White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Grasse 1
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February Updates
Dear Friends,
Kind greetings!
Suzanne and I are now away until February 12th. We will resume packing orders when we return.
Here are a few olfactory notes about recent arrivals.
Cabreuva Essential oil/South America
distillation of chippings and sawdust from Myrocarpus fastigiatus wood
a pale yellow, somewhat viscous essential oil of sweet-woody, very delicate and slightly floral odor. Its tenacity is one of its greatest virtues...although very delicate and apparently faint, the odor of Cabreuva oil is often under-estimated in its effect of freshness and suave floral notes
In rose, lily of the valley, cassie, amber and in woody-oriental perfumes, Cabreuva oil lends tenacity and distinct notes of precious woods with a background of slightly green, dry floralness a combination rarely found in synthetic perfume materials
blends well with sandalwood, siamwood, amyris, aruacaria, copiaba, guaicwood, gurjun balsam, rosewood, ho wood oil, linaloe seed oil, atlas cedarwood, patchouli, himalayan cedarwood, virgini cedarwood and many other essences serving as an excellent and cost effective fixative base
Frangipani Absolute/Comoros Island
This is a super lovely Frangipani Absolute which is not quite as waxy as the Frangipani from India (which is a solid waxy mass)
soft, sweet, suave, full bodied tropical floral aroma, with hints of gardenia, orange blossom, geranium and a delicate spicy-fruity accord.
The absolute has good tenacity.The gardenia-like tropical notes tend to display themselves deep into the dryout as the absolute has good tenacity. Generally the absolute produced in India is a solid waxy mass and that in Comoros a thick viscous liquid.
It is used in exotic tropical bouquets, heavy oriental bases, elegant high class perfumes.
It blends well with bakul abs, tuberose abs, vanilla co2, coconut abs, pomegranate abs, orange blossom abs, neroli eo, jasmin sambac abs, jasmin grandiflorum abs, osmanthus abs, kewda attar
Rose de Mai Absolute/France
The Rose de Mai Absolute from France is one of the rarest of the rose ottos or absolutes. It used to be prepared in large quantities in the early part of the century but due to the high cost of labor and land is now produced in very small amounts by a couple of extractors.
The environment around Grasse suits the Rose de Mai/Rosa centifolia flowers perfectly and the aromatic constituents that develop in the flower are in a superb ethereal balance. Long years of perfecting the extracting technique also contributes to the exquisite bouquet
The absolute is a orange yellow to orange-brown viscous liquid, which has a rich and sweet, deep-rosy, very tenacious odor. The spicy tonalities are less pronounced than in the Rosa damascena absolute while the honeylike notes are similar to the Rosa damascena absolute. It has an outstanding warm delicate soft sweetness.
This delightful fragrance adds life, depth, warm notes and naturalness to countless floral and non-floral perfumes in addition to its use in rose and related bases
Rose de Mai absolute is used very extensively in high-priced and medium priced perfumes, particularly in chypres, floral bases, Oriental bases and also generally to round off the sharp corners or rough notes in synthetic compositions
It has an soft radiation and excellent tenacity.
It blends well with jasmin, cassie, mimosa, orange flower and other florals or with modifying essential oils such as bergamot, sage clary, geranium, sandalwood, guaicwood, and patchouli
Tonka Bean Absolute/Superior/French extracted
The absolute is a semi-solid or crystalline mass of pale amber of pale brownish yellow color. It odor is rich, sweet and warm, , distinctly coumarinic-herbacous with a prune like or carmalleic sweet undertone.
In perfumery it used as a fixative and non-floral sweetener with introduces warm notes to chypres, fougeres, new mown hay bases, lavender bouquets, oriental bases.
It blends well with lavender, lavandin, clary sage, flouve, styrax, bergamot, oakmoss, vanilla, beeswax, balsam peru.
Orange Blossom/Neroli Absolute/Tunisia
The Tunisian Orange Blossom Absolute is the finest I have encountered. The Orange Blossom absolute from Egypt has its own virtues(including being 50% less in price) but the indolic(fecal) note is heavily present and this note is not at all manifested in the Tunisian essence.
