Rock samphire absolute

Salty herb, dried seaweed, lemon peel. Celery and fennel facets. A green base with an iodine hint.

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

Limonene, present in the plant, is on the EU allergen list. They must be labelled above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Crithmum maritimum is a succulent herb of the carrot family growing on cliffs and shingle along the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. Its thick grey-green leaves taste salty. In France it is called criste marine and gathered as a pickled vegetable.

Rock samphire oil is well studied. Its main constituents are usually γ-terpinene and sabinene, with limonene. Some populations are rich in dillapiole, others carry thymol methyl ether. Proportions vary with region and season.

The absolute is made by extracting the plant with a solvent to a concrete, then washing with ethanol, chilling, filtering and removing the alcohol. The plant is also used for skin care extracts in cosmetics.

In perfumery, rock samphire gives a salty herbal note that evokes the shore without synthetic molecules such as calone. It is used in marine, aromatic and citrus structures, with seaweed, celery and dill.

Composition data specific to the absolute are rarely published. The compounds above come mainly from the oil.