562 
Colognes  and  Toilet  Waters. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  November,  1902. 
-of  alcohol  will  give  you  better  satisfaction  than  the  opposite  combi- 
nation. The  unsophisticated  public  is  not  composed  of  exacting 
connoisseurs,  and  it  does  not  appreciate  extreme  care  or  expense  in 
either  particular.  A  good  grade  of  pharmaceutical  alcohol,  rea- 
sonably free  from  heavy  and  lingering  foreign  odors,  will  answer 
practically  all  the  requirements. 
Distillation  of  colognes  and  toilet  waters,  so  often  directed,  is 
another  delusion  and  a  snare.  It  is  true  that  heat  will  hasten  the 
blending  of  the  oils  and  the  ripening  of  the  perfume,  but  it  will  be 
far  better  and  easier  secured  by  a  gentle  digestion  than  by  distilla- 
tion. In  fact,  distillation  of  these  is  more  likely  to  work  harm  than 
good. 
The  problem  of  catering  to  the  demand  for  cheap  colognes  and 
perfumes  calls  for  a  finer  discrimination.  The  demand  usually 
springs  from  an  uncultivated  taste,  and  may  mean  that  the  most 
vigorous  odors  are  desired,  such  as  sandal-wood,  rose-geranium, 
verbena,  etc. 
These  may  be  employed  in  place  of  the  softer  lavender,  rose  and 
neroli  oils,  or  a  really  nice  but  cheaper  odor  may  be  secured  by 
reducing  the  oil  and  alcohol  strength.  Since  alcohol  is  by  far  the 
greatest  factor  in  the  expense  of  toilet-waters,  a  reduction  in  alco- 
holic strength  means  a  proportionate  reduction  in  cost.  Moreover, 
odors  develop  more  quickly  and  stand  out  more  prominently  in 
hydroalcoholic  than  in  alcoholic  media,  so  the  reduction  of  the  oils 
in  any  of  the  following  formulas  to  one-half  the  quantities  directed 
and  the  use  of  diluted  alcohol  as  a  solvent,  with  corresponding 
reductions  in  the  benzoin,  will  produce  odors  which  appear  at  first 
quite  as  strong  as  the  originals,  but  whose  permanence  is  lessened. 
Perhaps  the  chief  value  of  the  following  formulas  may  lie  in  the 
fact  that  they  are  here  made  public  for  the  first  time,  yet  it  is  hoped 
that  some  may  find  one  or  more  of  them  of  real  value.  The  samples 
which  are  submitted  will  show  what  may  be  expected  from  them 
by  the  use  of  regular  commercial  grades  of  materials. 
COLOGNE. 
This  resembles  closely  the  popular  "  Farina  "  colognes  usually 
sold  in  sealed  packages : 
Oil  of  bergamot 
Oil  of  lemon 
3iss 
5yj 
