Why is alcohol used in perfume?

To be specific, ethyl alcohol, a compound used in making perfume, is a fixative. It allows the fragrance to be easily sprayable using a container. Additionally, it gives consumers a false hope of having more scents.

Alcohol does help the process of spraying but damages the actual scent. The longevity of the smell will be less, especially the top note in any fragrance. If an oil base is worn, the top can easily last from 1 hour to 3 hours, whereas in an alcohol mixed perfume, the scent would last from few seconds to a minute.