Where to buy perfumers alcohol
It is cheap, it is not restricted, and it is still the hardest thing in this craft to get hold of. Here is why, and what to ask for.
Buy Perfumers alcohol (SDA 40B) from a perfumery or soap supplier — it is ethanol denatured so it cannot be drunk, which is what makes it affordable, and it is the grade every perfume formula assumes. It cannot travel by air, so expect ground shipping and expect the postage to cost more than the bottle. A litre makes roughly 40 standard bottles of eau de parfum, which is why one order goes a long way.
Perfumer’s alcohol is not restricted, not dangerous in the quantities you will use, and not expensive. It is simply awkward — awkward to ship, awkward to identify, and sold under at least four names that mean slightly different things. That combination is why this is the single most-searched sourcing question in perfumery, and why so many of those searches end in "near me".
The short version: what you want is high-proof ethanol that has been denatured — treated with something that makes it undrinkable — using a formula approved for cosmetics. In the US that is usually SDA 40B. Denaturing is the entire reason it is cheap: undenatured ethanol carries full beverage alcohol tax, and denatured ethanol does not.
The awkwardness is physical rather than legal. High-proof ethanol is a flammable liquid, so it cannot go by air at any price — it moves by ground freight only, in limited quantities, and a lot of carriers will not take it at all. That is why a bottle that costs very little arrives with postage that costs more than the bottle, why suppliers cap what you can order, and why so many people end up searching for somewhere local instead.
Where to look
Ranked by how well each actually serves someone making perfume at home. We do not name shops or quote prices — stock, terms and what a carrier will accept all change constantly, and a stale recommendation is worse than none.
How much to order
Enough to make a dozen trials and two bottles you like. The right first order, because the postage is the same whatever size you buy and you will find out quickly whether you want more.
The sensible standing order once you know you are staying. Ethanol does not go off in a sealed bottle, so buying ahead costs you nothing but shelf space.
A selling quantity. Worth it purely on shipping — one ground consignment instead of eight — but check what your carrier and your local rules say about storing that much flammable liquid at home.
What to check before you order
"Denatured alcohol" alone tells you nothing. Perfumers alcohol (SDA 40B) is denatured with tert-butyl alcohol and a bitterant, both approved for cosmetics. Hardware-store denatured alcohol is routinely denatured with methanol, which is absorbed through skin and is genuinely toxic. Those two products share a name on the label and nothing else. If a listing will not tell you the denaturing formula, it is not a listing for perfumery.
SDA stands for Specially Denatured Alcohol, and the number is a US federal formula. 40B and 39C are the two you will meet; they use different denaturants and behave identically for a home perfumer. Suppliers usually stock one or the other, so take whichever is in front of you rather than hunting for a specific number.
Anything below about 90% ethanol is bringing water into your bottle, and water is what makes a blend go cloudy and cuts its shelf life. Perfumers alcohol (SDA 40B) runs about 95%. Everclear 190 proof is the same strength and works. 151 proof is a quarter water and will haze anything with a resin in it.
High-proof ethanol is a flammable liquid, so air freight is off the table entirely and a lot of carriers decline it on the ground too. Expect a longer wait, expect a hazmat or ground-only surcharge, and expect some suppliers to refuse certain destinations outright. This is not a supplier being difficult — it is the reason the product is hard to buy at all.
Undenatured ethanol (190/200 proof) is chemically the cleanest thing you can put in a bottle, and it costs several times as much because it carries beverage tax unless you hold a federal permit. Worth it if you are selling something at a price that justifies it. Pointless for a first batch, where the denaturant is undetectable in the finished perfume.
Buying well
The shipping surcharge lands once per consignment, not per bottle. Put the alcohol, the bottles, the blotters and the oils in a single order from one supplier and the awkward part costs you once.
Plenty of suppliers list it, take the order and then cancel it when the address turns out to be somewhere their ground carrier will not go. A one-line email first saves a fortnight.
Ethanol, isopropyl, methanol and denatured mixtures are all sold under that word. Only ethanol belongs in a perfume, and only a cosmetic-grade denaturant belongs on skin.
It is flammable and it will not improve in a hot car boot or a sunny windowsill. A cool cupboard, cap tight, and it keeps effectively forever.
A 30 ml eau de parfum takes about 25 ml of alcohol, so a litre is roughly 40 bottles. Run your own size and strength through the dilution tool and you will know exactly what to order rather than guessing twice.
Work out what a bottle buys you
Enter your bottle size and strength and the tool gives you the alcohol each one takes — so you can order once rather than three times.
Open the dilution tool →Print the note pyramid
Top, middle and base splits with the percentages that actually work. One page, free.
Estimates, not advice. Every figure on this page is computed from published reference values and standard measures, so your own inputs, equipment and conditions will move it. Nothing here is professional advice — talk to a qualified professional before acting on it.