How Natural Fragrances Are Made
Natural fragrances are extracted from plants, flowers, fruits, and herbs using one of three methods.
9/2007
- Cold-pressing, most often used for fruits with rinds, means squeezing a plant and collecting its oil.
- Distillation, the most common method, involves running steam over the botanical source to extract oil, water, and plant material; the oil is then carefully skimmed off the top.
- A more complex process called solvent extraction requires running high-quality hexane (a solvent) over the plant material to separate the oil, then washing it with a gentle alcohol to get rid of any waxes or plant residues. What remains is known as an absolute-generally the warmest, richest scent from a plant.
Extracts of plants from one or all of these methods are then blended together to create a unique new perfume.
For more on natural fragrances, see the September 2007 issue of Natural Health.
