What is the difference between synthetic alcohol and the natural alcohol used in perfumery?

Alcohol (or ethanol) is a widely used ingredient in the manufacture of perfumes. Ethanol can be produced in different ways: either by fermentation or synthetically isolated from fossil materials. Some manufacturing processes are more noble than others in terms of environmental impact.

Both types of alcohols (or ethanols), ie natural alcohol resulting from fermentation or synthetically isolated alcohol from fossil materials are used by perfume houses to make their perfumes. In this article, we will see much more in detail about these two types of alcohol to learn how to better tell the difference.

1. Synthetic alcohol:

alcohol from fossil fuels - synthetic ethanol

You should know that synthetic ethanol is authorized for cosmetic applications and therefore also for the manufacture of perfumes.

Synthesis is a less noble operation, since in many cases it uses substances derived from fossil materials such as petroleum, coal or natural gas. Without detailing them, the main processes for obtaining alcohol by synthesis are as follows: 

1. Direct ethylene hydration by reacting a mixture of ethylene and water in the vapor phase with a catalyst

2.Hydration of ethylene with sulfuric acid

This type of alcohol is inexpensive to buy, some perfumers use this not very noble raw material for the manufacture of their perfumes to generate more income. When in use, this type of synthetic alcohol can cause skin related problems.

2. Natural alcohol of plant origin:

alcohol from fermentation - bioethanol, agricultural ethanol

To obtain alcohol, sugars or starch are fermented from different vegetable sources: wheat, fruits, cereals… The alcohol thus obtained can be used in organic or in more cosmetic products. conventional.

The main steps in this process are:

1. Fermentation : to convert to ethanol

2. Distillation : to purify

3. Dehydration : to remove water

4. Denaturation (in case of production of denatured alcohol).

For the manufacture of our perfume waters, Anuja Aromatics has chosen exclusively to use only natural certified organic wheat alcohol. This type of alcohol is much more expensive to purchase, it guarantees customers who are fans of natural fragrances the full naturalness of our beneficial fragrances.

Discover in this short documentary how wheat alcohol is made: