A Study of 143 Homemade Perfume Recipes.

Many consumers have become wary of industrially produced cosmetics, and there has been a simultaneous attraction to DIY recipes for hygiene, healthcare, and makeup products. The aim of this work was to study DIY perfume recipes. We collected recipes for DIY products found on social media (blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok) in French and English, then analyzed their composition as well as how practical it is to make them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relevance of DIY perfumes and to find out if these recipes could be used to obtain high-quality, safe products. We compiled and studied 143 recipes. These were primarily hydroalcoholic solutions, with concentrations of essential oils more like those of Eau de Cologne than of actual perfume. Among the recipes, we also found examples of oil solutions, solid products, and aqueous solutions. The results obtained from these recipes were quite different from commercial formulas created by professional perfumers. The homemade 'perfumes' had very poor stability after three months and the aqueous solutions were not immediately homogeneous, as additions of solubilizers were never suggested. These recipes had many common characteristics, such as imprecise dosages and no antioxidants. The latter is a major problem for the preservation of the products once made and could lead to the formation of hydroperoxides. The recipes studied cannot compete with the perfumes available on the market in terms of results and lack stability in formulation. These DIY perfumes do not comply with International Fragrance Association recommendations and should therefore be strongly discouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]