Elderflower absolute

Green white flower, light honey, muscat grape. Grassy with a hint of tomato leaf. A faint dry herbal base.

Elderflower absolute has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards and is not named in the EU fragrance allergen list.

Linalool, where present, is on the EU allergen list and must be labelled above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Sambucus nigra is a shrub or small tree common throughout Europe. In late spring and early summer it bears flat, creamy white flower heads with a strong scent. The flowers are used for cordials, soft drinks and liqueurs. The ripe black berries are cooked into jams.

The flowers are picked just as they open, over a short window. They wilt quickly and lose their scent, so they must be processed at once. The absolute is made by solvent extraction to a concrete, then washing with ethanol, chilling, filtering waxes and removing the alcohol.

The volatiles of elderflower have been studied by the beverage industry. Reported compounds include linalool, hotrienol, cis-rose oxide, nerol oxide and β-damascenone. Hotrienol and rose oxide give the muscat grape facet; β-damascenone adds a cooked fruit note.

In perfumery, elderflower absolute is a minor material. It gives a green, lightly honeyed floral note for green, white floral and countryside accords. It links well with linden, honeysuckle and tomato leaf.

Supply of the absolute is small and irregular. Many commercial products are beverage extracts rather than perfumery absolutes. Form and source species should be confirmed with the supplier.