Costus Root Oil

NaturalROOTS & MOSSESanimalic · woody

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BasePyramid

—Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

Specimen

Costus Root Oil perfume ingredient — Base

Dolomiaea costus (syn. Saussurea costus, Aucklandia costus, Saussurea lappa)

Definition

Costus root oil is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation from the dried roots of Dolomiaea costus, a thistle formerly named Saussurea costus. Its odour is orris, green, hairy and woody, with an animal character.

WOODY ANIMALIC GREEN

Costus oil

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Animalic
Subfamily: Animalic roots
Cluster: Animalic notes
Source: plant root
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

Producing countries

India

Scent

The oil has a characteristic persistent odour reminiscent of orris, violet and vetiver. Smelled at full strength, it is described as orris, green, hairy and woody, with a note of unripe melons. The odour type is classed as animal.

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The Full Story

Dolomiaea costus is a perennial thistle of the family Asteraceae. It was formerly known as Saussurea costus. The plant is native to South Asia and China. It is commonly known as costus, Indian costus, kuth or putchuk. Its synonyms include Aucklandia costus and Saussurea lappa.

It is usually found at elevations of 2,500 to 3,000 m in India, including the Himalayas and Kashmir. The plant is cultivated as a medicinal plant, mainly in India, in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the roots are exported to China and Japan.

The main component of one steam-distilled root oil was costunolide, also named eudesma-5,11(13)-dien-8,12-olide, at 52.01 %. Elemene, phenanthrenone and caryophyllene oxide are also among the major components of that oil. Myrcene, p-cymene, β-ionone, sesquiterpenes, costolactone and a small amount of palmitic acid are among the main constituents given in another description. Differences between studies in the composition of the oil may be due to time of harvesting, local, climatic and seasonal issues, and the storage time of the roots. The oil is soluble in most fixed oils and in mineral oil, and insoluble in glycerin and propylene glycol.

Essential oils extracted from the root have been used in traditional medicine and in perfumes since ancient times. Pliny described the spice as having a burning taste and a very fine scent, but as otherwise useless. The plant has been greatly over-collected and has been placed on Appendix I of CITES. Costus is one of the most threatened medicinal plants of Kashmir Himalaya. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Kuth Act of 1978 regulates trade in the plant.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Amburana Bark · Apple Tree

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

The oil is obtained by steam distillation after maceration in water of the comminuted dried roots. Since the oil contains water-soluble components and has a specific gravity similar to that of water, it is then recovered from the distillation waters by extraction with solvents. The yield is approximately 0.7%. In another study, 400 g of coarsely powdered roots were steam-distilled with a Clevenger system for 3 h, and the essential oil yield was 3 %. Two earlier studies reported that hydro-distillation of the roots yielded oil at 0.23% and 0.89% (v/w).

Formula: Complex natural mixture (key constituents: costunolide C₁₅H₂₀O₂)
CAS: 8023-88-9
Botanical: Dolomiaea costus (syn. Saussurea costus, Aucklandia costus, Saussurea lappa)
Appearance: viscous, pale-yellow to yellowish-brown liquid
Synonyms: Costus oil

IFRA status

Prohibited (some forms)

Prohibited — IFRA Standard « Costus root oil, absolute and concrete » (Amendment 40)

Physical properties

Flash point: 120 °F
Refractive index: 1.5180 (n20/D)

In Perfumery

In cosmetics, costus oil serves as a perfuming ingredient.

Role in the formula

01fixative

02signature note

03modifier

Available as

essential oil