How to Use Viscous and Solid Fragrance Ingredients

Here's how to handle highly viscous and solid fragrance ingredients when creating formulations, especially those involving alcohol:

Highly Viscous Fragrance Oils

Highly viscous fragrance oils can often be blended directly into your formulation. However, for easier handling and better dispersion, especially when mixing with alcohol, it is often beneficial to pre-dilute them in a suitable solvent like Dipropylene Glycol (DPG) or even the alcohol you plan to use in the final product. This reduces their viscosity and helps them blend more smoothly and evenly with other ingredients.

Solid Fragrance Ingredients (e.g., Musk Ketone, Coumarin)

Solid fragrance ingredients like Musk Ketone and Coumarin must be dissolved in a suitable solvent before being added to your main blend. They will not dissolve properly if added directly, which can lead to uneven scent distribution or crystallization in the final product. Common solvents for dissolving solid fragrance materials include:

• Alcohol (Ethanol)
• Dipropylene Glycol (DPG)
• Isopropyl Myristate (IPM)

Choose a solvent that is compatible with your final formulation. Dissolve the solid ingredient completely in the solvent first, then add this solution to your main blend. The concentration of the pre-dilution can vary depending on the solubility of the solid and your formulation needs, but a common practice is to create a 10% or 20% solution.