Perfume containing alcohol

[Corax]

I'm an absolute beginner. I've made my first batch with peppermint oil and as far as I can see everything is OK.
I have large quantities of eau de toilette and I'd like to scent coming batches with some of the fragrances. I read a couple of threads on the forum and can see alcohol must be avoided at all costs in soap making, So I'd like to ask if the alcohol will have evaporated if I spray the edt on the surface of the oil and leave it to itself a day before i plan to make the soap without stirring the oil?

 

[lsg]

I would not take a chance. Soap ingredients are too expensive to waste. Bite the bullet and buy FO made to use in soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

I agree with LSG. I think you'd more than likely end up with wasted perfume and wasted soap ingredients. Keep in mind that soap FOs are not only formulated to behave in soap (not make the soap separate, etc, ) but also formulated and tested to survive the lye monster. Which is no small thing. I mean, if you 100% don't care if the entire batch ends up garbage, then you could pour the perfume into a bowl (use glass), and cover the top with a coffee filter (so it can still breathe but insects and dust can't get in. I assume the alcohol would evaporate in a few days. Then try it. But i don't recommend it!

You can, however, use your perfume to scent lotion. If you want to make lotion from scratch, I recommend instructions from Brambleberry / Soap Queen. Swift Crafty Monkey is good, but it there is so much information there it's hard to wade through at first.

Or you can buy an unscented lotion and add your perfume to it.

 

[Arimara]

Even if you were to successfully evaporate your perfume, the type of alcohol used in perfume is denatured. unless you know what additive is in there and how it can react with Lye, you are potentially risking your own safety with using a perfume in soap

 

[nighttrain123]

I'm new to soap but I've a bit of experience making other cosmetics. I'd say that letting the edt evaporate would just mean you lose the volatile fragrances anyway so it's pointless.

One thing I learned is that terms like 'essential oil' can mean almost anything. Some things are cut with alcohol and others with glycerin. So when you buy fragrance or essential oils you need all the paperwork available such as MSDS, COA, Allegen decleration and maybe IFRA. This will enable you to know exactly what is in the bottle. Cheap oils from Amazon and stuff won't have this.

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm new to soap but I've a bit of experience making other cosmetics. I'd say that letting the edt evaporate would just mean you lose the volatile fragrances anyway so it's pointless.

One thing I learned is that terms like 'essential oil' can mean almost anything. Some things are cut with alcohol and others with glycerin. So when you buy fragrance or essential oils you need all the paperwork available such as MSDS, COA, Allegen decleration and maybe IFRA. This will enable you to know exactly what is in the bottle. Cheap oils from Amazon and stuff won't have this.

Good point that it's always a good idea to check that sort of thing, especially if you aren't buying from a reputable soap supplier. As far as I understand it, "essential oil" does have an official meaning - so I can't label a bottle of lavender FO and mineral oil as "100% lavender essential oil". But it is important to look for that "100% essential oil". Wheres "lavender oil" doesn't have an official/legal definition so it could be anything.

I'm sure you're right about the volatile fragrances evaporating. But sometimes posters just want to try something.

 

[Corax]

Well thank you for advice everyone, I'm sure it is 100% wellmeant and bought with bitter experience. I was pretty kean on trying it out and I did. I sprayed alot of edt. in a large bowl and left it for the alcohol to evaporate in the sun, Before I added it to the oil I lit the fluid with a lighter and there was no burst which led me to believe it could be OK. When the lye was added there was no reaction either. But when the soap fluid was ready for the form all that was left of the fragrances added was that of the crushed incense cones, so I'm not going to use the eau de toilette in any coming batches

 

[TeresaGG]

Well thank you for advice everyone, I'm sure it is 100% wellmeant and bought with bitter experience. I was pretty kean on trying it out and I did. I sprayed alot of edt. in a large bowl and left it for the alcohol to evaporate in the sun, Before I added it to the oil I lit the fluid with a lighter and there was no burst which led me to believe it could be OK. When the lye was added there was no reaction either. But when the soap fluid was ready for the form all that was left of the fragrances added was that of the crushed incense cones, so I'm not going to use the eau de toilette in any coming batches

Edit I am not an expert and have never tried this.
It might be possible to use it in hot process. If you add it at the end after the cook the lye will not have a chance to morph it. Also you would not have to evaperate the alcohol in this case. After all, alcohol can be added to hot process after the cook to make it translucent.