How Essential Oils Are extracted for use in Perfumes

For thousands of years people have used fragranced products to try and enhance their natural scent by emulating pleasurable smells from nature. Rising to popularity in ancient Egypt, where perfumes were used both religiously and as a part of the popular bathing routine, the use of scented products quickly spread throughout the world. Perfumes are typically created from a base built up using a combination of essential oils.





The majority of essential oils are made by extracting scents from natural sources such as fruits, woods, flowers, herbs and spices. Nowadays these products are harvested from all over the world and taken to manufacturing plants, back in the industries infancy however perfume makers were reliant on products that were available relatively locally. This is partly why perfume became so successful in Egypt, which had close ties with numerous nearby countries that could provide a wide range of differently scented produce.





After the natural ingredients are harvested oils need to be extracted to form the basis of the perfume. There are a number of methods of doing this and what is most effective will vary depending on the product that is being used.





Steam Distillation: In this method steam is passed through the products. This steam will pick up some of the aroma of the product and is then passed through cooling tubes allowing the stream to condense to a liquid from.





Solvent Extraction: This involves pacing the product in rotating drums with petroleum, eventually the product will dissolve leaving behind a material containing the desired oil. This is mixed with alcohol which is burned off, leaving a concentrated, fragranced oil.





Enfleurage: Enfleurage is the process of pressing flowers in between panes of glass coated in grease. Flowers are repeatedly replaced until the grease takes on the floral scent.





Maceration: This process is similar to enfleurage but relies on using warmed fats instead of grease to extract the oils. After this stage is complete alcohol is added and then burned off to create a more concentrated version of the essential oil.





Expression: This is one of the oldest techniques that has been used in oil extraction. It involves pressing the flower, fruit or other product either mechanically or by hand in order to extract the desired oils.





Once the essential oils have been extracted perfume makers are able to move on to combining these in order to create aromatically appealing perfumes. Many popular designers and cosmetics companies now focus on fragrances (such as Givenchy Perfume or Ghost Perfume) alongside their fashion and makeup lines.