The absolute is a dark brown or dark orange colored somewhat viscous liquid with a very intensely floral, heavy and rich, warm yet delicate and fresh long lasting odor, closely resembling the odor of fresh bitter-orange blossoms.
In perfumery the orange blossom absolute has much in common with Jasmin absolute but it has a much more versatile application as a floral "fond"(base note) when used at comparatively low concentration. It show a pleasant but peculiar and characteristic, sweet-herbaceous undertone, not unlike the one found in Jasmin.... It may not always impart the same floral strength as Jasmin at a similar concentration but its great advantage is in its freshness which is quite surprising considering it is an absolute with great tenacity. Neroli essential oil will produce a beautiful "pair" with the Orange Blossom absolute. The two products represent altogether different parts of the orange flower gamuts.
It is used in countless types of perfumes, heavy Oriental as well as light citrus colognes, chypes, ambres as well as floral bouquets. It naturally forms an important part of the fixative base in high-class citrus colognes and perfumes of similar type.
It blends well with all citrus oils, petitgrain oils, jasmin, orange flower water absolute, osmanthus, kewda attar, peru balsam, champa, ylang, saffron, magnolia lily.
Ylang Superior Extra
The Ylang Superior Extra is rarely offered nowadays. There are only a few places where both the distilling expertise and the micro-climate exists that allows this unique distillation to take place.
"The oil of today is Ylang Ylang with special reference to what is known as Ylang Ylang Superior Extra. As you are most likely aware Ylang Ylang is generally offered in what is known as fractions: Extra, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Another oil is offered which is known as a complete. Generally companies involved in preparing the different fractions of Ylang Ylang add the fractions together in specific proportions to form the Complete. There is one more grade that is rarely offered which is called the Ylang Ylang Superior Extra Grade. It is considered by many to represent the most lovely notes of Ylang Ylang. The Superior Extra Grade cannot be prepared in all locations where the tree grows. One of the most superior climates for growing Ylang Ylang is on the island of Mayotte off the coast of Madagascar, another is on the Comoros Islands and it is here that a truly divine Extra Superior Grade of Ylang Ylang is prepared from organically grown flowers.
A "feel" for the different fractions is very much a part of the equation and there are certain distillers in Madagascar and the islands off its coast that possess the most advance knowledge of this oil after working with the distillation processes for many years. Only the most skilled distillers are able to capture the Extra Superior fraction."
Ylang Superior Extra shares many characteristic with the Extra Fraction but is yet more delicate, suave,
sweet and ethereal.
Ylang Extra is a pale yellow oil with a very powerful, floral and intensely sweet odor with a mild balsamic topnote of limited tenacity. The fadeout is pleasant, soft and sweet, slightly spicy and balsamic-floral. A peculiar creamy-sweet note is characteristic of a good "extra"oil
In perfumery it is used in mainly high-class perfumes of the floral and heavy-Oriental type, but mere traces of the oil can do wonders in medium priced floral bases. There is hardly any floral type where ylang extra would not fit in.
It blends well with rosewood, vetiver, opoponax, bergamot, cassie absolute, neroli, peru balsam, tuberose absolute, mimosa absolute, champa absolute, saffron oleoresin, magnolia lily, cistus, frankincense, labdanum absolutes, elderflower absolute, boronia absolute, aglaia odorata abs.
Lavender Absolute
a green viscous liquid of very rich, sweet- tangy herbaceous, somewhat floral odor; in dilution it bears a close resemblance to the odor of the flowering shrubs. Its woody-herby undertone and coumarin like sweetness duplicate the odor of the botanical material far better than the essential oil. The absolute is sweeter but less floral than the essential oil. The two materials can form a very pleasant combination. However one cannot replace the other in compounding.
Lavender absolute is used in citrus colognes, chypres, fougeres, and new mown hay bases, forest notes
It blends well with labdanum absolutes, oakmoss, vetiver, patchouli, pine needle oils, sage clary, neroli, zdravetz, , rosemary, lavandin, spanish sage, spike lavender, petitgrain oils(mandarin, lemon, bergamot)
Saffron oleoresin
deep orange viscous liquid displaying a warm rich, fatty-herbaceous, powdery sweet spicy odor of outstanding tenacity and great strength.
