The types of raw materials that exist | EPI 005 Podcast All Roads Lead to Aroma
The podcast 'Todos os caminhos vão dar ao aroma' is sponsored by Jarilo. In this podcast, Mariana, the founder of Jarilo, explores the world of perfumery and tries to discover how perfume is made.
This article is the transcript of EPI 005. The types of raw materials that exist
[Start of transcript]
↳In this episode, I'm going to talk about the types of raw materials that exist, but first, I'm going to light a candle, as I've mentioned, I like to use candles to create an atmosphere of focus and concentration. And today I chose the Kerasion candle from my brand Jarilo, which is an aromatic candle with very comforting cherry notes, perfect to accompany me in this episode.
↳When I started exploring perfumery, the idea I had was that perfumes were made with essential oils and a few other things that I had no idea what they were. I was fascinated when I realized the variety of ingredients that exist and the various ways to produce them.
↳Well, back to essential oils, they are indeed widely used in perfumery and can be produced by cold pressing and distillation.
↳Cold pressing, as the name suggests, is a process that does not require heat, and in this way, the molecules are not altered, and the essential oil extracted is similar to the raw material. This method is widely used to make essential oils from citrus fruits, such as bergamot, orange, and lemon. To give you an idea, to produce one kilogram of bergamot essential oil, 200 kilograms of bergamot are needed.
↳Distillation is used to extract essential oils from petals, seeds, leaves, roots, etc. It is one of the oldest methods for producing essential oils. In this process, since heat is used, there are alterations in the molecules, and the essential oils produced by this method do not smell exactly like the original raw material. In this process, for example, to produce 1 kilogram of rose essential oil, 4500 kilograms of rose petals are needed.
↳Another type of ingredient that exists is carbon dioxide extracts produced by carbon dioxide extraction. In this process, carbon dioxide is compressed until it becomes liquid and placed in contact with raw materials, which can be berries, roots, dried materials, etc. It then acts as a solvent and absorbs the aromatic components, after which it is decompressed, returning to a gaseous state, separating from the extract, which can then be collected.
↳This process is highly effective in preserving the olfactory integrity of raw materials, as it occurs at relatively low temperatures, reducing the degradation of heat-sensitive molecules. Therefore, it is often used to extract complex aromas, such as vanilla. With this process, 18 kilograms of vanilla pods are needed to produce one kilogram of vanilla carbon dioxide extract.
↳We also have absolutes, concretes, and resinoids. They are produced by placing a solvent in contact with raw materials, which can be petals, seeds, leaves, roots, resins, mosses, etc. This solvent absorbs the aromatic molecules, creating a dense and concentrated substance called concrete.
↳The concrete then undergoes a second process, where it is treated with alcohol to separate the desired aromatic molecules. After the alcohol evaporates, an even purer material remains, called an absolute. Absolutes are highly valued in perfumery for their intensity and olfactory complexity. To give you an idea, 400 kilograms of jasmine are needed to produce 1 kilogram of jasmine absolute.
↳Resinoids, on the other hand, are extracted from solid or viscous raw materials, such as resins and balsams. They have a deep, earthy aromatic profile, often used to create rich and persistent bases in perfumes.
↳This method allows capturing the aromatic components of raw materials that cannot withstand the heat of distillation, such as delicate jasmine flowers.
↳Ingredients of animal origin also exist and played a crucial role in perfumery; nowadays, they are usually replaced by synthetic alternatives due to ethical and environmental concerns.
↳A famous example is Ambergris, a waxy substance excreted by sperm whales. It is found floating in the ocean or washed ashore on beaches after spending years being cured by sea conditions, developing a warm, amber-like aroma.
↳Another example is natural Musk, which comes from the abdominal gland of a deer found in Asia;
↳We also have Hyraceum, known as “stone of Africa,” which is the fossilized urine of an animal called Hyrax, found in South Africa.
↳Another ingredient is Civet, a secretion extracted from the perianal glands of the Civet, a small mammal native to Africa and Asia.
↳Castoreum, from the perianal glands of the beaver,
↳Finally, there is beeswax, collected from beehives. It has a soft honey aroma.
↳To my knowledge, due to ethical issues involving the extraction of these animal-derived ingredients, most perfumers and perfume houses prefer to use synthetic molecules that mimic these aromas.
↳Of these animal-derived materials, the only one I have ever smelled was Ambergris. I had that opportunity at the "Experimental Scent Summit" event that took place in Lisbon in June 2024, which I attended. The smell didn't seem pleasant at all, but it was extraordinary to hold something that had once been inside a sperm whale.
↳Synthetic molecules are widely used nowadays; they can be an imitation of molecules that exist naturally in nature or they can be molecules designed by chemists and that do not exist naturally in nature.
↳These materials are widely used because in most cases they are cheaper but also even more sustainable, because there is no direct exploitation of the environment.
↳There are also other types of ingredients, such as bases and/or accords, but in the next episode, I will talk more about this topic.
↳These materials can be in a liquid state, such as essential oils and absolutes, they can be solid or semi-solid, such as pastes, resins, and concretes, and they can also be in the form of crystals or powder.
↳And they can be categorized in different ways, such as by origin, as I did in this episode, but also by volatility, that is, by how quickly a substance evaporates and releases its aroma. More volatile raw materials, such as citrus essential oils, evaporate quickly, while others, such as woods and resins, have lower volatility and remain in the composition for longer.
↳Or by olfactory family, which groups raw materials according to the type of smell they have, such as flowers, fruits, spices, woody notes, etc...
↳In the next episode, as I already mentioned, I will talk about bases and accords.
↳Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast "Todos os caminhos vão dar ao aroma." If you enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe, share with friends, leave a comment, or send an email to todososcaminhosvaodaraoaroma@gmail.com.
↳I would love to know what ingredients you would like to learn about, send me an email telling me everything.
See you next time
[End of transcript]
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