Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
Cologne Making
Martinez, Chelsea M.
Prof. Medarlo De Jesus
Professor
26 February 2016
Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
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Abstract
This experiment primarily aims to give knowledge on the preparation of cologne. Various
materials were used and each has its own role in the overall product. Varying the amounts
of both alcohol and essential oil corresponds to change in the quality of the product.
Temperature also plays a vital role in the evaluation of the final product. There are three
types of components that can be used to make hand blended perfumes, essential oils,
fragrance oils and aroma chemicals. Manufactured perfumes use "aroma chemicals"
which are the broken down constituents of fragrance oils and synthesized constituents of
natural essential oils. In this experiment, a cologne rather than a perfume was made. Its
quality was examined by evaluating its fragrance, persistence and effect on skin and
fabrics. Basically, fragrances have three basic constituents – vehicle, fixatives and
odorous substances. The most common solvent or vehicle, used for holding and blending
fragrances, is highly refined ethyl alcohol. It can contain substantial amount of water
depending on the solubility of the oil employed. The odour of the vehicle must be removed
to avoid odour interference with the fragrant product. Meanwhile, fixatives are substances
that have lower volatility compared to odorous oils. It can retard and even up the rate of
evaporation of various odorous constituents. These odorous constituents give the
significant scent to the fragrance, and are generally categorized as essential oils, isolates
and synthetic or semi-synthetic chemicals.
 Introduction
The first source of aroma chemicals is
from isolates of essential oils -- the
second source is chemically modified
isolates from essential oils. -- The third
source of aroma chemicals is from the
petrochemical industry.
Essential oils are the volatile essences
extracted from various parts of living
plants. They are said to be the "life force"
of the plant. Of the thousands of plants in
the world, only 200 produce essential oils
that are used in the art of perfumery.
Essential oils are very intense and must
be diluted when using to make
perfumes.
Some essential oils are
readily soluble in oil, some are only
soluble in alcohol.
Because essential oils are highly
concentrated they cannot be used directly
on the skin.
Fragrances are products that make a
major contribution to the cosmetic
industry, as well as to the production of
soaps and detergents. These products
are industrially useful in masking,
neutralizing, and altering the odor of
various products. It can provide additional
crating aroma for normally odorless
products.
Egyptians were responsible for the origin
of perfume. They utilized scents in
everything from religious ceremonies to
burial preparations and even daily wear.
Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
The rich elites of Egyptian society, male
and female
alike,
would
adorn
themselves with aromas like lily to denote
their status. The Persians took over the
use of perfume as a sign of political
status, but it wasn't until the Greeks and
Romans became acquainted with it that it
began to be viewed as a form of art and
produced en masse and in consistent
quality.
Archaeologists
recently
uncovered a perfume factory from 2,000
BC, located in Cyprus, which seemed to
have specialized in the production of
scents like coriander, laurel, myrtle,
lavender, and rosemary. Perfume slowly
spread throughout the globe, and for a
while, scents were reserved mainly for
use in religious ceremonies. However, in
1190, perfume began to be produced
commercially in Paris, and from there, it
blossomed into a massive industry once
more.
There are primarily three fragrance
constituents that contribute to the quality
of the cologne: vehicle, fixative and
odorous substances. The table below
shows each constituent’s function.
Table 1. Three Fragrance constituents
Constituent
Function1
Vehicle
Projects the scent it
carries which are inert
to the solute and is
not irritating to skin
Fixatives
Retard or even up the
rate of oil evaporation
Odorous substances
Gives
scent
and
identity
to
the
fragrance product
Austin, G.T., 1984, Shreve’s Chemical Process
Industries. 5th edition. McGraw-Hill: USA
1
3
 Experimental Section
Material Used: graduated cylinders,
100mL beakers, 250 mL beakers, stirring
rods, dropper
Reagents Used: 95% ethanol, essential
oil(enchanted and eternity)
Cologne Making: Three
formulations were followed.
cologne
%w
Alcohol
%w
Essential
oil
%w
Water
C-1
60.0
3.0
37.00
C-2
40.0
3.0
57.00
C-3
60.0
5.0
35.00
Cologne
Formulation
The required amounts of alcohol,
enssential oils and water were weighed.
The essential oil was dissolved in alcohol
and then water was added to this mixture.
The resulting solution was stirred
thoroughly. This cologne was divided into
two and were transferred into separate
bottles which were then tightly covered.
