Roman chamomile absolute

Ripe apple, hay, chamomile flower. Cut tobacco and honey facets. Warmer and less freshly estery than the oil.

Roman chamomile absolute has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards. Chamaemelum nobile is not named in the EU fragrance allergen list under Regulation 2023/1545.

Plants of the daisy family contain sesquiterpene lactones, documented in dermatology as a cause of sensitisation in people already sensitised to Asteraceae. Their level in the absolute should be checked per lot.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Chamaemelum nobile is a low, creeping perennial native to western Europe. Its flower heads have white rays and a yellow disc. It is grown as a fragrant lawn in England and cultivated commercially in France, England, Italy and elsewhere.

Roman chamomile oil has its own page in the library. Its distinguishing feature is a very high ester content, mainly esters of angelic and isobutyric acids such as isobutyl angelate and 2-methylbutyl angelate. These esters give apple and fruity notes.

The absolute is made by extracting dried flower heads with a solvent to a concrete, then washing with ethanol, chilling, filtering and removing the alcohol. It keeps heavier matter such as flavonoids, plant coumarins and residual waxes, so it is darker and rounder in odour.

Composition data specific to the absolute are rarely published. The esters above come from the oil and indicate the general odour direction.

In perfumery, Roman chamomile absolute gives apple, hay and tobacco notes. It is used in herbal, fougère, tobacco and some gourmand accords. Low doses are enough because the odour is strong.

It should not be confused with German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), which is blue from chamazulene, or Moroccan chamomile (Cladanthus mixtus). These are three different species.