/-/https/www.sciencebuddies.org/cdn/Files/21464/5/sb-logo.png){kind=logo}
/-/https/www.sciencebuddies.org/cdn/Files/21464/5/sb-logo.png){kind=logo}
I am having problems with the Scintillating Scents: The Science of Making Perfume project. I'm trying to help a student with this for a science fair project. Our problem is that in the end we have no smell but the smell of alcohol. I'm not sure what we're doing wrong, but alcohol is the only smell. We used roses and Crisco shortening. Can anyone help with what we maybe did wrong?
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... me#reviews
Scintillating Scents: The Science of Making Perfume
Moderators: kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators
-
sparkles98
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2026 10:54 am
- Occupation: Teacher
-
calixte
- Student Expert
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2024 9:42 pm
- Occupation: Student
Re: Scintillating Scents: The Science of Making Perfume
Hi!
If your final perfume only smells like alcohol, it usually means the flower scent was too weak or got covered up. One common problem is using the wrong alcohol is that many “rubbing alcohols” are isopropyl alcohol, which has a strong smell and can overpower any flower scent, so you should check that it says ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Another issue is that many roses are bred to look nice but do not smell very strong, so they do not release enough fragrance into the fat, especially if you did not replace the petals several times with very fresh, strongly scented ones. Heating the shortening too much before adding alcohol can also make the flower oils evaporate, leaving mostly alcohol behind. In addition, when you first smell the perfume, the alcohol smell is strongest, so you should wait 10–15 minutes after putting it on a paper strip to see if a floral smell appears later. To check for problems, smell the alcohol by itself to see if it is strong, make sure the flowers were very fragrant at the start, confirm you changed petals regularly, and be sure you did not overheat the mixture before adding the alcohol.
If your final perfume only smells like alcohol, it usually means the flower scent was too weak or got covered up. One common problem is using the wrong alcohol is that many “rubbing alcohols” are isopropyl alcohol, which has a strong smell and can overpower any flower scent, so you should check that it says ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Another issue is that many roses are bred to look nice but do not smell very strong, so they do not release enough fragrance into the fat, especially if you did not replace the petals several times with very fresh, strongly scented ones. Heating the shortening too much before adding alcohol can also make the flower oils evaporate, leaving mostly alcohol behind. In addition, when you first smell the perfume, the alcohol smell is strongest, so you should wait 10–15 minutes after putting it on a paper strip to see if a floral smell appears later. To check for problems, smell the alcohol by itself to see if it is strong, make sure the flowers were very fragrant at the start, confirm you changed petals regularly, and be sure you did not overheat the mixture before adding the alcohol.