Seamus Hammond
Fixatives are essential ingredients in perfumes that help to prolong the aroma of the fragrance and prevent it from dissipating too quickly. They stabilize the aromatic components, ensuring that the scent lasts longer on the skin or clothing. Fixatives can be natural substances, such as plant-based resinoids or animal-derived compounds, but many of these have been replaced by synthetic alternatives due to sustainability, consistency, and ethical concerns. Synthetic fixatives, such as Dipropylene Glycol and Cyclopentadecanolide, are economically and ecologically preferable and can be nearly odourless, enhancing the fragrance without altering its intended scent. The choice of fixative is crucial in perfume development as it can significantly influence the final fragrance profile.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A substance that holds and 'fixes' a fragrance so that it will last longer on the skin |
| Purpose | To retain and stabilize the aromatic components of a fragrance, ensuring that it lasts for a prolonged period on skin or clothing |
| Types | Natural (resinoids, animal-derived), synthetic (specialized synthetic materials), synthetic counterparts to animal-derived fixatives |
| Examples | Benzoin, labdanum, myrrh, olibanum, storax, tolu balsam, Peru Balsam, vanilla, sandalwood, oakmoss, benzyl benzoate, triethyl citrate, dipropylene glycol, cyclopentadecanolide, benzyl salicylate |
| Considerations | Perfumers must carefully select the correct type of fixative as it can significantly alter the scent of a perfume |
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What You'll Learn
Fixatives make perfume last longer
Fixatives are essential ingredients in perfumes, playing a crucial role in determining the final fragrance profile. They are substances that help to prolong the aroma of a perfume by slowing down the evaporation of volatile compounds, allowing the scent to anchor to the skin. This process helps to equalize vapour pressures and limit the instability of fragrance facets, thereby increasing the longevity of the raw materials found in essential oils.
There are several types of fixatives, including natural and synthetic varieties. Natural fixatives, or resinoids, are additives secreted from plants that produce a thick, sticky substance known as resin. Examples of natural fixatives include benzoin, sourced from the Styrax tree, which offers a warm, sweet, and slightly balsamic aroma with a vanilla-like softness. Other natural fixatives include frankincense, myrrh, olibanum, and labdanum. However, some natural fixatives, such as ambergris and civet, have fallen out of use due to environmental protection laws as their collection was leading to animal extinction.
Synthetic fixatives, on the other hand, are more commonly used today due to their sustainability and ethical considerations. These include substances like Dipropylene Glycol, Cyclopentadecanolide, and Benzyl Salicylate. Synthetic fixatives can be nearly odourless, allowing them to be used at higher percentages without impacting the desired fragrance outcome.
The choice of fixative is critical in perfume development as different fixatives can significantly alter the scent of a perfume. They can enhance the initial impression, increase longevity, and improve the overall scent experience. Base notes of a fragrance, such as sandalwood, oakmoss, and vanilla bean, can also serve as effective fixatives.
Fixatives are key to the success of a perfume, ensuring that the aromatic components remain stable and prolonging the enjoyment of the fragrance.
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They help to retain and stabilise the fragrance
Fixatives are essential ingredients in perfumery, playing a crucial role in determining the final fragrance profile. They help to retain and stabilise the fragrance by ensuring that it lasts longer on the skin or clothing.
The word "fixative" refers to any natural substance that will "fix" a fragrance, preventing it from dissipating too quickly. They do this by equalising vapour pressures and limiting the instability of fragrance facets, thereby prolonging the longevity of the raw materials found in essential oils. Base notes of a fragrance, such as sandalwood, oakmoss, and vanilla bean, can act as fixatives. These base notes are often chosen as the central element around which a fragrance is built.
There are several categories of fixatives, including non-volatile substances, which are easily compatible with other fragrances due to their mild aroma. These fixatives help to stabilise and prolong the aroma of volatile compounds, anchoring the scent to the skin. Exalting fixatives, another category, are used to enhance other notes in the fragrance composition, adding complexity, warmth, and depth. Examples include tolu balsam, Peru balsam, and vanilla.
The choice of fixative is important as different types can significantly alter the scent of a perfume. Natural fixatives, such as ambergris and civet, were once popular but are now rarely used due to environmental protection laws. Modern perfumers mostly rely on synthetic fixatives, such as Dipropylene Glycol, Cyclopentadecanolide, and Benzyl Salicylate, which are more sustainable, consistent, and ethical. These synthetic materials can enhance the initial impression of a fragrance and increase its longevity.
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There are natural and synthetic fixatives
The use of fixatives in perfumes is essential for successful perfume development. Fixatives are substances that help to retain and stabilise the aromatic components of a fragrance, ensuring that it lasts longer on the skin or clothing. They slow down the evaporation of the more volatile compounds in a fragrance, allowing the scent to remain for a prolonged period.
