Absolute (perfumery)

Used in perfumery and aromatherapy, absolutes are similar to essential oils.

They are concentrated, highly aromatic, oily mixtures extracted from plants.

First, plant material is extracted with a hydrocarbon solvent, such as hexane, to yield concrete.

Some raw materials are either too delicate or too inert to be steam-distilled and can only yield their aroma through solvent extraction.

Absolutes in demand include rose, jasmine, tuberose, jonquil, ylang-ylang, mimosa, boronia, lavender, lavandin, geranium, clary sage, violet, oakmoss, tonka bean.