In perfumery it can be used to great advantage in minute doses in violet perfumes(in combination with violet leaf, orris root co2 and cassie abs), neroli bases and narcissus bouquets. It is one of the unique materials in the creative perfumers palette which can give beautiful results unobtainable other means.
It blends well with ylang abs and eo, magnolia co2, golden champa abs, labdanum "amber note" abs, labdamum ", labdanum "incense note" absolute, frankincense, cistus, aglaia odorata abs. boronia abs, elderflower abs, cassie abs., mimosa abs, , jasmin abs, orange flower abs
Note on CO2 Total Extracts-CO2 Total Extracts can vary tremendously in their viscosity-some of them being much like essential oils(cumin co2 total, allspice co2 total and cinnamon bark co2 total)and fixed oils(rosehip co2 total, evening primrose co2 total, seabuckthorn co2 total)others being waxy masses hop co2 total and chamomile co2 total and calendula co2 total). Odor intensity also varies tremendously with as the volatile constituents in cumin, allspice and cinnamon being very high and the volatile constituents in chamomile, hops and calendula being quite low).
Cumin CO2 organic total extract-
This is a wonderful extract with a powerful but delicate and round. green spicy odor. It carries the full beauty and complexity of the freshly ground spice . The extracted product carries more of the sweet notes than the essential oil. The essential oil is extremely volatile and possesses tremendous diffusive power while the co2 extract displays a richer, softer, true to nature cuminic aroma. A combination of 10% of the essential oil with 90% of the co2 extract creates a wonderful accord melding the best of the distillation world with that of co2 extraction. Even though this is a total extract its odor is strong and its viscosity is that of an essential oil
It is used in perfumes in trace amounts to introduce green-spicy and green woody topnotes , Oriental bases, mimosa, cassie, violet, etc. It is used for special effects in modern aldehydic fragrances, etc for its unusual diffusive power.
It blends well with lavandin eo and abs, galbanum eo and co2, oakmoss abs, rosewood abs, angelica root eo and co2, caraway co2, coriander co2, fennel cow and eo, fenugreek co2, black pepper eo and co2,
Pimenta Berry/Allspice Co2 total extract/Jamaica
Like the cumin co2 total extract this is a superb extract from an olfactory standpoint. When steam distillation of dried spices occurs the distillation time often 6-10 hours and during this time the aromatic molecules naturally present in the dried spice undergoes thermal degradation producing an oil that while pleasant is quite different in olfactory impact from the spice itself.
It is a darkish brown somewhat viscous liquid displaying a delightful complex warm-sweet spicy odor, fresh and clean with hints of clove, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper in its overall olfactory impact. The dryout notes are spicy, balsamic and somewhat tea-like
In perfumery it is used as a modifier in the modern "spicy" types of men's fragrances, fougere, after-shave, and occasionally as a special note of warm and sweet-spicy character in chypre and Oriental bases.
It blends well with ginger eo and co2, geranium eo and abs., labdanum abs, cistus, lavender eo and abs, ylang, opoponax, patchouli, orris abs and co2, clove bud co2 and eo, cardamon co2 and eo, cinnamon co2 and eo.
Blending 75% of the co2 extract with 25% of the essential oil will give a fine wide spectrum allspice essence
Hops CO2 Select Extract
a pale greenish liquid possessing a fine fresh fruity, sweet herbaceous odor with a somewhat spicy, green leafy undertone. One of the most unique, delightful and complex odors I have encountered in a long time. A very cheerful, bright bouquet containing within in itself a whole gamut of harmonious aromas radiating there qualities simultaneously. As the essence heads into its dryout it settles into a soft, delicate sweet tea-like, balsamic, herbaceous bouquet
In perfumery Hops CO2 lends a warm, rich and piquant, spicy note, useful in colognes, chypres, Oriental bases, fougeres
It blends well with angelica root, spikenard eo, valerian eo, galbanum co2, opoponax, cinnamon bark, patchouli co2 and eo, sage clary eo, vetiver, oakmoss.