Hydrodistilled Essences

Hydrodistilled essences are a unique product of the distillers' and extractors' art and craft. In modern times, the delicate essence of flowers such as jasmine, osmanthus, champa, and tuberose have been captured by using the low heat, solvent (hexane) extraction process, whereby the waxes pigments and volatile oil are extracted in the form of a concrete (a solid, waxy, aromatic substance) and further concentrated by washing in alcohol, to produce an absolute. Hydrodistilled essences are produced by placing the concrete in a water bath in glass vessels and gently distilling. Only the highly volatile essences are distilled out of the concrete, leaving behind the waxes and pigments. While more expensive to produce, the hydrodistilled essences are 3 to 5 times more concentrated than the absolutes, light in color, and more easily soluble in carrier oils and perfumer's alcohol. They are a wonderful delight for people working in the domain of natural perfumery.