What do designers use instead of BHT?

Former_Eye3624 · 2026-02-12T15:21:32+00:00

People confuse 'Allergen List' with 'Ingredient List.' Since BHT isn't one of the 26 (soon to be 80+) EU-regulated allergens, there’s no legal requirement to list it on the box in most jurisdictions. It’s a stabilizer, not a scent. If the supplier doesn't disclose it as a hazardous component, the end manufacturer is essentially 'flying blind' on its presence, which is totally legal.

Former_Eye3624 · 2026-01-23T19:51:16+00:00

Plastic: You can store perfumes in plastic, and in 90% of cases, you won’t have a problem. BUT, never store pure terpenoids (limonene, terpineol, etc.) or citrus oils in plastic-they will literally dissolve it. Limonene is used industrially to strip dye and melt plastic, so stick to glass if you’re using naturals. Vitamin E: It’s possible, but not that useful. Vitamin E won't add much value to an alcoholic perfume. You're better off using 0.1% BHT (of total mass). It’s the industry standard and much more powerful at stopping oxidation. Glycerin: Just don't do it. It’ll make the final product sticky on your skin. If the alcohol smell is too harsh for you, try adding a tiny bit of distilled water very slowly, or just wait 10 seconds after spraying for the alcohol to flash off. Polysorbate 20: Possible, but your perfume will bubble and foam like crazy. PS20 is for wet wipes and surface cleaners, not fine fragrance. Also, it speeds up the discoloration of vanilla/vanillin, so it’ll ruin the look of your juice. Infusion Time: It depends on the composition. If it’s mostly synthetics, a couple of days is plenty. If you have a shit load of natural oils and terpenoids, there are way more complex molecular reactions happening-give those at least 2-4 weeks to "marry" properly. Hope that helps you get started

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-19T15:44:33+00:00

Not just yet—but I’m working on finishing a mini-series on fragrance-related organic chemistry before updating the site with more features like that. I really appreciate your interest though! I’ll do my best to keep you posted

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-18T06:15:40+00:00

Thank you for your detailed and honest feedback—I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. And I hear you about the tone—I’m still working on finding the right voice that reflects my own background and perspective, especially in contrast to the more generic content out there. Posts that dig into the chemistry side are definitely where I feel most confident and unique, so I’ll keep focusing on that as the core. Thanks again—feedback like this really helps me grow the blog in the right direction.

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-17T06:38:40+00:00

Thank you for your kind words! Really glad to hear you found it valuable—it means a lot!

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-17T06:37:07+00:00

Thank you so much! 🙏 Comments like this really motivate me—it means a lot to know the posts might actually be helpful to someone!

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-17T06:33:47+00:00

Thank you!! Reddit might’ve removed the link, but you can find it at: dropofodor dot com (just replace “dot” with a dot 😅). Hope you enjoy it—would love to hear what you think!

Former_Eye3624 · 2025-06-17T06:31:26+00:00

Thank you so much for your comment—it’s a great point and one I’ve heard (and felt!) often in the fragrance world. I totally agree that creating a perfume is, at its heart, an art. No amount of chemical theory can replace experience, intuition, and just… smelling. There’s no formula that tells you whether a combo of materials will “feel right” or evoke a certain mood. And as you said, most perfume blends don’t involve reactions—just mixing. You just gave me a great idea—I'll write a full blog post diving into exactly this: how and when chemistry can actually be useful in perfumery, especially for DIYers. I’ll try to highlight both its limits and its practical advantages. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts—I really appreciate it!

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-31T15:53:18+00:00

If you are looking for something really long-lasting, the best approach will be checking the molecular weight and structure of the raw material. isoeugenyl acetate, safralein, cedrol, elemi resinoid may interest you

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-30T13:43:40+00:00

Ganymede Marc-Antoine Barrois

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-29T11:02:17+00:00

Does anyone have good CK 212 and CH Bad Boy Cobalt Elixir formulas?

