How does enfleurage extract fragrance from delicate flowers?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The chemistry behind craft beer — Essential oil Discover the chemistry of brewing different types and colours of beer.

Enfleurage is a traditional method used to extract fragrance from delicate flowers that might be damaged by heat-based distillation processes. The technique involves spreading a layer of odorless, solid fat—typically a purified mixture of lard or tallow—onto a glass plate known as a chassis.

Freshly picked flowers are placed onto this layer of fat, where they remain for a period of time. During this stage, the fat acts as an absorbent, capturing the aromatic compounds released by the flowers as they continue to exhale their scent. Once the fat becomes saturated with the floral essence, the spent flowers are removed and replaced with fresh ones. This cycle is repeated until the fat reaches a high concentration of fragrance, resulting in a substance called pomade. The final perfume oil, known as an absolute, is then extracted from the pomade using alcohol.1