ABSTRACT

The olfactory qualities of the narcissus flower have made it a valuable component of luxury perfumes since time immemorial. Originally the flower perfume was extracted by the method of enfleurage, in which the substance was absorbed by animal fat. The fat was then washed with alcohol, filtered and concentrated to obtain a material called absolue des pommades. Later, extraction was carried out by using a solvent, generally hexane, which allowed better extraction and faster processing. This procedure, equally applicable to other flowers such as rose, jasmin, orange-blossom, etc., was perfected towards the middle of the nineteenth century, but it was at the start of the twentieth century that it began to be used on an industrial scale.