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Aqua Oleum Jasmine Essential Oil 10ml
Referred to as the ‘King of Flowers’, Jasmin is one of the most popular
floral absolutes used in aromatherapy today. Unfortunately though, the
commercial hype against solvent extracted absolutes has proved damaging,
especially when the main ‘detractors’ have got it wrong.
We do not hide the fact that our absolutes are solvent extracted. The
enfleurage process is still available today, but the art of the process is
not the same and the quality provided has yet to be proven therapeutically, as
being even equal, let alone superior to the solvent extracted varieties.
Nowadays, it is industry policy to limit the solvent residue to less than 10
ppm (parts per million) - such a low concentration that even the Health &
Safety people admit that you would have to use/consume thousands of kg of an
absolute before the solvent could do any harm. In reality, the absolute would
definitely have an effect before then - from over-consumption. You need to step
back from the commercial hype being passed about and ask some simple questions
of yourself and your supplier.
We don’t need to join the hype on absolutes as the topic has already been
commercially abused beyond even the Industry’s belief. To give you some idea of
the problems:
Benzene (of Perrier fame) was the standard solvent used in the
industry to produce a range of absolutes. Pressure from governments and safety
organisations led to the alternative use of hexane, which in general proved more
economical. In 1988, Atawia et al investigated the production of Jasmin
Absolute via solvent-extraction and found that there was no significant
difference in odour quality using both hexane and benzene. There have been
investigations carried out in the last couple of years by Naves proving that the
composition of Jasmin ex solvent-extraction and enfleurage extraction are
relatively the same.
On the day that there is absolute and neutral proof that there is an
advantage for using enfleurage-extracted absolute over certain solvent-extracted
absolutes, we will acknowledge accordingly. Another comment recently heard from
a number of professional Aromatherapists is that ‘absolutes are adulterated at
source to a desired price’. Again, we are asking the essential oil industry, not
to take us seriously. Also it is an insult to the indigenous producers in India,
Morocco and etc. who strive to offer a quality product in preference to another
country of origin.
Worldwide production figures averaged so far through the 1990s per annum:
Jasmine Absolute
|
|
Average worldwide production 1990s |
kg |
|
Egypt |
6500
|
|
India |
2560
|
|
China |
1100
|
|
Morocco |
660
|
|
Guinea |
190
|
|
France |
40
|
|
Algeria |
10
|
Amazingly, France produces less than 50 kg, yet the question must be asked
how come over 150 kg of French Jasmin was imported into the UK in 1991? French
production is still on the decline and it is now common knowledge that they
import large volumes of Jasmin concrete from Egypt and India for production into
absolute locally - it is not produced in France.
Aqua Oleum refuses to buy Egyptian origin on moral grounds only.
Children are paid around 20p per day to collect the flowers in what can only be
described as blatant manipulation of local people. It is not even enough to feed
them for the day. If we can find a way of sourcing from a reputable source in
Egypt then we will investigate.
We also show the major constituents of Jasmin based on solvent extraction.
Regrettably, we can not offer figures on enfleurage extraction as none of the
major producers were either interested or would take the process seriously:
Jasmine Absolute
|
|
Principal constituents by % |
Extraction method |
| Benzene |
Hexane |
|
linalool |
4.4
|
3.8
|
|
benzyl acetate |
18.1
|
18.3
|
|
benzyl benzoate |
18.2
|
15.6
|
|
phytol |
10.7
|
7.1
|
|
phytyl acetate |
10.6
|
8.9
|
|
iso-phytol |
8.8
|
10.0
|
|
eugenol |
2.7
|
2.7
|
|
methyl lineolate |
3.2
|
4.5
|
|
cis-jasmone |
2.7
|
4.2
|
|
(z)-3-hexenyl benzoate |
2.0
|
2.8
|
|
methyl jasmonate |
1.6
|
3.8
|
Even from the above figures we can see that constituents, on this occasion,
are relatively average and similar. The information given here is not to provoke
difference but debate.
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