Concrete
A perfume concrete is a fragrant waxy plant extract. Learn how it is made, why it is refined into an absolute, and how it differs from a wearable solid perfume.
Updated
In perfumery, a concrete is a fragrant, usually waxy material left after a plant has been extracted with a volatile solvent and that solvent has been removed. It contains aromatic compounds alongside waxes and other extracted plant substances.
A concrete is often an intermediate material. Washing it with alcohol, removing much of the wax and then removing the alcohol produces an absolute. The extra processing changes its composition and suitability for a formula.
Do not confuse a raw concrete with a solid perfume sold for wearing. A wearable solid is a finished formulation; the word concrete by itself does not establish how a material should be applied.
- Solvent extraction
- Using a solvent to separate selected compounds from plant material.
- Plant waxes
- Components recovered along with the aroma that contribute to a concrete’s waxy consistency.
- Absolute
- The aromatic material obtained after further refining, commonly through alcohol washing and wax removal.
- Solubility
- How well a material dissolves in a given medium. Waxes can complicate a clear alcohol-based formulation.
- Solid perfume
- A finished wearable fragrance in a solid carrier. It is distinct from an unformulated botanical concrete.