What kind of alcohol is used for perfumes?

[iLive]

I need to know what alcohol type is used within perfumes. If it's ethyl alcohol, I can't use it (because skin arbsorbs it), but if it's cetyl alcohol, lanolin, phenoxyethanol, cetearyl alcohol or denataured alcohol, I am allowed to use.

I asked at the local perfume store, and they didn't know it. I've tried Googling for ingredient lists, but they didn't even contain anything saying "alcohol", so that shows how accurate those are. If it differs from perfume to perfume, I can tell that the one I want to know about is Armani Code from Giorgio Armani.

I've always had answers here on MMO-C, so why not take the chance with this aswell? :]

Mod Notice: Looking at some of the responses here: Do not derail this into a religious thread please.

[Troodi]

The formulas for perfumes are heavily guarded so you are unlikely to find the answer to your question. If you can find a real chemist to do a bit of research and testing, you might be able to get some info. Or call the makers directly of a particular brand of perfume you want to use and maybe they'll share it. But still unlikely because of the secret nature of the industry.

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---------- Post added 2011-11-02 at 01:33 PM ----------

The other thing you can try is to check out the perfume shops on Etsy (handmade community site of sellers) and find one to make the perfume you want. They won't copy a brand, but they can made something similar to what you like and formulate it with the alcohol you prefer.

Here are some links:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpaGoddess?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ForGoodness...ef=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Taromas?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetsnthings?ref=seller_info

If you aren't familiar with Etsy and how it works, send me a PM and I'll guide you through it.

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[zoefschildpad]

You might want to try and ask at a pharmacy, they might know a bit more there.

[Santti]

Well, in the laboratories I have been working at the word alcohol has always meant ethanol (probably denatured, as you meantioned), so I don't know.

Oh, and denatured alcohol = denatured ethyl alcohol

And now that I started to think, since when has alcohol penetrated the skin? Can't recal hearing that one.

This claim that alchol penetrates skin got me a bit worried there, but I can't find a single credible source that claims this is the case.

[iLive]

@Troodi
I am from Denmark (EU), so I am pretty sure it'll be expensive in the end. Besides, it's more because I already have this perfume I received as a gift, but I don't want to waste it. I expected the companies to guard their formulas, but I guess not everyone uses the same alcohol. I'll try and see if I can contact their support service.

@zoefschildpad
I am not sure if a pharmacy would know that. Pharmacies in Denmark is all about healthcare, so selling perfumes would be ironic. :P

@Santii
"Ethyl Alcohol is absorbed through the skin. It then passes through the flesh into the blood vessels and finally mixes with the blood and circulates throughout the body." I might have used penetrate instead of arbsorb. :P

EDIT: I found this on Wikipedia: "By far the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water."

EDIT 2: I was wondering, if I use the perfume on my clothes instead and wait for a 1 minute or 2, shouldn't the alcohol be entirely gone = I can wear it without worrying about my skin arbsorbing alcohol?

[Santti]

@Troodi
I am from Denmark (EU), so I am pretty sure it'll be expensive in the end. Besides, it's more because I already have this perfume I received as a gift, but I don't want to waste it. I expected the companies to guard their formulas, but I guess not everyone uses the same alcohol. I'll try and see if I can contact their support service.

@zoefschildpad
I am not sure if a pharmacy would know that. Pharmacies in Denmark is all about healthcare, so selling perfumes would be ironic. :P

@Santii
"Ethyl Alcohol is absorbed through the skin. It then passes through the flesh into the blood vessels and finally mixes with the blood and circulates throughout the body." I might have used penetrate instead of arbsorb. :P

EDIT: I found this on Wikipedia: "By far the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water."

EDIT 2: I was wondering, if I use the perfume on my clothes instead and wait for a 1 minute or 2, shouldn't the alcohol be entirely gone = I can wear it without worrying about my skin arbsorbing alcohol?

Now that I had been searching, that indeed seems to be the case that skin absorbs alcohol. As for the perfume on clothes, you are completely safe, that I can assure you. Alcohol evaporates very fast.

