Heidi Norton
There are several methods for extracting perfume, including expression, distillation, enfleurage, volatile solvent extraction, and supercritical CO2 extraction. Enfleurage is a traditional technique that involves absorbing the odour of aromatic materials into wax or fat, which is then extracted with alcohol. This method can be performed hot or cold, with hot enfleurage, also known as maceration, infusing flowers and fragrant raw materials in preheated fat. The mixture is stirred for about 2 hours until the fat is saturated with aroma, creating a pomade that is then filtered and decanted with alcohol to obtain the Absolue.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 60°C |
| Process | Infuse plant material in water and solvent |
| Types | Expression, Distillation, Enfleurage, Volatile solvent extraction, Supercritical CO2 extraction |
| Expression | Used for citrus fruits, extracts essential oil |
| Enfleurage | Absorb odour of aromatic materials in wax or fat, then extracted with alcohol |
| Cold Enfleurage | Used for fragile plants and flowers, grease is spread on a glass frame covered with flowers |
| Hot Enfleurage | Infuse flowers and fragrant raw materials in preheated fatty substance |
| Extraction Techniques | Cold extraction, Water, Steam, Molecular Distillation, Extraction with Volatile Solvents, Infusion |
| Solvent | Used to dissolve, suspend or extract compounds without chemically altering them |
| Ethanol | Used to extract aromatic compounds |
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Hot enfleurage
To begin the process, you will need a heat source and a pan, a fat that remains solid at room temperature (such as lard, shea butter, vegetable shortening, or palm fat), a large quantity of flowers or plants, a spoon, and a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer.
First, heat the fat until it becomes a liquid. Then, add as many flowers or plants as possible while still ensuring they are covered by the fat. Once the flowers have wilted and changed colour, remove them and add more. Repeat this process until the fat is saturated with the desired smell. Be careful, as the hot fat can pop, gurgle, and shoot out of the pan.
Once the fat is saturated, strain the mixture through a fine cloth or mesh strainer to remove excess fat and flower pieces. Allow the liquid to cool. If you want to make an absolute, soak your extract fat in ethyl alcohol for a few days (2-4 days) and keep it in a cold place. The alcohol will then need to be separated from the fat and allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the absolute, or the heart of the perfume. The fat can be used to make soaps, as it will still be relatively fragrant.
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Maceration
To macerate your fragrance at home, you must first open a new bottle of perfume. Then, vigorously spritz 5 to 10 pumps into the air, ensuring full nozzle depression to release the fragrance. Next, store it properly by keeping it uncapped in a cool, dark place to avoid light exposure. Be patient and give the perfume time. If you notice an overpowering alcohol scent, allow it to sit for a few more months before using it again; this could take anywhere between 2 to 6 months.
Perfumes that haven't been macerated may smell different each time they're applied. Maceration guarantees consistency in each bottle and each wear. It improves fragrance quality by letting the oils fully dissolve into the alcohol, creating a smoother, better-developed scent.
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Infusion
The impure substances or oils are mixed with ethanol, which is less hydrophobic than the solvents used for organic extraction. Ethanol dissolves more of the oxidized aromatic constituents (alcohols, aldehydes, etc.), leaving behind the wax, fats, and other generally hydrophobic substances. The alcohol is then evaporated under low pressure, leaving behind the absolute.
The absolute may be further processed to remove any impurities that are still present from the solvent extraction. Ethanol extraction is not typically used to extract fragrances from fresh plant materials as these contain large quantities of water, which will be extracted into the ethanol. However, this is not always a concern.
Distillation is a common technique for obtaining aromatic compounds from plants, such as orange blossoms and roses. The raw material is heated, and the fragrant compounds are re-collected through the condensation of the distilled vapor.
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Extraction with volatile solvents
This method aims to obtain very noble and rich products. The solvent used is odourless, and the raw material is heated less, resulting in a scent that is much closer to the original raw material. However, this process is very expensive.
Volatile solvent extraction is one of the dominant techniques in contemporary perfumery. It uses volatile organic solvents (e.g., hexane, ethanol) to dissolve aromatic compounds from fresh or dry materials. This technique is particularly useful for extracting fragrant compounds from woody and fibrous plant materials, as well as aromatics from animal sources.
Another example of a solvent used in fragrance extraction is acetone, which is primarily used for the extraction of essential oils and for its sweetish aroma. It dissolves quickly on the skin and is often found in feminine scents.
The choice of solvent is crucial in perfumery as it determines the individual chemicals and properties of the final product, such as polarity, volatility, surface activity, and stability.
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Distillation
There are different types of distillation apparatuses, including pot stills, column stills, and vacuum stills. Pot stills are simple distillation apparatuses that consist of a pot or boiler, a condenser, and a collection vessel. The pot is filled with plant material and water, which is heated to create steam. Column stills are more complex and allow for more precise control of the distillation process.
Water distillation is a type of distillation where aromatic plant material is immersed directly in boiling water. The steam generated carries the essential oil, which later condenses and separates based on density. This method is suitable for delicate flowers and herbs. Steam distillation is a refinement of water distillation, where the plant material is placed on a perforated grid above boiling water, so only the steam interacts with the material. This technique is commonly used for lavender, rosemary, and damask rose.
Molecular distillation is a type of distillation that produces a finer product by removing unwanted scents from the final product. This process is often performed as a second step to further purify the extracted material.
When choosing an alcohol to use in distillation, it is important to select a safe and suitable option. Ethanol is a common choice for perfume, but it is important to use cosmetic-grade alcohol, such as SD-40b or Perfumer's Alcohol, rather than alcoholic beverages or toxic options like methanol.
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Frequently asked questions
The hot alcohol extraction method, also known as hot enfleurage or maceration, involves infusing fragrant raw materials and flowers that are heat resistant in a fatty substance preheated to between 40 and 60°C. The mixture is stirred for about 2 hours until the fat is saturated with aroma, creating a pomade. This pomade is then filtered and decanted with alcohol to obtain the Absolue.
There are five main methods of perfume extraction: Expression, Distillation, Enfleurage, Volatile Solvent Extraction, and Supercritical CO2 Extraction.
Enfleurage is a traditional method of perfume extraction that uses the ability of fats to absorb aromatic compounds. There are two types of enfleurage: cold and hot. Cold enfleurage is used for delicate plants and flowers, while hot enfleurage is used for heat-resistant materials.
Common solvents used in perfume extraction include ethanol, ethyl alcohol, acetone, and water. These solvents are chosen based on their ability to dissolve or extract aromatic compounds without chemically altering them.
