Alcohol -- Thanks! Answered.

[Judespeak]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered a million times over, but with the forums being such as they are at the moment, I thought I would just ask anyway.

I'm thinking of making some body mists/eau fraîches/ambient spray type things. I ran across this SDA 40-B alcohol on amazon for a great price, but this comment in the reviews says it contains tert butyl alcohol as a denaturant and that's toxic if inhaled. But aren't all perfumers' alcohols denatured with tert butyl?

Amazon listing

What is TSDA SD 40-b

 

[jonah9899]

SDA 40-B in fact refers to the fact that the alcohol is denatured with tert butyl alcohol. SDA = specialty denatured alcohol, and 40b is this particular blend/denaturant. The amount of denaturant in SDA 40B is very small so I wouldn't worry about toxicity, but you could also effectively use 190 proof sugarcane alcohol but it's much more expensive. Also, just my opinion, but if I were you I would buy SDA 40B (if that's what you end up going for) from creatingperfumes.com, lab alley, or saveonscents, as these are all reputable sellers, from my understanding at least. I've bought SDA 40B from creating perfumes and its great, and I've also purchased sugarcane alcohol from the organic alcohol co, and that's great as well but quite a bit pricier

 

[tensor9]

What it comes down to is how unobtrusive is the denaturant and what is the cost of buying non denatured alcohol?

What you'll find is that buying denatured alcohol is much easier.

 

[ourmess]

but this comment in the reviews says it contains tert butyl alcohol as a denaturant and that's toxic if inhaled

That is a "chemicals are scary!"-type review. SDA40B is the gold standard for perfumery.

I wouldn't trust any from Amazon though, because "do not buy perfumery materials from Amazon".

 

[Judespeak]

Very helpful responses, thanks so much.

 

[jsweet]

SDA can be denatured with a variety of different denaturants. Tert butyl alcohol supposedly gives off an undesirable smell. Bitrex on the other hand does not. This is why some variations of products marketed as SDA40B that are 5 gallons or less are not suitable for perfumery, depending on denaturants used.

 

[tensor9]

SDA can be denatured with a variety of different denaturants. Tert butyl alcohol supposedly gives off an undesirable smell. Bitrix on the other hand does not. This is why some variations of SDA40B, depending on the denaturants used, are not suitable for perfumery.

This is incorrect.

SDA40B by definition has a set amount of t-butanol and bitrex. Any deviation and it wouldn't be 40B, but some other number/letter designation.

 

[Alex F.]

SDA can be denatured with a variety of different denaturants. Tert butyl alcohol supposedly gives off an undesirable smell. Bitrix on the other hand does not. This is why some variations of SDA40B, depending on the denaturants used, are not suitable for perfumery.

This is incorrect.

SDA40B by definition has a set amount of t-butanol and bitrex. Any deviation and it wouldn't be 40B, but some other number/letter designation.

Code of Federal Regulations: Title 27, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, "PART 21—FORMULAS FOR DENATURED ALCOHOL AND RUM", for SDA 40-B, see "§ 21.76 Formula No. 40–B".

 

[jsweet]

If only there was a regulation that required accurate labeling of formulas in consumer-sized containers of denatured alcohol. Anything less than 5 gallons need not name the formula. See: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-20/subpart-H/section-20.147 . This means that no transparency is required of suppliers of denatured alcohol in quantities of less than 5 gallons, and it makes a lot of those products marketed as "40-B" untrustworthy in my experience. See the below bottle, which was marketed as 40-B on Etsy (also don't buy perfumery materials from Etsy for the most part), and which smelled like Drano. It was thankfully removed from circulation, and at least worked as a cleaner.

So, over 5 gallons? SDA 40-B
Under 5 gallons? Look at the ingredients and do not trust the formula that is provided by the vendor (but not placed on the label). Or just buy from trusted vendors only.

 

[jsweet]

I found a pretty solid explanation of the shortfalls of labelling practices on denatured alcohol.

Regulatory Review—Labeling Alcohol, Alcohol Denat. and Booze

Alcohol is a complex regulatory issue that confuses many chemists and marketers, as well as regulatory experts, as to the permitted grades, required uses and proper labeling—which vary by country. This confusion can lead to use of the wrong denaturants and levels, custom holds on imports and...

www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com

It is important to note that each country sets its own specifications for denatured alcohol. Since the denaturant is added as an ingredient, a product including alcohol denat. on the label should also include the denaturants in the ingredient listing, although labeling it by the SD designation would not require the naming of the denaturant. However, this labeling of the denaturant is rarely followed by the industry.

and the critique:

Imposing one country’s requirements for denaturants on others makes no sense. US-based companies cannot sell SD Alcohol 40 in the EU, as brucine is prohibited. The EU cannot sell an alcohol denatured with denatonium benzoate alone, commonly referred to by its trade name, Bitrex, as this does not meet TTB specifications. Maybe the International Cooperation on Cosmetic Regulation should consider how to harmonize these grades.

 

[Judespeak]

Good Lord. Too bad Everclear is so pricey, it's looking better and better.

 

[ourmess]

Good Lord. Too bad Everclear is so pricey, it's looking better and better.

Nah, just stop buying perfumery materials from Amazon and get them from perfumery suppliers instead. ;p

 

[Judespeak]

Nah, just stop buying perfumery materials from Amazon and get them from perfumery suppliers instead. ;p

I did not actually purchase any perfumery materials from Amazon, I was only considering it, and now I have eliminated that consideration.

 

[Mr.P]

What surprised me is US vendors selling denatured perfumers alcohol for $35 / L (vetiver aromatics is the first site I visited with these prices). Is this just taking amateur perfumers for a ride?

Should be about $5 I would think with the vice tax removed. I’m my old lab when pure ethanol was about $24 / gal the denatured stuff was just a few bucks.

 

[jsweet]

What surprised me is US vendors selling denatured perfumers alcohol for $35 / L (vetiver aromatics is the first site I visited with these prices). Is this just taking amateur perfumers for a ride?

Should be about $5 I would think with the vice tax removed. I’m my old lab when pure ethanol was about $24 / gal the denatured stuff was just a few bucks.

You're right that there shouldn't be any vice tax on denatured alcohol not fit for consumption. There might be permitting expenses or other compliance fees to sell SDA, depending on the state. California regulates SDA heavily, for example. But the real answer is that they charge a premium because few others are willing to sell SDA 40-B in quantities less than 55 gallon barrels. They found an inefficiency in the market and jumped on it, along with a few others.