water soluble fragrance oils

cossci21

Hello
I am looking at turning fragrances and essential oils into a solution that is water soluble and can be used in steam diffusers.
Has anyone done this before commercially?
Do you have any recommendations on natural solubilisers? Once you put it into solubiliser any guides on the shelf life?

Thanks

haxtone

For natural solubilizers I would recommend Polysorbate 20, Polyglycerol-4 Caprate or something like Sophogreen from Soliance or SymSol from Symrise.

The best results I have had have been with Polysorbate 20 (used at 3:1 or 5:1) and Sophogreen (used at 10:1)

Regarding shelf life, stability: I have had products last up to a year at rt without any separation and some products that have only lasted a couple of months but the oil is easily redispersed with a good shake.

microbiological: The water would have to be preserved and this would also need solubilizing.

georgetedder

As a side note, I am not aware of ANY fragrance ingredients which are water soluble except phenyl ethyl alcohol (and i have read hydroxyxcitronellal is as well? -- I cannot confirm). In any event, you will ALWAYS need something to solubize.

Unknown

How can you say if a fragrance is cheap or not? (I am not talking about the packaging)

georgetedder

@audren look at the price tag .... All sarcasm aside, you really will never know whether or not expensive raw materials or brand names are driving up the cost of your fragrance blend. The manufacturer will set the price based on many many factors ....

Bobzchemist

@Audren, ask your fragrance supplier to show you the difference. 

Most of the time, when we say "cheap", we are not just talking about money. A "cheap" fragrance will be less time/temperature stable, will usually degrade in the presence of water and/or electrolytes, may smell harsh or artificial, and will usually not have a smooth transition between top, middle, and bottom notes.

georgetedder

What did you mean by "difference"? difference in good quality/bad quality?

Smooth transition is a good one to point out -- so many fragrances are so flat and boring.

Bobzchemist

Yes. Most fragrance suppliers are eager to educate their customers. Ask them to show you the difference between cheap and expensive, and between low and high quality.