Absolute Oils Extraction and Properties

Absolute Oils have gained significant popularity in the last few years and this graph is only expected to grow. According to the Harvard School Of Engineering*, the natural perfume industry is worth 30 billion dollars. The increase in awareness for cleaner and natural beauty products will push this trend forward. 

Absolute oils are the backbone of natural perfumes. They are way more concentrated than their aromatic cousin, essential oils. It is the science behind absolute oil extraction that gives them their unique properties and defines their profile.

How Are Absolute Oils Extracted?

Absolute oils are extracted using a process called solvent extraction. Here are the detailed steps. 

1. The first step to extract absolute oils is obtaining the concretes. These are wax-like compounds obtained by exposing natural plant parts to hydrocarbon solvents. It is usually done for ingredients that cannot withstand the high steam distillation temperatures. 
2. Next, the concrete is exposed to an ethanol-based solvent. This step dissolves the unwanted wax and results in a more liquid product. 
3. This step is repeated multiple times to ensure most of the wax from the concrete gets removed. 
4. The solvent (ethanol) is then collected back by exposing the liquid to a vacuuming procedure. 
5. Sometimes, this liquid further goes through molecular distillation to remove any residues. 
6. What you get at the end of it is a highly aromatic, potent, and natural liquid called absolute oil or pure floral absolute. Some people also call it absolute essential oil. 

Absolute Oil Properties Explained

There are some unique properties that absolute oils exhibit which make them different from our other aromatic offerings like essential oils, CO2 extracts, hydrosols, etc.

• Powerful Aromatic Profile: Absolute essential oils offer a more intense and true-to-the-botanical aroma that is often not the case with essential oils. For example, rose essential oil has a floral, soft, and sweet scent whereas rose absolute has a more intense, floral, and spicy aroma. 

• Higher Per Drop Active Percentage: Active compounds determine the effectiveness of any oil. Absolutes require a much higher quantity of raw material to give a single drop of oil. This results in a significantly superior active percentage in each drop. You would find this property to be particularly helpful while formulating skincare and cosmetics. 

• Superior Blending Agent: Blending is an integral part of perfume making as it helps bring depth and complexity. Absolute oils or pure floral absolutes are excellent blending agents as they can provide a wide variety of aromas. You will find light to middle as well as sharp notes in natural absolutes. These work as perfect tools to craft the art of scents. 

• Helps Achieve Balance In Perfume Making: Nature has blessed us with an endless collection of natural aromas, some more powerful than others. The onus is usually on the perfumer to use these aromas to create ‘scent-national’ (pun intended) products. Absolute oils help perfumers create this balance by providing options like floral, fruity, citrusy, musky, and earthy fragrances. 

• Can Sometimes Be Solid Or Semi-solid: While absolute oils are mostly liquid, in some cases they can even be solid or semi-solid. This can be because of either a higher active percentage or due to the presence of wax residue from the extraction process. In either case the quality of absolute remains unaffected. 

• Safety Concerns: Absolutes have not had a very good reputation in terms of safety as they need to be used under specific guidelines only. The highly concentrated nature means you need to follow dilution guidelines and use them as per the recipe or for industrial applications only. 

• Makes The Fragrance Last Longer: Fixatives are agents used in perfumery to make the scent last longer on the skin. Some absolute oils have natural fixative properties and can be used in place of chemical fixative agents. They help stabilize the aroma and hold onto the balanced composition of the aroma for a longer time.

Conclusion

The meticulous process of solvent extraction is responsible for giving us highly aromatic absolute oils. They are the soul of perfume making.

While there are a lot of differences between essential oils and absolutes oil, the latter offer highly aromatic, fixative, blending, and balancing properties.
However, we recommend using them under expert supervision only.

From the process breakdown to defining attributes, we have covered absolute oil extraction and properties for you. 

Now it’s time for you to start making perfumes, cosmetics, candles, and more with them. Or even start your own reselling business. 

Don’t forget to acquire absolute oils online from a reliable wholesale supplier like Aromachology Oils. We are a leading B2B exporter of over 400 varieties of wholesale essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts, carrier oils, etc.