Adding Fragrances to Hot Pours

Dear Valerie: What’s the best temperature to add fragrances when making hot pour products? 

—Caliente Chemist

Dear Caliente:

Fragrances are—unfortunately—not really cut out for processing at high temperatures, and some fragrance notes succumb more quickly than others to high heat. I suspect this is why limited fragrance characters are more prevalent in the hot pour product categories than others. Certain families like citruses not only flash off easily in high temperatures, but they don’t bloom well out of the waxes used to provide structure in a hot pour formulation. I personally have found that more woodsy scents thrive best, at least in hair styling.

It’s challenging to declare a specific temperature at which to add and retain olfaction, but I can provide a general guideline: the lower the temperature, the better. I would try to add the fragrance at the lowest temperature possible to pour your product. 

Keep in mind, not all fragrances fit all products! You can also work with your fragrance house to develop a fragrance that can withstand the heat. An experienced perfumer can build an appropriate fragrance from the ground up or provide a twist on an existing fragrance.

Valerie George

askvalerie@icloud.com

Valerie George is a cosmetic chemist, science communicator, educator, leader, and avid proponent of transparency in the beauty industry. She works on the latest research in hair color and hair care at her company, Simply Formulas, and is the co-host of The Beauty Brains podcast. You can find her on Instagram at @cosmetic_chemist or showcasing her favorite ingredients to small brands and home formulators at simply-ingredients.com