There are indeed natural and synthetic fixatives. Natural fixatives, also known as resinoids, are additives derived from plants that produce a thick, sticky substance called resin. These include benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, olibanum, labdanum, storax, tolu balsam, and many others. Natural fixatives also include essential oils such as patchouli, vetiver, and sandalwood, which not only add their own unique aromas but also help to stabilise and enhance other fragrance notes.
Synthetic fixatives, on the other hand, are specialised materials with low volatility and virtually odourless solvents with very low vapour pressures. They are more sustainable, consistent, and economical than their natural counterparts. Examples of synthetic fixatives include Dipropylene Glycol, Cyclopentadecanolide, Ambroxan (a synthetic version of natural ambergris), Iso E Super, Galaxolide, Hedione, Benzyl Salicylate, Fixolide, and Triethyl Citrate. These synthetic compounds offer unique properties that contribute to the overall character and longevity of a perfume, making them a popular choice for modern perfumers.
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Different fixatives have different effects on scent
The use of fixatives in perfumes is crucial to determining the final fragrance profile. Perfumers must carefully select the right type of fixative to use to achieve their desired fragrance outcome. Different fixatives have different effects on scent, and they can be categorized in various ways. Steffen Arctander's work, "Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin" (1960), provides a preliminary subdivision of fixatives into four categories, each with distinct characteristics and olfactory behaviors.
The first category consists of typically non-volatile substances that are easily compatible with other fragrances due to their mild aroma. These fixatives help stabilize and prolong the aroma of volatile compounds, slowing down their evaporation and favoring the anchoring of the scent to the skin.
The second category is unknown, but it is assumed to possess varying degrees of fixative properties.
The third category, known as exalting fixatives, includes materials such as Tolu Balsam, Peru Balsam, and Vanilla. These fixatives are used to enhance and enrich other notes in the fragrance composition, adding complexity, warmth, and depth. Due to their prominent nature, they are often used sparingly to avoid dramatically altering the perfume's olfactory profile.
The fourth category, referred to as "so-called fixatives," does not possess fixative capabilities in the traditional sense. Instead, they are high-boiling materials that increase the boiling point of the perfume composition, paralyzing the odor of low-boiling materials. These materials are primarily odorless or nearly odorless liquids that have a physical rather than olfactory impact on the perfume.
Natural fixatives, such as ambergris and civet, were once widely used to increase longevity and stability. However, due to the risk of animal extinction, they are rarely, if ever, used today. Modern perfumers mostly rely on synthetic fixatives, such as Fixative BMV, which is almost odorless and can be used at concentrations of up to 10%.
Different fixatives can have distinct effects on the scent of a perfume, and perfumers must carefully select the appropriate type to achieve their desired fragrance outcome.
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They are added after the fragrance is composed
Fixatives are essential ingredients in creating successful perfumes. They are added after the fragrance is composed to retain and stabilize the aromatic components of a fragrance, ensuring that it lasts for a prolonged period on the skin or clothing. The word 'fixative' refers to any natural substance that will hold and 'fix' a fragrance so that it does not dissipate too quickly. These compounds equalize vapour pressures and limit the instability of fragrance facets, thereby prolonging the longevity of the raw materials found in the essential oils of any given perfume.
There are several categories of fixatives, including resinoids, terpenoids, polycyclic ketones, and synthetic fixatives. Resinoids are additives used in many perfumes and cosmetic products that are secreted from plants that produce a thick, sticky substance known as resin. Examples of resinoids include benzoin, labdanum, myrrh, olibanum, storax, and tolu balsam. Terpenoids, such as ambroxide, and polycyclic ketones, such as civetone and muscone, were originally obtained from animals but are now mostly chemically synthesized due to economic, ethical, and consistency concerns.
Synthetic fixatives, which can be used as a more sustainable and ecologically friendly alternative to animal-based fixatives, include substances of low volatility, such as diphenylmethane, dipropylene glycol (DPG), cyclopentadecanolide, and benzyl salicylate. These synthetic fixatives are also virtually odourless, with very low vapour pressures, and can be used to enhance the initial impression of a fragrance while increasing its longevity.
The choice of fixative is crucial in determining the final fragrance profile as they can significantly alter the scent of a perfume. Perfumers must carefully select the appropriate type of fixative to achieve their desired fragrance outcome. Some fixatives, such as vanilla, sandalwood, and amber perfumes, blend more seamlessly into a perfume, which is why they are widely used by renowned perfumers.
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Frequently asked questions
Fixatives are substances used to make the scent of a perfume last longer. They do this by equalizing the vapor pressures and limiting the volatility of the raw materials in a perfume oil.
Examples of fixatives include benzyl benzoate, triethyl citrate, sandalwood, oakmoss, vanilla bean, benzoin, labdanum, myrrh, olibanum, storax, tolu balsam, and more.
If you are creating your own perfume, you can add fixatives after everything else is mixed. However, it is important to note that not all fixatives will affect the perfume in the same way, so it is crucial to choose the appropriate type of fixative to achieve the desired fragrance outcome.
