Honey absolute

Thick honey, warm beeswax, hay. Dried flower and sweet tobacco facets. The base turns slightly animalic, with the sour edge of phenylacetic acid.

Honey absolute has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards. Phenylacetaldehyde, which occurs in honey aroma, is restricted by IFRA (2020) per product category.

Honey absolute is not named in the EU fragrance allergen list. Benzyl alcohol and other listed substances, where present, are counted from the lot's content.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Honey absolute is made from honey and the comb residue left after extraction. The material is solvent-extracted to give a concrete, which is washed with ethanol, chilled, filtered of waxes and freed of alcohol. The product is a viscous amber to brown liquid.

The line between honey absolute and beeswax absolute is not always clear on the market. Some lots are made mostly from wax, others carry more honey. The odour profile therefore varies with the producer and with the flowers the bees worked.

Honey aroma rests mainly on small aromatic compounds. Phenylacetic acid gives a sweet, waxy, slightly animalic note. Phenylacetaldehyde gives a floral honey note. β-Damascenone adds a cooked fruit nuance. Orange blossom honey often carries methyl anthranilate, which is used as a floral origin marker.

In perfumery, honey absolute is used at low levels. It warms white florals such as jasmine and orange flower and links them to tobacco, amber and leather. At higher doses the phenylacetic facet can turn heavy and slightly urinous.

No single plant species stands behind this material. Each lot reflects the flowering season, the apiary region and how the comb was handled. The supplier's certificate of analysis is the basis for calculating IFRA and EU listed substances.