Ylang-Ylang Absolute

#### Ylang-Ylang Absolute. One of the most delightful floral absolutes is the one obtained by alcohol washing of the concrète from **Ylang-Ylang**. This process is performed almost exclusively in France, from concrète imported from Nossi-Bé or from the Comoro islands (see also monograph on **Ylang-Ylang Concrète **for origin and production). The concrète yields a very high amount of absolute (75 to 82%), and the resulting absolute is a pale yellow to straw yellow, oily liquid of intensely sweet-floral, very diffusive odor. With an unusual power in its topnote, the fragrance fades out very slowly and most elegantly in a long-lasting, floral-spicy and very sweet note, truly reminiscent of the fragrance of the flower. It is a typical *balsamic *floral note, and it is distinguished from the odor of the oil (“extra”) by its lightness and uniformity. Considering its relatively low cost and versatile application, it is surprising that this material is not used much more frequently in perfumery than the production figures seem to show. The annual world production must be considerably less than one metric ton. **Ylang-Ylang Absolute **is one of the finest floral materials in high-class muguet perfumes (type “Diorissimo”, etc.), where its power and (yet) very delicate undertone blend excellently with jasmin and rose materials, hydroxycitronellal, dimethylbenzyl carbinyl acetate, dimethyl phenylethyl .carbinol, phenylethyl isobutyrate, nerolidol, Peru balsam oil, indole, isoeugenol, rhodinol, sandalwood oil, cassie and mimosa, vertenex HC, alpha isomethyl ionone, etc. It is used in carnation, lilac, lily, narcissus, gardenia, violet, hyacinth, honeysuckle, peony, freesia, sweet pea, and countless other floral bases. Furthermore in Oriental perfumes with rose, sandalwood, opopanax, spice oils, nonanolide, undecanolide, anthocephalus cadamba, costus, etc. The absolute finds occasional use in flavors of the intensely sweet type, e.g. peach and apricot. It is obviously an interesting bouquet for methyl salicylate flavors (“wintergreen”) through its olfactory and chemical relationship. **Ylang-Ylang Absolute **has a slightly bitter taste but, with proper blending and very low concentration, it gives quite pleasant and interesting notes in fruit flavors, etc. The suggested use level is 0.02 to 0.10 mg%, and the **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **is 0.01 to 0.02 mg%. Selling at less than one-fifth the price of jasmin absolute, **Ylang-Ylang**** ****Absolute**** **should have a very good future in perfumery. A steam distilled or steam-vacuum distilled concrète of **Ylang-Ylang **is commercially available under various brand names. The product can be considered as a type of an **Absolute Oil. **It represents the highest possible concentration of the volatile (and extractable) constituents of the flower. Its odor is even more refined than that of the absolute, but the tenacity is slightly inferior. ##### Ylang-Ylang Complete Oil. It was a very good idea (and who was actually the originator?) when, in the mid-1950’s, a “new” ylang-ylang oil was marketed under the name of **Ylang-Ylang Complete**. It was claimed that the oil was a natural distillate. To be quite true to its name, the oil should be the total result of an uninterrupted water-and-steam distillation of ylang-ylang flowers (see also **Cananga**** ****Oil**). The distillation was carried out in the Comoro islands by a large French company which had good and modern equipment at its disposal. If such an oil was ever distilled on a commercial scale, the undertaking was rapidly abandoned. Consumers were not willing to pay the high price which obviously has to be high enough to include the equivalent of “extra” oil contained in the total distillate (see **Ylang-Ylang**** ****Oil**). The true “complete” oil would cost about half the price of the “extra” oil. Consequently, another “complete” oil was “produced” on the spot: a mixture of all the fractions which were difficult to sell at the same rate as the quick-selling “ylang-ylang extra” (particularly the oils ylang-ylang I and II). Thus, a new means of economical distillation was set up. A “medium quality” ylang-ylang oil was made available at a reasonable price. However, the profound studies of the chemical composition of ylang-ylang oil proved disadvantageous to the natural oil: countless artificial “complete” oils appeared on the market, and today it is hard to find the natural mixture among the abundance of artificial oils, many of which are quite good from a perfumery point of view. They are available at less than half the theoretical cost of a true and genuine complete ylang-ylang oil. **Ylang-Ylang Complete Oil **is usually a yellowish, somewhat oily liquid, with a powerful and intensely sweet, but also soft-balsamic floral odor and an unusual tenacity in its floral-woody undertones. The oil is useful in soap perfumes and in general perfumery as a floral additive of extremely versatile application. It blends with almost any other floral natural or synthetic material, and gives good effects in a concentration of 0.5 **% **up to about 5 % of the perfume base. In view of the above remarks on the genuineness of ylang-ylang complete oil, it is not possible to give any useful production figures