Making home made perfume

[Marshalscienceguy]

I been trying make a perform so I could sell it. I tried using Alcohol at a base but somehow it keeps evaporating. What am I doing wrong? I thought most perfumes used Alcohol as a base and you can tell from the strong scent they usually have that there is some of it in there. Why does it evaporate? Is there something else I need to add? I know where to get extracts and other scents. I know how to make home made toothpaste, Soap, Shampoo and various other products. Perfume seems to be a little more complicated. I also heard that people generally use Alcohol as a base for things since chemicals will stick better to alcohol vs water. I also know how to make home made lipstick. If I made my own brand I can sell it but it wont stop evaporating. I leave it there and in a few hours later its all gone.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Marshalscienceguy

[Koala]

Perfumes are often made using alcohol and carboxylic acids to form ethers which are better smelling organic solvents. Assuming you are using carboxylic acids the reaction will balance out to form a small amount of ether. in order to preserve the ether you must remove it (usually the bottom layer of the solution) and place it in another jar. Otherwise it will go back towards the reactants. so if you just leave it as is the ether will go back torwards the alcohol and then evaporate continuously as the reaction try to balance itself out. I think this is what is happening since I just finished a lab on this, but don't quote me.

[John Cuthber]

I think Marshall's problem is the lack of a fixative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixative_%28perfumery%29

 

Koala's is a misunderstanding. The alcohol in perfumes is a solvent, not a reactant.

(and, BTW those compounds are esters rather than ethers.)