What is an absolute? Is there any solvent left in the absolute?
Absolutes are not true essential oils although they are aromatic, volatile and used in aromatherapy and perfumery. They are produced by alcohol extraction, after which the alcohol is removed by vacuum distillation. The extraction is done on something called the concrete—a thick, fragrant material extracted from the plant with a hydrocarbon solvent such as hexane. The concrete contains the essential oil as well as fatty acids and waxes. Alcohol dissolves the essential oil, and the non-fragrant components either precipitate or are filtered out. This method is used for delicate plants (usually flowers) where heat distillation would damage or distort the essential oil or for plants with a very low essential oil content making distillation impractical. The most used aromatherapy absolutes are jasmine and rose. Absolutes such as carnation, hyacinth and gardenia are used in high quality perfumery. Our GC testing shows that one to two percent alcohol may be left in an absolute. We have found n
