soapmaking, aromatherapy & spa supplies snowdriftfarm.com, inc.

CitricSolve® is produced by esterification of citric acid with ethanol. Triethyl citrate naturally occurs in small amounts in wine and is accepted as direct food additive. Since it is easily and safely metabolized, its most common use is as a carrier for flavors. It has a wide variety of uses in cosmetics, too. Triethyl citrate is soluble in oils, alcohol and fragrance materials. It is not water soluble.

It may be used as solvent, diluent and fixative by the perfumers.  CitricSolve® can be used to carry perfumery materials directly in roll-on and reed diffuser applications. DPG does work better for roll-ons because of its greater viscosity, but CitricSolve®'s lower viscosity allows it to be used directly in reed diffusers without dilution with alcohol. Alcohol free formulations can be easier to ship and save the cost of the alcohol.

Use 20 to 30% fragrance material for reed diffuser applications. It may also be used in incense applications since its flash point is very high like DPG. Potpourri can also be produced using CitricSolve® as the fragrance carrier.

Use 1 to 5% in fixative applications. Typically higher fragrance contents need higher amounts, but you will need to experiment to ensure complete compatibility. It may be used in conjunction with glycerine which can be very effective because this combination will allow you to reduce glycerine content for improved feel. Add it to lotions also to help keep the fragrance on the skin longer.

It is an excellent active agent for deodorants because it inhibits the enzymatic decomposition of the sweat components. Some evidence exists that it can protect some fragrance compounds from decomposition as well. The typical use rates range from 2 to 5 % although much higher use rates (exceeding 50%) have been reported in clear gel types.

(Note: Cosmocil CQ has been cited as a antibacterial additive for deodorants. Use rates will be much higher than for preservative use at 3 to 5 %. Higher amounts of Cosmocil have been reported in disinfecting wet wipe products too.) 

CitricSolve® can also be used to stabilize Hydrovance against problems resulting from pH drift in the product. Triethyl citrate provides  buffering activity that controls the pH to a fairly narrow range and prevents Hydrovance from discoloring. Use 0.5% CitricSolve® for this application. Add to the water phase after adding the hydrovance in this application.

Spec Sheet