Know the Helichrysum absolute (Immortelle): some details about our production.
A plant widespread throughout the Mediterranean. Professor Appendino once described it in a publication as the “sleeping giant of the Mediterranean” due to its therapeutic properties.
Effective both in vitro and in vivo against inflammatory processes. Consequently its extracts are used to modulate immune responses in cases of dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and joint pain, thanks to compounds such as italidiones, arzanol, and neryl acetate.
At Casalvento, we cultivate certified organic plants from which we produce Essential Oils, Hydrolats, and Hyper Hydro. In our laboratory we produce the absolute. It has a creamy consistency and a brownish-yellow color, and—unlike the essential oil—it possesses a scent identical to that of the helichrysum flower.
It all begins with the harvest. Only flower heads that have not yet fully matured are gathered. To prevent fermentation, the solvent is added immediately (steam is used exclusively for essential oil production), and the mixture is agitated intermittently for about a month. We repeat the extraction process three times to fully extract the aromatics from the botanical material. We concentrate the extract by recovering the solvent at the end of the summer; the optimal technique relies on low-temperature, vacuum evaporation.
The main production challenges arise from the water inevitably present in the raw botanical material and the presence of waxes, which must be carefully removed. This ensures the resulting absolute has excellent alcohol solubility and leaves no residue film on the walls of the finished product’s bottle.
The fine fragrance industry seeks an ingredient that is highly fragrant, pale in color, easily soluble in alcohol, and does not clog the bottle’s spray nozzle.
The olfactory notes are intense, warm, and radiant, evoking the Mediterranean scrub. Notes of hay, honey, dried fruit, leather, and curry are instantly recognizable. Its exceptional longevity lends depth and a distinctive character to luxury creations.
Like essential oils, Helichrysum absolute has a scent profile that depends heavily on the botanical material used in the process. Scientific studies have shown that extract composition varies significantly based on the growing habitat. Certainly essential oils produced in Tuscany differ from those from Sardinia, the former Yugoslavia, or Mediterranean France. In recent years, marketing has tended to label anything “linked to a specific territory” as a mark of production excellence. However, experience tells us that the quality of an extract depends largely on who produces it and how. For essential oils, the distillation method is the critical factor, including variables such as direct versus indirect steam and the use of cohobation, as well as the duration and control of the process. In the case of an absolute, the characteristics of the specific solvent used are fundamental, as the aromatic substances extracted depend directly on it.
At Casalvento, we pay special attention to the use of solvents. Benzene always leaves traces of odor in the finished product, and a trained nose can detect the aromatic note of this substance. Hexane evaporates more easily and leaves the plant matrix behind, causing fewer issues of this kind; however, we avoid it due to its high flammability, toxicity, and processing costs. Alcohol-based mixtures are the best option, as they effectively separate waxy elements from the rest. Petroleum ether offers good yields in terms of both quality and quantity, but… the final word on this always rests solely with our end customer … the Master Perfumer.