Product Overview
Our Bitter Almond essential oil is a delightful addition to any perfumer’s aromatic palette. Unlike its cousin the Sweet Almond and the extract of almonds, Bitter Almonds naturally contain traces of prussic acid (also known as hydrogen cyanide) making them ultimately lethal to ingest and a good thing to avoid. Our Bitter Almond essential oil is steam distilled from the crushed and pressed kernels (it can also be extracted from the kernels of cherries, plums and peaches[5]), then rectified to remove the toxic prussic acid. However, this oil is still NOT SUITABLE FOR INGESTION in any way and must be used with caution as it can cause severe skin irritation in sensitive individuals.
Benzaldehyde, the primary constituent in Bitter Almond essential oil, has a long history of commercial use in fragrances. One of the classic gourmand aromas, Bitter Almond oil smells like marzipan (almond paste) heaven – rich, intense and very food-like. It lends a sweet, nutty, cherry-like top note to natural perfumes, and a seductive and alluring nuance to men’s colognes.[6]
1 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 53.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Tisserand, Robert and Rodney Young. Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed., 2014, pp. 191-2.
5 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 51.
