Fragrance is an enjoyable odor, usually applied to the skin as perfume. It has been reported that pleasant scents can enhance self-appeal, increase confidence and decrease anxiety. A pleasant smell can also help reduce pain through the activation of opioid pathways in the brain. However, the use of fragrances in cosmetics and personal care can be harmful to health if the chemical compositions are not evaluated carefully.
The word fragrance, when used as a general term, can refer to any pleasant odor, such as a flower or pine tree. It can also describe a person’s scent, which is more accurately described as a perfume or cologne. Perfume and cologne are the most common forms of fragrance.
In the perfume industry, there are three basic methods of extracting fragrant materials: distillation, expression and maceration. In distillation, the material is heated to high temperatures to release the essential oils. This process is used for most natural scents. Maceration involves the plant material being soaked in carrier oils that serve as solvents. This method is used for some materials that require a higher yield of oil molecules, or which are thermally labile and cannot be distilled. The third method, enfleurage, is no longer widely used, but it uses a similar technique to draw out the scent of flowers using fat or waxes.
Once the fragrant ingredients have been extracted, they are blended according to the formula of the perfume or cologne. The result is an aromatic liquid mixture that can be stored and sold in various concentrations, such as parfum, eau de toilette, and edt. The different concentrations of the same perfume contain varying amounts of the base, middle and top notes of the fragrance.
The aroma chemicals in fragrances can be derived from plants, animals or synthetically. Synthetic aroma chemicals were first produced in the 19th century, allowing perfumers to create new scents that could not be created solely from the natural world’s aromatic compounds. Almost all perfumes now contain some synthesized fragrance chemicals.
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is an industry group that sets the standards for fragrance ingredients and carries out testing of products to ensure they are safe for human use. The IFRA’s testing programs include hazard identification, toxicity assessment and dose-response evaluation. However, current regulations do not require the listing of individual fragrance ingredients in consumer or industrial goods. This supports the preservation of fragrance trade secrets and may contribute to a lack of disclosure about the potential for harm from exposure to these substances.