My Adventures into the World of Fragrance - Part Two

So as promised in part one here is a list of fragrances that can not be captured naturally (also know as, if you see these fragrances listed on package, RUN!): Lilacs, Lilies, and pretty much any non-citrus fruit, meaning your strawberry, raspberry, passion fruit, guava, papaya, maygo, peach, and blueberry bliss... are not made out of anything that resembles those delectable fruits. 

Sadly I've just realized (as I've typed this out) that some of my favorite lotions and bath products, that are sitting in my bathroom now, have those fragrances advertised on them. Which as we now know, there is no way for them to be made from of natural source. Well crap. This one comes as a bummer to both of us.

So, onto the solution to wanting to smell pretty (or if you are a guy, I guess smell good), natural fragrances! Only this time I mean real natural fragrances like essential oils, absolutes, and CO2 extracts! Okay, so essential oils sound somewhat familiar but what on earth are CO2 extracts!? And absolutes? Isn't that vodka? Well, no. So here is my next phase of what I've learned; what each of these natural methods are ...and what it means in regards to perfume.

I could put an explanation of each of these methods in my own words, but I think that would end up being a bit confusing and unnecessary. Especially unnecessary since Eden Botanicals has done such a great job explaining it all so well. So without further adieu Eden Botanicals wonderful guide to Extraction Methods:
 

Essential Oils: Distillation & Expression

Essential oils are produced in the cells of aromatic plants and are held in specialized glands. They are released from the plant and collected (concentrated) most often through steam distillation (and sometimes hydro or water distillation or a combination thereof). Distillation is a method of separating components based on differences in volatile constituents in a heated mixture. Steam distillation involves bubbling steam through the plant material. The temperature of steam is easy to control, making it ideal for heat-sensitive essential oils. The essential oils contained in plants are immiscible in water and have a higher boiling point, allowing the essential oil to vaporize at a lower temperature than it normally would on its own. Other methods used to create pure essential oils are dry or vacuum distillation, dry/destructive distillation, and expression (for citrus peels). Expression, also referred to as “cold pressed”, is a method where oil is obtained by using high mechanical pressure to literally squeeze the oil from the plant material.

 

Absolutes: Solvent Extraction

Absolutes are highly concentrated aromatic oils extracted from plants using a solvent method. The multi-step process includes first extracting the aromatic oil from the plant material with a solvent such as hexane. After the hexane is removed what is left behind is a waxy substance called a concrete. The aromatic oils are then extracted from the concrete with ethyl alcohol, and after the ethyl alcohol is removed, the remaining substance is an absolute – an oil with an aroma close to the plant from which it came. An absolute is the most concentrated form of fragrance and highly regarded in natural perfumery.
Absolutes differ from essential oils in that they contain not only essential oil, but also a higher density of coloring, waxes and other constituents from the plant. In addition, they usually contain a small percentage of alcohol remaining from the second phase of the extraction process (typically up to 2 or 3 percent).

CO2 Extracts: Solvent Extraction

CO2 extracts display some of the characteristics of both essential oils and absolutes. Like essential oils, they contain many beneficial therapeutic properties. But unlike absolutes, they are not solvent extracted. Instead of using a solvent like hexane, they are extracted using CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas under pressure at ambient temperature. Under normal atmospheric conditions CO2 is a gas, but when highly compressed it becomes supercritical – neither a gas nor a liquid. Supercritical CO2 is an excellent organic solvent that can be used to extract aromatic oils from plants. The beauty of CO2 extraction is that once the oil is extracted from the plant material, the CO2 returns to its gaseous state by lowering its pressure, allowing the gas to quickly and completely dissipate.

Depending on the pressure used, a “select” or “total” extract will result. Select extracts are created at lower pressures, and are more similar to essential oils in that they are usually fully mobile liquids, and essential oil constituents make up the vast majority of the extract. Total extracts are created using higher pressures and contain more constituents of the plant, can be thicker or waxier, and more closely resemble the constituents of the whole plant rather than just the essential oil fraction of the plant.
Because of the purity of CO2 extracts and since they display some very favorable characteristics not found in essential oils, CO2 extracts are primarily used by the food, body care, and herbal industries, yet CO2 extracts are also excellent for aromatherapy and natural perfumery. This extraction technique (more accurately called supercritical CO2 extraction) is a relatively new and expensive technology that is more efficient in some ways than steam distillation, because the process has the ability to capture a broader spectrum of the plant components, giving a fragrance more true to the original plant material without the use of chemical solvents. Other benefits are that the extraction process happens at lower temperatures than steam distillation and that carbon dioxide is nontoxic, odorless, and is easily removed from the extracted oil at the end of the process.

Back to me, I highly recommend checking out their page, and reading further about their own organic extracts, resins, and other plants oils. 


And thus ends Part Two. 

Look for Part Three in the coming days!
Sneak Peek:

• Links to awesome blogs and websites that offer great step by step methods on making perfume!
• Talking a bit about the extracts and their fragrances that are available!  

Just a note, I don't know if you can tell yet or not, but when I take an interest in something, I tend to go a little full bore into it. I'm hoping to be able to keep learning and sharing about all of this fun stuff, but right now it looks like there will be a hiatus after Part Three. 
Mostly because I will need to save a bit more before I can purchase the supplies needed to make these fun little beauties! As I mentioned, Part Three will link you over to some great blogs and websites that walk through the perfume making process perfectly and simply. So maybe, you will be able to get a head start on me!