Product Overview
Tobacco Absolute is a very tenacious, aromatic material that adds warmth, depth and character to natural perfumes, especially masculine and Amber blends when used in very small amounts. It has a woody, mossy, sweet hay-like, warm herbaceous aroma reminiscent – when diluted – of fine pipe tobacco. PLEASE NOTE: While this product is considered 'Nicotine Free' by our manufacturer, it still may contain trace amounts.
Tobacco Absolute can also be a prominent note in a composition, such as the classic perfume Tabac Blond by Caron launched in 1919 that “paid homage to the scandalous bad girls who smoked cigarettes in the 1910s and 1920s”[1]; tobacco-themed fragrances too numerous to count have followed on since then.
Nicotiana tabacum has a history that goes back thousands of years in the cultures of the Native peoples of the Americas – the smoke from the dried leaves was and still is respectfully used, sometimes with other herbs, for spiritual and ceremonial purposes.[2] It appears that it was only after the dried herb became a processed commercial interest that deleterious effects became prevalent.
Although Tobacco Absolute is soluble in alcohol, it is only partially soluble in fixed (carrier) oils.[3] It does impart its aroma to fixed (carrier) oils by gently heating both absolute and carrier oil separately before combining. When cooled, insoluble material will precipitate to the bottom, however the portion remaining will be highly aromatic.
1 Herman, Barbara. Scent & Subversion – Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume, 2013, p. 29.
2 Rhind, Jennifer Peace. Fragrance and Wellbeing, 2014, pp. 53, 56-7.
3 Industry communication.
4 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 619.
