Lilacs are a flower that cannot be steam distilled. The heat of the  steam distillation process destroys the delicate scent. Enfleurage, in a two step extraction is the most sublime way to achieve a beautiful fragrant lilac absolute.  

In traditional Enfleurage Lilacs are laid on a substrate of solid fat in order to adsorb the fresh scent exhaling from the tiny florets. First we must know that Inside each floret at the base of the tubule that  attaches to the sepals, is a scent gland that produces scent. We want to keep the floret alive and fresh so that little factory inside the tiny floret continues to pump out scent onto the fat substrate for 24 hours. Leaving the sepals intact on the floret as is shown in the photo at the top, allows for the maximum lifespan of that floret once it is plucked from the lilac head. Moisture and natural chemical compounds produced by the lilac are held in the small chamber inside the sepals and continually feed the scent manufacturing process going on inside the floret.

Secondly, in the anatomy of the lilac blossom, there is not much scent inherent to the flesh of the lilac petals as there is, for instance, in rose petals. In Roses, there is also a scent gland, but in addition, rose petals themselves contain a rose oil that embodies the scent of the rose. This oil in the rose petals can be extracted directly into alcohol or another solvent. With lilacs the scent must be captured from the fresh florets as the little tubules exhale into the air and onto the enfleurage corpse. Dousing the fresh lilac florets in alcohol yields very little scent and actually kills the scent producing gland, further reducing the potential for extraction. So placing the fresh lilacs in alcohol or performing a maceration, is not sufficient. We maximize the capture by keeping the florets fresh, alive and undamaged, lightly resting them on the fat substrate.

In the concept of enfleurage it must be understood that solid fat at room temperature, has the innate propensity to absorb aromatic compounds from the air. This principle was graphically demonstrated to me by a colleague who worked for the Department of Health in New York City.  His job involved testing sticks of butter stored in restaurant walk-in refrigerators. He was testing for high levels of formaldehyde in the butter. If he found high levels of formaldehyde in the butter, he would have to shut the restaurant down. How did the formaldehyde get into the butter, you might ask? Typically the restaurant with the offending butter was within 300 feet of a dry cleaning operation. Formaldehyde is an aromatic compound, absorbed through the air. It can waft and seep its way into wrapped, packaged, and boxed sticks of butter, stored inside a locked walk-in refrigerator. A lightbulb went on in my chemist’s brain, and throughout the years, I kept this information stored away, to one day exploit this principle in an effort to extract the nearly impossible lilac absolute.

 

 

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The post Enfleurage: Why is fat used to capture the scent of the flowers before the resulting pomade is soaked in alcohol? first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

If you get Modern Farmhouse Magazine, check out the article called Lilac Love. It is all about Lilacs, Growing Lilacs, the Art of Enfleurage, Perfumery and our little lilac farm, Cherry Valley Lilacs. Lots of good information, including a free DIY Enfleurage Primer.

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Plant stem cells are powerhouse ingredients that have the potential to repair skin, promoting a vibrant and healthy appearance by supporting skin’s natural renewal process. In nature, these cells help plants self-repair and regenerate themselves once they’ve been damaged by daily aggressors. Lilac Stem Cells are the life force of our eye revitalizing cream formula. Containing the intensive bioactive compound, verbascoside, it is known to curtail the effects of agents that cause dark tones. Our potent lilac stem cell oil helps reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness as it soothes and rejuvenates the…

READ MORE AT https://www.furtunaskin.com/blogs/stories/the-power-of-plant-stem-cells

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https://dailygazette.com/2021/06/12/in-cherry-valley-grower-uses-old-technique-to-make-essential-oils-from-lilacs/

The post Schenectady Gazette Article on Cherry Valley Lilacs Enfleurage first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

The post Heaven Scent | Better Homes & Garden Article first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

Recent Lilac Stem Cell studies have revealed very promising results in Dermatology…Read Link to Studies

The post Lilac Plant Medicine first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

To capture an Enfleurage essence, living and breathing flowers must be used. It is the raw essence or vapors being exhaled from the fresh flowers that we coax onto the fats in the chassis. In general, enfleurages are not as strong as distilled oils. One reason is that enfleurages are raw uncooked essences directly collected as the living nectar of the flower. Steam distillations are a composite of plant compounds from the cut, or dried plant material and are not collected vapors from the living plant as is the case with Enfleurages.

In Enfleurage, the flower must be kept alive and intact so the little scent factories can continue to pump out scent as long as possible. We capture only the scent produced in real time by the little factories of each flower. In distillation dead or dried plant material is fine because steam distillation draws out the oils in the flesh of the plant.

One reason lilac does not lend itself to distillation is this very thing. The scent is not in the petals or flesh, it is manufactured in real time at the base of the flower as long as it is living. It must be living. Therefore the enfleurage essence is produced from the living flower and captured only while the flowers are fresh and producing their scent. Spent, wilted flowers must be removed immediately from the corpse or bitter, moldy and rotten smells will be absorbed into the fat of the corpse. 

Enfleurage oils must be used soon after their capture, or at least fixed with any number of fixatives perfumers may employ. Blending and formulating with other oils and natural scents, slows the volatility of Enfleurage oils and may provide a natural preservative. To be kept for longer periods, Enfleurage oils must be stored in a cool dark place, in unopened bottles.

The post The Nature of Enfleurage first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

Understanding what I understand about human physiology and bioaccumulation of chemical compounds, I have a moral imperative to share my educated insights and continue to provide guidance. It is of great concern to me to see what is happening in the world of fragrance chemistry. A loss of truth-in-advertising, very little regulation and secrecy on ingredients, lack of research and testing and no official reporting of adverse effects, is astonishing and we should be very cautious at the very least. One of the most alarming things we are witnessing is a rise in people developing multiple chemical sensitivities, asthma, COPD, lymphoma, and other blood cancers. This dangerous trend may continue because of what we are inhaling, drinking, eating, applying to our skin and needling into our skin in the form of tattoos…but especially inhaling. Anything we inhale enters directly into our blood stream from the lungs. Because of my training and experience my work must include investigating false ‘lilac essential oil’ claims. I believe it is in all of our best interests, to reveal the truth when we find it. The truth in this case is much of the ‘lilac essential oil’ on the market is a fraud, we don’t know how it was made or what’s in it and it may contain ingredients we know to be harmful to human health.

The post My Work… first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

The post Q&A with Charle-Pan: Does real lilac essential oil exist? first appeared on Cherry Valley Lilacs.

There are fixatives that may be added to the pure lilac oil, that Perfumers use to blend and make the lilac oil last longer. I can add a fixative too, but I do not do that, as my claim is that you are getting 100% real and unadulterated lilac essential oil which is extremely rare and I want to keep it pure. It is a raw material that skilled natural Perfumers can use to formulate. Most lilac products on the market are fake…either a blend of synthetics or a blend of other unrelated natural essential oils such as lily, rose, jasmine, and then a few fragrance derivatives may be used to make it smell more like lilac. Even lilac pomades of the 1900s were synthesized using styrax, benzoin, and other compounds on the fat substrate to resemble lilac pomade.

So the real thing is very different. It is a living nectar exhaled by the flowers while they are kept alive in the chassis. They cannot be crushed or pressed to extract the smell. The flowers have to breathe their scent on the fat so that it absorbs into the fat and can be extracted later into the essential oil or left as a luxurious lilac pomade. It is a wonder to me that we can capture and collect enough of these vapors to form any amount of essential oil. But we do! 

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