Alcohol-free perfumes: How they work and what to choose

Text: Ksenia Golovanova, author of the Telegram channel Nose Republic

By the word "perfume" we usually mean perfumes based on alcohol - however, in nature there are not only them. In the summer, it can be just inconvenient to use aromas in classical formats, there are among us those who are not averse to using alcohol-free products all year round (well, at least externally). Our perfume critic Ksenia Golovanova tells how the water-based fragrances are arranged and shows the most pleasant options.

How do alcohol-free perfumes

To get the perfume, perfume concentrate - the so-called compound - is diluted with alcohol or water. In the latter, it dissolves very poorly, so for the production of alcohol-free spirits use solubilizers - surfactants, in the presence of which when mixing the compound and water a microemulsion is formed, that is, a liquid saturated with insoluble droplets (micelles) of another liquid. Strictly speaking, surfactants are "chemistry", but often they are derived from simple natural compounds, such as glycerol.

“The composition of such spirits is the same that can be found in the composition of ordinary, alcohol,” says chemist Matvey Yudov. “These are emollients, UV filters, antioxidants and dyes. In short, the difference is one: instead of alcohol, water and surfactant are here.” Let us explain a little: ultraviolet perfume filters are needed so that our skin does not suffer from photosensitization, which can be caused by substances in the composition, and emollients - to protect against drying out. But if you want one hundred percent natural, it makes sense to turn to the hydrolates, or flower waters. Hydrolat - what remains after distillation and separation of essential oil, is a good thing, but not always "perfume". Flower water in its pure form is rather not a perfume, a cosmetic product: it smells faint and soft, the smell disappears quickly. But it is precisely rose hydrolat that, in its sound, is closest to all other fragrances obtained from it, to the flower itself.

What they are

Alas, the technical properties of perfumes (plume, durability, diffusion) on water and oil basis leave much to be desired. The reason - in the absence of light, volatile alcohol. “The evaporating alcohol captures the molecules of fragrant substances, and the so-called jab is obtained, the first effect from the perfume composition, its bright start,” says Matvey Yudov. . On the other hand, such perfumery has its own artistic advantages. Perfumer Christopher Brosius, founder of the brands Demeter and CB I Hate Perfume, for example, is sure that alcohol-free perfumes better convey the author's idea: “Alcohol has a smell, but water doesn’t. Water spray from a bottle, I smell exactly the same as I planned them, without noise and overtones. "

In the alcohol-free perfume, of course, there are specific disadvantages. "Many fragrant substances, if you put them in water, begin to interact with it: chemical reactions occur and the smell changes," explains Matvey Yudov. "The esters begin to hydrolyze, in other words, to break down into its constituent parts - acid and alcohol, then the other smells not really. In short, not everything can be dissolved in water. " By the way, the answer to the question of why not a pleasant-smelling shampoo or shower gel can be made from any perfume, but if you do it, then, most likely, its fragrance will differ from the smell of toilet water from the same line. The point is not that the manufacturer saves on perfume, but that not all fragrant substances can be put into the means that will interact with water.

Who will they suit?

Many of those who buy alcohol-free spirits, fear of allergies and irritations. However, cosmetic preparations with alcohol in the formulas are complex compounds, for safety, balanced by the same emollients, UV filters and other protective substances. "Usually, spirits cause an allergic reaction if a person has an individual intolerance to some component," says perfume Angela Champagna, author of alcohol-free spirits Laetitia. . Then for whom, if not for allergies, produce alcohol-free perfumes? “For those professions who are hampered by a large and loud trail, for those who like to put a scent on clothes but are afraid to spoil it, for children and teenagers,” Champagna replies. “And for modest ones.”

Aromatic water

Songes

Annick goutal

€84

for 100 ml

The line of Songes, a classic fragrance with the scent of southern flowers, has been enriched by alcohol-free perfumes suitable for use on the beach. Separate joy - a delicate ceramic bottle.

Laetitia

Angela ciampagna

£72

for 50 ml

The smell of "a child with sticky hands from a cookie and a watermelon little hands, a real hymn to life," according to Angela Champagna.

Pure neroli

Behnaz

$125

for 100 ml

While in the perfumery collection Behnaz Serapfur, one of the favorite designers Michelle Obama, there are only two fragrances: Pure Rose and Pure Neroli, the latter with the honey smell of orange color. Both have nothing but water and flower essences.

Perfumed oil

Wild hunt

CB I Hate Perfumes

$65

for 30 ml

All the fragrances of Christopher Brosius are sold as fragrant water or oil spirits, alcohol in CB I Hate Perfumes is not honored. “Wild Hunt” smells of damp earth, broken foliage and truffles - the perfect perfume for Esther Pig.

Petitgrain, obtained from the leaves and young sprigs of orange, has a bright, bitter-green aroma, which the Swedes L: a Bruket reduce with the warm smell of black pepper. Invigorates and adjusts to great things.