
• Ethyl acetate
• Linalool
Other chemicals found in perfumes and colognes include coal, tars and
petrochemicals.
As trade secrets in the fragrance industry keep competitors and consumers in the
dark about the components of each specific perfume, we do know that there is a
highly guarded formula of ingredients that go into each bottle. While most
people are content to leave it at that, those with
fragrance allergies or skin
sensitivities would find it worthwhile to research the ingredients in their
perfume further.
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