Does perfumer's alcohol expire?
June 24, 2023 8:43 PM Subscribe
Can I still use perfumer's alcohol to make perfume beyond the expiry date?
I have a bottle of perfumer's alcohol that expired in Jan 2023. It isn't easy or cheap to buy perfumer's alcohol so I wonder if I can continue using it to make a new batch of perfume. However, I have sensitive skin so I wonder if I should just bin it. The ingredients are just denatured alcohol and water.
I know cosmetic ingredients are obliged to have some kind of expiry date but this is just denatured alcohol plus water? What do you think?
Thanks.
I have a bottle of perfumer's alcohol that expired in Jan 2023. It isn't easy or cheap to buy perfumer's alcohol so I wonder if I can continue using it to make a new batch of perfume. However, I have sensitive skin so I wonder if I should just bin it. The ingredients are just denatured alcohol and water.
I know cosmetic ingredients are obliged to have some kind of expiry date but this is just denatured alcohol plus water? What do you think?
Thanks.
I looked at a few pages in hopes of finding specifics about typical denaturing agents, and I think I have rarely tried to look into a subject where those who know something are as determined not to impart what they know to those not in the know.
The Wikipedia page on perfume — presumably written and edited by professionals in the field — comes right out and says there’s no point in telling consumers what’s in perfume because it’s composition is too complex for them to grasp.
Does your perfumer's alcohol bottle specify the denaturing agents? Oils might go rancid over time depending on the amount of airspace in the bottle, among other things, but I’d think most other denaturing agents would tend to be stable.
posted by jamjam at 9:39 PM on June 24, 2023
The Wikipedia page on perfume — presumably written and edited by professionals in the field — comes right out and says there’s no point in telling consumers what’s in perfume because it’s composition is too complex for them to grasp.
Does your perfumer's alcohol bottle specify the denaturing agents? Oils might go rancid over time depending on the amount of airspace in the bottle, among other things, but I’d think most other denaturing agents would tend to be stable.
posted by jamjam at 9:39 PM on June 24, 2023
Best answer: You're fine. Alcohol will slowly evaporate from things like a wooden cask but any modern vessel with a screw top will keep alcohol for at least a decade if not multiples. With actual cork, you have a chance of the cork going bad over time but not in a matter of months. If it's factory sealed, you're absolutely fine.
However, I have sensitive skin so I wonder if I should just bin it.
All that could happen is that some of the alcohol evaporates and you have a product that's 93% alcohol and 7% water rather than 95% and 5% (or whatever). It's not going to affect your skin, just maybe be a little less effective at absorbing the scents that you're working with.
posted by Candleman at 9:43 PM on June 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
However, I have sensitive skin so I wonder if I should just bin it.
All that could happen is that some of the alcohol evaporates and you have a product that's 93% alcohol and 7% water rather than 95% and 5% (or whatever). It's not going to affect your skin, just maybe be a little less effective at absorbing the scents that you're working with.
posted by Candleman at 9:43 PM on June 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: The ingredients list doesn't mention what was added to denature it. I have used it before so the bottle has been opened a few times. It's a glass bottle with aromatherapy-style plastic cap.
posted by whitelotus at 7:13 AM on June 25, 2023
posted by whitelotus at 7:13 AM on June 25, 2023
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posted by snuffleupagus at 9:03 PM on June 24, 2023 [2 favorites]