Beton

What concrete is

Concretes are made from natural plant materials, mainly flowers, and rose and lavender are among the most common. What remains after the solvent has evaporated is a semi-solid residue of essential oils, waxes, resins and other oil-soluble plant chemicals. Concretes contain fats, waxes, and essential oils, and are rarely useful in themselves. Extraction of a concrete with ethanol gives an absolute, free of waxes and fats.

Solvent and yield

The solvent has to be chosen with care for its polarity and its boiling point. If the boiling point is too high, heat-sensitive compounds can be destroyed during evaporation, and some fragrance ingredients are lost. Commonly used solvents include ethane, hexane and dimethyl ether. Putting the plant material under high pressure before the solvent treatment greatly increases the yield of concrete, because the cells burst.

Form and properties

Concretes are typically waxy or resinous solids or thick oily liquids. They usually contain a large amount of wax, because the solvents readily dissolve hydrophobic compounds. Because they consist of heavier substances, they dissolve only partly in ethanol and cannot go directly into a perfume.

Uses and problems

The main use of concrete is to make absolutes. Their insoluble character also makes concretes useful in soap perfumery. Concrete extracts can turn rancid after several months, especially in containers exposed to strong light. Natural raw materials for concretes are often grown by monoculture with pesticides, and no universal method exists to measure the residual pesticide in a concrete sample.

Enfleurage as an alternative

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