Chemical-free Fragrance Extraction at Low Temperatures

Whether you’re extracting fragrances for perfumes or foods, you want the highest quality extract with the least chemical residue. Using supercritical fluid to extract your fragrances is the way to accomplish this with no hazardous chemicals.

© Raymond Kasprzak
Dreamstime Stock Photos

 Fragrance compounds are volatile molecules that have an odor or aroma. They are low molecular weight compounds and are found in food, wine, spices, flowers and many natural products. These volatile essential oils are composed of esters, terpenes, cyclic terpenes, aromatics, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and lactones. All of these compounds are readily soluble in supercritical CO₂ at low temperatures and low pressures.

Visit the Applied Separations website for more information about Supercritical Fragrance Extraction and Supercritical Fluids.

Essential Oil Extracts with No Solvent Residue or Health Hazard

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide extracts essential oils more efficiently than petroleum based solvents. More importantly, upon returning to an ambient state, the CO₂ becomes a gas, leaving no residue. Flavors and fragrances are left in their unadulterated states. Essential oils extracted with supercritical fluids leave no solvent taste or smell.

Sometimes supercritical CO₂ is used in conjunction with more traditional methods such as soaking perfume feedstocks in an organic solvent for a period of time. The organic solvents containing the extracted the perfumes (essential oils) and accompanying waxes are then decanted and evaporated, leaving a concrete. The essential oils can easily be separated from the wax with supercritical CO₂. Because of the low temperature, the process gives high recoveries.

View the video and visit the Applied Separations website for more information.

Can I use Supercritical Fluid to process MY Essential Oil?

Can I use Supercritical Fluid to process MY Essential Oil?

Short answer: Yes!

Supercritical fluid is a “tunable” solvent, meaning...
Manipulate the pressure and change the density. Change the density, and you change the solvating power.

Change the solubility characteristics of supercritical CO₂ to suit your needs.
Sunflower seeds? Yes.
Lavender? Yes.
Vanilla? Yes.
Coffee beans? Yes.
Cinnamon? Yes.
Ginger? Yes.
Jasmine? Yes.
Kava Kava? Yes.
Patchouli? Yes.
Rose Hip Seeds? Yes.
St. John’s Wort? Yes. …and the list goes on and on.


Visit the Applied Separations website to find out how.