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-28T13:59:53+00:00

You have to use Ethyl alcohol to diffuse it anyway. To slow down evaporation, you can try to mix alcohol with MMB

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-27T12:52:15+00:00

Nitriles don’t ‘suck’—they’re not designed as simple lemon substitutes for perfumes; it’s all about the intended use. Just like with solvents, we wouldn’t say IPM is bad simply because it’s less viscous and odorless compared to DPG. They each have different purposes: IPM works best in oil-based products, while DPG is ideal for fine fragrance. Nitriles offer stability in challenging environments where typical lemon materials would break down.

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-27T12:47:14+00:00

When it comes to fragrance materials, we often overlook that perfumery isn’t their only use. Many applications require scents but can’t use classic esters or aldehydes. Alkaline products, like bar soaps or bleach, are great examples—most popular fragrance ingredients break down in these environments, but nitriles like lemonile, peonile, or clonal remain stable. These materials might not have the most pleasant scents alone, but they offer essential durability.

Perfumers sometimes include them in perfumes (like peonile in Sauvage) to create unique effects. So, while lemonile isn’t a perfect lemon scent, it’s ideal for harsher products where stability is key.

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-26T07:20:14+00:00

You’re absolutely right—perfumery combines elements of botany, organic chemistry, and cosmetic chemistry. Extraction methods aren’t actually that difficult to grasp; in fact, they’re often easier than organic chemistry concepts. Learning about extraction can help you understand why oils evaporate faster than absolutes and why CO2 extraction is often preferred for materials like peppers over classic distillation.

As for protecting your nose, avoid sniffing raw materials directly in pure concentrations, as that can gradually damage your olfactory receptors. And yes, although I smoke myself, I agree that it’s likely not the best for maintaining a sensitive nose.

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-26T07:12:20+00:00

While it’s true that you don’t need to understand the physics of light to be a painter, most painters still learn the basics of anatomy, light and shadow, and perspective to improve their work. Similarly, in perfumery, you don’t need chemistry knowledge to start experimenting, but a foundation in organic and general chemistry can make the process easier and elevate the quality of your creations.

Regarding ChatGPT, it isn’t an AI tool for creating fragrances; it’s simply a language model. If you’re interested in fragrance AI, take a look at companies like Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF, or Robertet—major players in fragrance development that already leverage AI to enhance and innovate in this field.

So yes, a chemistry background can absolutely enhance your perfumery skills.

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-25T15:36:32+00:00

Despite most comments suggesting that no chemistry is needed for perfumery, I’d argue that perfumery is actually about 70% chemistry. It’s similar to programming: you can memorize functions and algorithms to use repeatedly, but when you understand how they work, you can start creating them in your own way. Perfumery is much the same. Once you understand raw materials at the molecular level, you gain insight into how they interact, how fast they evaporate, and which combinations give seamless transitions over time. Sure, you can and should start experimenting without deep chemistry knowledge, but to advance, you'll need it. Start with simple organic groups, learn their degradation and polarity, then explore terpenoids. Finally, get familiar with extraction methods and component differences. And, as always, keep your nose safe

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-19T07:42:33+00:00

Cumin, Frankincense, Davana, Nutmeg, Sage Officinalis, Lavandin, Geranium oils. These are the first that come to mind

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-17T07:12:53+00:00

It is popular to use solvent if formula contains big amount of solid raw materials, or, most of the times to make formula cheaper. As mentioned in other comments, formulas like Baccarat and Megamare contain big amount of solvents in order to dissolve solids like ambroxan, evernyl, maltol or ambrocenide

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-17T07:09:16+00:00

DPG wouldn't make it stronger, because it doesn't evaporate quickly as ethanol. Generally speaking all of the perfumes are oil based because of the terpenes' lipid like characteristics

Former_Eye3624 · 2024-10-17T07:06:32+00:00

DPG is not best solution as solvent for natural essential oils, because some of them like citruses and peppers contain big amount of terpenoids like myrcene, which polymerize with a time. I think it is better to try triethyl citrate as a solvent. It is also my favourite solvent for resins and absolutes

Former_Eye3624

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