Ambre Sultan GCMS has over 60% Alcohols and sunscreens

[Logocracy]

I have a GC of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan and according to this report over 60% of it is a combination of DPG, IPM, BHT, Oxybenzone, Benzyl Benzoate and Avobenzone.
I largely understand what each do, but I've never seen a GC with this many different types of alcohols, preservatives, anti-allergens etc.
The GC does say around 18% of the formula is naturals (so 78% of this formula are naturals + the above ingredients). Are all these chems important to just make the perfume safe? I'm just trying to understand why all these would be needed in such large amounts?

 

[parker25mv]

Well, benzyl benzoate is often used as a solvent carrier, since its smell is not too strong compared to most other ACs. DPG is just a common solvent.

Really no way to give you an answer without more specific numbers for each of those ingredients. I do think it would be quite unusual if the percentage of the others you listed were very high.

 

[jfrater]

I have seen a lot of GCMS reports using sun blocking materials and what you describe there is FAR FAR outside the norm. On the other hand, I believe AS is full of dye so perhaps they did colourfast testing and found it was needed to protect the synthetic amber appearance over long bouts on a store shelf. You need at most 4% (and even that is high) of a product like Solgard to get all the UV filtering protection you need.

After thought: aside from Benzyl benzoate which has a distinct odour, the others are practically odourless (including the UV protectors).

 

[fragrantregard]

I would imagine BB is there to solubilize all of the powders which are surely present in the formula (ethyl vanillin / vanillin for sure, maybe musk ketone). Also, UV filters aren't usually added to the fragrance concentrate itself. More often they are added when bottling, so I would guess that these sunscreens aren't actually present in the actual formula. I would remove them from your calculations and see if the formula makes more sense.

IPM is added less often to fine fragrance formulas than DPG. Some materials, like galaxolide, do come diluted in both, however (to make manufacturing easier). This is one potential source of these solvents (depending on quantity). You could try matching the sum total peaks of galaxolide to both of these solvents to see if this is indeed the case.

 

[Logocracy]

These are all great points. Thanks guys.

There is a lot of powders in this perfume (musk ketone, Ambergris, vanillin, ethyl vanillin) that would explain the high BB (around 10%).

There is dye too. My formula from the GCMS does not have the colour of the actual perfume (mine is nearly clear as an EdT). The GCMS has 9.5% Avobenzone and Oxybenzone, which seems quite high IMO.

Great point on the IPM as well, there is galaxolide and labdanum in this formula, which would be difficult to work with undiluted. I didn't think a professional formula would contain diluted materials, so this is something new I've just learned.

I'm 48hrs into maturation, without adding the sunscreens, and it's pretty close the Serge Lutens version. The differences are largely down to the quality of my materials (which are worse) and my skills (which are worse). It also doesn't say which Cedarwood (I assumed Atlas) or which Benzoin (I assumed Liqamber).

This thread has been very helpful, thank you.

 

[jfrater]

Great point on the IPM as well, there is galaxolide and labdanum in this formula, which would be difficult to work with undiluted. I didn't think a professional formula would contain diluted materials, so this is something new I've just learned.

Typically they don't because they use a "technical formula" that removes the dilutions, but some products are stocked in bulk with the dilution built in like Galaxolide so it is certainly possible with that product. And any tinctures of course - they are used as tinctures though the very inclusion of those is rare these days.

 

[David Ruskin]

Galaxolide is always used as a 50% solution, in either DEP or Benzyl benzoate; it is far too viscous to use at 100%. Very thick or semi solid ingredients are often used as a solution.

 

[Alex F.]

Part of the benzyl benzoate could also come from Tolú balsam. I think I smell it in Lutens' Arabie. Unfortunately, I don't know Ambre Sultan. Tolú balsam, for me, has a cola note which is often part of oriental ambers (and it's the core of my cola accord, because it already contains cinnamon and vanilla notes, and even has a certain fizziness to it - at least my tincture of the rock solid resin does).