In this post, we’re covering how natural fragrance materials go from the farm, orchard, or forest into a form usable by perfumers.
Let me start by saying that I’m not a scientist and I don’t extract fragrance materials for a living. So, I’ll keep this discussion at a high level—just enough to give you a basic understanding of the different extraction methods used in natural perfumery.
If you’re a fragrance enthusiast, you’ve had an aromatherapy massage, or you’ve ever been accosted by an essential oil MLM rep, you’re probably aware of essential oils.
Essential oils are widely used in aromatherapy and natural perfumery, but they’re far from the only type of natural fragrance material. There are also absolutes, resins, resinoids, natural isolates, CO₂ extracts, tinctures, and more.
So, how are they extracted? And are there multiple ways to get them into a usable state for perfumers? Let’s get into it.
Essential Oils: The Basics
First, not every plant contains extractable essential oil. Some plants simply don’t produce enough oil to make extraction worthwhile, and others don’t contain any at all.
For example, you won’t find a legitimate Vanilla essential oil—because vanilla beans don’t contain essential oil. Similarly, some plants, like jasmine, contain highly volatile molecules that would be destroyed by the heat used in traditional distillation.
How Essential Oils Are Extracted
Essential oils are primarily extracted through distillation, with the two most common methods being:
- Steam Distillation (Hydro Distillation) – The plant material is placed in a still with water. Heat is applied to extract the aroma molecules, which are then cooled in a condenser. This separates the essential oil from the water (hydrosol).
- Dry Distillation (Destructive Distillation) – This method does not use water. Instead, high heat is applied in a closed container, which causes the plant material to release its essential oil.
Common fragrance materials extracted via distillation:
- Flowers: Rose (rose otto), lavender, magnolia
- Citruses: Sweet orange, bitter orange, blood orange, bergamot, yuzu, lime
- Herbs: Peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, basil
- Resins & Woods: Frankincense, myrrh, cistus, sandalwood, cedarwood, pine
What Is Destructive Distillation?
Some essential oils require destructive distillation, where plant materials are heated in the absence of water. Examples include:
- Birch tar
- Fossilized amber extract
- Choyas (Choya loban, Choya raal, Choya nakh)
Solvent Extraction: Absolutes and Floral Waxes
Some fragrance materials, like jasmine and tuberose, are too delicate for steam distillation. Instead, they undergo solvent extraction, which uses an inert solvent (usually hexane) to extract the plant’s aromatic compounds.
How It Works:
- The solvent pulls out the oils, waxes, and other compounds, creating a concrete.
- The concrete is washed with ethanol, separating it into:
- An absolute (alcohol-soluble, used in perfumery)
- A floral wax (used in cosmetics and solid perfumes)
Materials commonly processed this way:
- Flowers: Jasmine, tuberose, rose, lavender
- Herbs & Resins: Spearmint, peppermint, basil, frankincense, labdanum
Enfleurage: The Traditional Art of Flower Extraction
Before solvent extraction, perfumers used enfleurage, a method that relies on fat (animal or plant-based) to absorb a flower’s scent over time.
- Cold enfleurage: Flowers are placed on a layer of fat, which is repeatedly refreshed until the fat becomes saturated with aroma.
- Hot enfleurage: Uses gentle heat but is only suitable for sturdier flowers.
Today, enfleurage is rare outside of artisanal perfumery, but Monoi de Tahiti (tiare gardenia infused in coconut oil) is a modern example.
CO₂ Extraction: Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)
Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) uses carbon dioxide (CO₂) under high pressure to extract fragrance compounds without heat or solvents.
Why it’s interesting:
- The resulting extracts often smell closer to the original material than steam-distilled essential oils.
- Food-safe (often used for flavors and medicinal extracts).
Select vs. Total CO₂ Extracts
- Select extracts contain fewer components (closer to essential oils).
- Total extracts retain more compounds (closer to absolutes).
However, some CO₂ extracts are not fully alcohol-soluble, making them tricky to work with in perfumery.
Tincturing: DIY Botanical Extraction
Tincturing is a slow extraction method where natural materials are macerated in alcohol over time to draw out their aromatic components.
Common tinctured materials:
- Vanilla beans
- Resins (frankincense, myrrh, benzoin)
- Spices and seeds
- Woods and roots
I love tincturing and do it frequently—expect some future blog posts on this topic!
Cold-Pressed (Expressed) Essential Oils: The Case of Citrus
Some citrus essential oils, like bergamot, lime, and grapefruit, are not steam-distilled but cold-pressed from the peels.
Pros:
- Preserves the fresh, zesty scent of citrus
- No heat damage
Cons:
- Lower yield than steam distillation
- May require secondary distillation to remove unwanted compounds (e.g., bergamot FCF is furocoumarin-free)
Rectification & Molecular Distillation: Cleaning Up Natural Extracts
Sometimes, fragrance materials contain unwanted components or need refining. This is where fractionation and molecular distillation come in.
- Molecular distillation (MD or "Heart" cuts): Removes specific components to improve odor quality.
- Fractionation: Separates different constituents based on boiling points.
- FCF (Furocoumarin-Free) citrus oils: Have phototoxic compounds removed for safety.
Natural Isolates: A Misunderstood Part of Natural Perfumery
Natural isolates are individual aroma molecules physically separated from essential oils, absolutes, or CO₂ extracts using fractionation or molecular distillation.
Why are they useful?
- They allow perfumers to make the best use of raw materials.
- Example: Citronella oil is rarely used in perfumery, but it contains Citronellal, Citronellol, Geraniol, and Hydroxycitronellal, which are all valuable fragrance ingredients.
Are they still natural?
Yes—as long as they are physically extracted rather than synthetically created. According to ISO 9235 (the international standard for natural aroma materials), natural isolates derived this way are considered 100% natural fragrance materials.
In my opinion, natural isolates are an effective way to upcycle aroma molecules that might otherwise go unused.
Final Thoughts
That’s a wrap on natural fragrance material extraction methods!
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