A very important part of the perfume-making process, and arguably the one that incorporates the most chemistry, is the extraction of essences from plants. In order to withdraw the fragrance oils, six methods are used. These include steam distillation, boiling, solvent extraction, enfleurage, maceration and expression. (Alpha Aromatics, 2017)
In steam distillation, steam is passed through the plant material, picking up the essential oils and turning them into gas form. This gaseous mixture of steam and fragrance oils is then passed through various tubes and condenses into the liquid form, leaving a mix of water and scented oils. Boiling, as the name suggests, allows the scent molecules to escape from the flower petals by boiling them in water. In the solvent extraction process, flowers are submerged in benzene or petroleum in large rotating tanks. This process causes the flowers to dissolve, which leaves a wax-like substance, containing the oils. When this substance is placed in ethyl alcohol, the oils sink due to differences in density. Then, the mixture’s temperature is increased until all the alcohol has evaporated, leaving the oil at the bottom of the tanks. (Alpha Aromatics, 2017)
In the case of enfleurage, which is the most labor-intensive and costly method, flower petals are spread and pressed into grease-coated glass panels, which are placed in tiers between wooden frames. The petals remain within the glass sheets for several weeks before being removed by hand and replaced with fresh petals. This procedure is repeated multiple times before the complete saturation of an essence occurs. The greasy substance, which is usually an odourless vegetable or animal fat, is then dissolved in alcohol to release the essential oils. Maceration, which is the oldest method used, is very similar to enfleurage, however the fats used to extract the oils are heated. Expression is the easiest and most economical method to extract oils from plants and is usually used in citrus plants and juicy fruits. It is achieved by squeezing fruits until the oil is physically removed from them. (Alpha Aromatics, 2017)
Source: Alpha Aromatics. (2017, June 5). How Perfume Is Made – A Master Perfumers’ Industry Guide. Alpha Aromatics. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.alphaaromatics.com/blog/how-perfume-is-made-the-perfumers-industry-guide/
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