[Holofernes]

its ethanol. normal alcohol. if it would be methanol ore any other kind of alcohole, it would stand there as methanol. alcohol in ingredients is synonym for Ethanol - etoh.

and that it penetrates skin... well. no doctor would ever have skin on his hands, because nearly all desinfection soap has alcohole in it. thats not really true for all phycicians...

it is a organic salvation fluent. like any alcohole too. so it will solve /denaturate / desintegrate living organic matter, if exposed over a long time at high concentration. but alcohole in parfumes is for carrying the solved organic material that makes it smell good. it evaporates on skin nearly instantly, and leaves the smelling ingredients on skin. thats how parfume works, basically.
If you have a very sensible skin, try using it and see if it works for you. It is highly unlikely that the alcohole in it will cause any irritation / allergic reaction.

[hmmlol]

Drink them all and report the results here tomorrow.

[iLive]

Drink them all and report the results here tomorrow.

It's not a problem with my body, but my religion.

[Santti]

It's not a problem with my body, but my religion.

I thought the problem was the absorption of alcohol through skin? And what religion doesn't allow ethanol to be used in perfumes? I'm a little confused here. :P

[Deleted]

1) It's ethanol (aka ethyl alcohol)
2) The speed at which anything, let alone ethanol is absorbed through your skin is extremely slow, in the order of hours to days
3) The speed at which ethanol evaporates is extremely high, in the order of seconds to minutes
4) The dose you could get would have no effect on you - hence why you're allowed to use perfume and drive - it's so negligibly small it'd be impossible to detect.

You can use perfume. I'm pretty sure your religion (Islam I guess) says you're not allowed alcohol because it dulls the mind and affects who you are. Perfume could not do this.

>BS Biochemistry/Pharmacology
>Work in a lab where products are made with alcohol

[sheffield]

I thought the problem was the absorption of alcohol through skin? And what religion doesn't allow ethanol to be used in perfumes? I'm a little confused here. :P

Islam

I know it's forbidden to drink.. but never heard anything about skin absorption.. unless it's a different religion we're talking about

[Talokami]

I thought the problem was the absorption of alcohol through skin? And what religion doesn't allow ethanol to be used in perfumes? I'm a little confused here. :P

I think it may be Islam. Muslim doctrine is very strict about not imbibing alcohol in any form. I've heard stories of people from Saudi Arabia getting absolutely hammered when they visit the UK or US.

iLive if I made an incorrect guess then I'm really sorry!

[Santti]

Islam /10char

I see.

Regardless, as neveryevery stated, you may use the perfume, if it has ethanol in it. It's safe.

[Dravvie]

I can't wear perfume due to the heavy scents and migraines, but it's more like rubbing alcohol in scent to me, not like the drinking type, LOL.

OP, if you're looking for something to wear, why not wear an essential oil sort of thing instead?

[iLive]

@neveryevery
True, but I want to be on the safe side. :] Thanks for the information. It's funny you can have almost everything answered on MMO-C.

@Talokami
It's a correct guess, and even so if it was wrong, I wouldn't care. ^^

@Dravvie
I already have that actually, but it was more to not waste my sister's gift.

Thanks everyone btw. <'3

[BeautifulBody]

you can buy the oil form of the scent you want and not worry about the alcohol at all.
online
exotic oils in New York

[Pitkanen]

Most alcohols you find in things like that and most sanitizers are methanol (CH3OH), ethanol (CH3CH2OH, aka booze) and isopropanol ( (CH3)2CHOH ). Because their low molecular weights allow them to evaporate quickly at room temperature.

You won't absorb much through your skin or at all. Consider the size of perfume bottle, then consider how much is shot out when you spray it. Then consider that 90+% is going to evaporate away within 30 seconds. So you went from 2 drops to 0.2 drops at most. Then you get the fact that your body is covered with bacteria that can break it down another 90% of it before it transfers across your skin. So you are now down to 0.02 drops at most. Now I made up the 90% numbers, but it is probably much higher, but that's the point of using these compounds as the solvent for these perfumes, they themselves are not unpleasant and they just go away.

[Silmariella]

With respect to your religion, would you refuse receiving a shot of antibiotics because the nurse swabs point of injection with alcohol before injecting? My point being alcohol in perfume in by far greater percentage evaporates, if at all any of it gets absorbed through the skin, so we're talking about insignificant amount of it.

[Tradewind]

Arise thread. Arise.