fixing eo in solid perfume balm

[La Bamba]

Hi everyone
Please accept my apologies in advance; I'm sure this has been asked before but I searched and couldn't really find an answer!
I'm in the process of perfecting a sold perfume formula - the initial recipe is too hard at the moment. I 'll change the ratio of wax to oil in future.
I'm using beeswax and sunflower oil, and the following EOs
Per 20ml base
12 drops Rose Damascena absolute
8 drops Geranium
6 drops Patchouli
4 drops Bergamot
3 Cedarwood

I'm happy with the fragrance in the tin, and even immediately on the skin, but it doesn't last at all well.

Is there something I can add to "fix" the fragrance, please?

Thanks for any advice - much appreciated!

 

[Millie]

Sounds wonderful!!

I can't convert drops to mL, what is the ratio of fragrance to base? I'm thinking you might just need a higher percentage of fragrance, because geranium (middle), patch & cedar (base) all stick well. Bergamot will fade rapidly as a top note, don't know about rose. A wee bit of oakmoss would be lovely and is used to help fix a fragrance (dermal use is very low though).

 

[DeeAnna]

The EOs you're using should smell nice for a decent while on the skin. I'm guessing a bit, since drops don't accurately correlate to weight or volume, but I estimate the % of EOs you're using is around 6% to 8% of the weight of base ingredients. I might use as much as 10% total EO by weight, but I'd also make sure the % of each EO is within the safety guidelines for skin use.

You might want to think about converting your measurements to weights and use a suitable scale to weigh your ingredients, especially if you want to make anything larger than this 20 mL batch.

Are you keeping in mind that a person's sense of smell quickly becomes desensitized to an odor? Some people over-use perfume because they can't smell it shortly after application, even though everyone else is gagging at the strong odor.

 

[Aromasuzie]

Hi everyone
Please accept my apologies in advance; I'm sure this has been asked before but I searched and couldn't really find an answer!
I'm in the process of perfecting a sold perfume formula - the initial recipe is too hard at the moment. I 'll change the ratio of wax to oil in future.
I'm using beeswax and sunflower oil, and the following EOs
Per 20ml base
12 drops Rose Damascena absolute
8 drops Geranium
6 drops Patchouli
4 drops Bergamot
3 Cedarwood

I'm happy with the fragrance in the tin, and even immediately on the skin, but it doesn't last at all well.

Is there something I can add to "fix" the fragrance, please?

Thanks for any advice - much appreciated!

Are you comparing your mix to commercial blends? Perfume balms can have anywhere between 10-30% of fragrance or essential oil in them. If we assume that 20 drops of essential oil = 1ml, your essential oil percentage is only around 6%. You can't "fix" the fragrance, the essential oils are evaporating. What you can do is slow down the evaporation by using more of a wax base or substituting the sunflower oil to another oil that is more saturated like coconut oil or Jojoba which is the only naturally occurring liquid wax. I prefer jojoba, yes it is more expensive, but it won't degrade or go rancid like other carrier oils, which is why any essential oil mix that is diluted should be diluted in jojoba oil. You may also need to be careful with the Bergamot essential oil as higher % can cause phototoxicity. A wax base will also help reduce skin sensitively to the high percentage of essential oils, they are released over time rather than more quickly with a lighter carrier base. I hope I've helped

 

[lsg]

Benzoin can be used as a fixative.