Please help with fragrance fixation in my products

majoiemmajoiem Member
edited January 2019 in Formulating
Im currently formulating a body collection which include body oil, body balm and a body gel. I want to use same fragrance scent for all products so I have pre-made a natural fragrance using a mix of essential oils and absolute like coconut, vanilla, bergamot, amber, orange blossom & ylang ylang. I have tried to use 1 to 2% of this aroma blend in my products and results was:

- Body gel with 1.5% smells the same original frangrance.

- Body oil (caprylic, jojoba, argan, almond oil, camelia oil, borage) with 3% aroma, you cant really smell the fragrance.

- Body balm (mango butter, shea butter, candelilla wax, camellia oil, argan oil, coconut oil). used 3% and smell has been mixed with butters % oils and fragrance doesnt smell good as original.

I have tried to dilute the fragrance in alcohol denat first ( 80% EO % 20% alcohol) but doesnt really affect.

I need your help please if i can fix this fragrance so all products will smell the same.

Thank you very much.
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Comments

  • RSullivanRSullivan Member
    Are you using refined oils and butters?
  • GuntherGunther Member
    Most oily/waxy substances will work as fixatives by delaying the evaporation of the fragrance more volatile compounds (notes), thus preventing them from reaching the nose.

    IMO there ain't much you can do besides increasing essential oils %, adding some synthetic fragrances, or switching to less oily formulations.


  • Dr Catherine PrattDr Catherine Pratt Member
    The reason you may not have any scent with the body oil is that you need some time for the fragrance to infuse through the oil especially if you are using whole plant oils. Stirring the solution once in a while is good too and even adding a tiny amount of heat or sitting it near with sunshine for a couple of hours may do the trick.
    Don't use synthetics if you don't want to, you can have a strong scent if you give it some time. Leave the ethanol for spray parfums.
    What type of container are you using? I use schott bottles that are glass with a tight lid and I even shake it now and again.
    Hope this helps..
    Dr. Catherine Pratt
    (B.Sc with HONS I , Ph.D Analytical/Organic Chem and Microbiology), Cosmetic Chemistry IPCS)
  • majoiemmajoiem Member
    thank you for your advices @RSullivan @Gunther @Dr Catherine Pratt.

    Catherine you are totally right. I have left the oil for couple of days and the scent has developed well. I have also get rid of some oils that have strong smell and increased the % of fractionated coconut oil. for the Balm, the smell is bit different because of butters but still smell nice.  Thank you very much guys for your advice :)
  • DoreenDoreen Member
    @majoiem
    I see you use borage oil in your body oil, this oil oxidizes really fast, due to the high content of (poly)unsaturated fatty acids. A tip for you might be to add an anti-oxidant like tocopherol or BHT at 0,05 - 0,1%. Is it deodorized oil by the way? The smell of pure borage to me is nauseating and very hard to mask with a fragrance, even in low concentrations.

    @Dr Catherine Pratt
    I had a similar problem with fragrance in an oil blend. Thanks for clearing it up! :+1:
  • majoiemmajoiem Member
    @doreen Im using vitamin E at 1% in the oil. The borage oil I have doesnt smell bad and its certified organic from a EU supplier.
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