Laurel Berry Oil

#### Laurel Berry Oil. Almost obsolete, but undoubtedly still imprinted in the minds of older perfumers, is the essential oil which is steam distilled from the fruits of **Laurus**** ****Nobilis**. This small tree grows in most of the Mediterranean countries. Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey are among the more important producers of the botanical raw material. The tree is cultivated mainly for its wood which is very suitable for fenceposts or supporters of wine plants. The leaves of the tree are described under **Laurel Leaf Oil **(see this monograph). **Laurel Berry Oil, **when steam distilled, contains substantial amounts of fixed oil, consisting mainly of odorless lauric acid, myristic acid and related compounds. These acids are eliminated by washing the total oil with diluted alcohol or by freezing an alcoholic solution of the total oil, compare **Orris Oil**. Occasionally the fruits are extracted with petroleum ether, and the fatty acids are isolated from the concrète product. This yields a **Laurel Berry Absolute**, rarely offered commercially, but sometimes prepared by certain perfume manufacturers for their own use. Steam distilled, de-waxed and fatty-acid-free **Laurel Berry Oil **is a pale yellow, greenish yellow or olive-green, mobile liquid of warm camphoraceous and spicy odor, reminiscent of myrtle, juniperberry, hyssop, Comoro-basil, cajuput and similar oils. Its fresh-medicinal, but pleasantly spicy and warm flavor has also been appreciated, but in this respect the oil has been replaced by one or more of the above oils or compositions. **Laurel**** ****Berry**** ****Oil**** **has been used as an insect repellant and as a spice oil (or more correctly, a culinary herb oil, see monograph on **Spices**, Part One of this book). In perfumery, the oil has found use as a modifier in chypre, colognes, luxury pine fragrances, ambre bases, etc.; in a multitude of perfume types, the oil can enter as a trace additive to give fresh-warm, camphoraceous- spicy effects in the topnote. The oil itself is hardly available today, but the botanical raw material is abundantly available, see **Laurel Leaf Oil.**