Evaluation: One bottle was stored in a
refrigerator and the other was stored at
room temperature overnight. The
fragrance
and
persistence
were
evaluated for each. Effects on skin were
also determined by applying the cologne
directly on skin and allowing it to stay for
Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
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a certain period of time. Same was done
for the fabric.
Discussion of Results
Table 2. Colognes stored at refrigerator
Formulation Fragrance
Persistence
C-1
C-2
C-3
The smell of alcohol is
stronger than the oil at first
but the longer it stays, the
more pleasing the smell
The smell of alcohol
overpowers the scent of oil
but eventually the smell of
the oil fades
The cologne smells just fine.
The combination becomes
great and exact.
Effect on Fabric
3 hrs
Effect on
Skin
Sticky feeling
2 hrs
Slippery
Reference. Fast
absorbance
4 hrs
Slippery with
some volatile
feeling
Fastest
absorbance
Absorbed by the
fabric faster
than C-2
Table 3. Colognes stored at room temperature ( several hours after the laboratory
experiment)
Formulation
C-1
C-2
C-3
Fragrance
The smell of alcohol is
stronger than the oil at
first but the longer the
time it takes to stay,
the more pleasing the
smell
The smell of alcohol
overpowers the scent
of oil but eventually
the smell of the oil
fades
The cologne smells
just fine. The
combination
becomes great and
exact.
Persistence
15 mins
Effect on Skin
Non-irritating.
Feels smooth
2 mins
Sticky feeling
3 hours
Sticky feeling and
the cologne is a
little bit viscous
compared to the
other two
Effect on Fabric
The cologne
spread easily on
the fabric.
Becomes pale
yellow at
indefinite reason
Fabric absorbed
the cologne faster
relative to C-1
It takes time
before the fabric
absorbed the
cologne. It is quite
ironic, because it
has the higher %
(w) alcohol and
essential oil.
Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
Tables 2 and 3 shows the data gathered
after storing the colognes at different
temperatures. Both conditions revealed
same fragrances for the colognes. Also it
was noticed that C-2 had the least time of
persistence for both cold and room
temperature. It is because this cologne
formulation has the least amount of
alcohol and greatest amount of water
among the three formulations. It can be
inferred that increasing the amount of
water in the formulation reduces the
persistence of the cologne. When it
comes to viscosity, C-3 appeared to be
most viscous since it has the greatest
amount of essential oil added relative to
the other substances.
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Figure 1. Final products
Figure 1 shows the obtained cologne
after
storing
them
at
different
temperatures.
Additional Observations
For C-1 on the above table, the
persistence is almost the same for both
cases. It was determined for both skin
and fabric while for the rest of the
formulations have a longer persistence
when applied on fabric than when applied
on skin.
After letting the C-2 settle at room
temperature overnight, its cloudiness
reduced as it was cooled down to room
temperature.
The C-3 formulation is apparent and
transparent compared to C-1 and C-2
formulations.
The persistence of the colognes were
greater when they underwent exposure
to freezing temperature overnight and
cooled down compared to when exposed
to room temperature.

Conclusion and
Recommendations
In this experiment, cologne was
successfully prepared at different
concentration using different cologne
formulations consisting of the main
constituents of fragrance namely, the
vehicle, odorous substance and water.
Industrial Chemistry Laboratory
It can be inferred that cologne has least
amount of odorous substance, as for its
concentration in the mixture ranges about
2-3% wt/wt.
Higher concentration of essential oil
essentially leads to stronger cologne
fragrance. On the other hand, vehicle
(commonly ethyl alcohol) can mask or
interfere with the fragrance, leading to
less concentrated smell, although it can
improve persistence as proven by the
evaluation made. Water, also reduces the
strength of fragrance because it acts as
the diluter, producing cheaper but lowers
the quality of the cologne.
Regarding the temperature at which
colognes are stored, those stored at
colder temperature were proved to last
longer than those stored at room
temperature. By the virtue of temperature
dependence of vapor pressure, essential
oils can readily vaporize at higher
temperature than at lower temperature at
6
the
same
pressure).
pressure
(atmospheric
For further enhancement of the product,
more research on the right proportions of
the reagents is recommended, something
that will improve the persistence and
scent of the cologne.
 References
Forteneau,
A.
(2004).
Chemistry
perfumes your daily life. Journal of
Chemical Education. 56(7):327-40.
Grant, N. Perfumes and the art of
perfumery. Journal
of
Chemical
Education. March 10, 1972, p. C3 (N).
Shiner, L. (2015). Art scents: perume,
design and olfactory. Oxford Journal.
34(1):234-31