A recent visit to Grasse, France left our noses captivated by the complexity of this Blackcurrant Bud Absolute, also known by its French name Bourgeons de Cassis Absolute. To produce our Blackcurrant Bud Absolute only flower buds are collected for benign hexane free extraction. Blackcurrant Bud Absolute imparts an opulent sweet wine-like middle note in perfume accords. This absolute has the ability to augment natural perfume blends with just a teeny-tiny amount. Less is more so this absolute should be used with the utmost in frugality.
The aroma is actually very complex ranging from tart green and fruity notes to ammonia crossed with indolic notes. This odd note, that some describe as sulfphur (cat piss), is attributed to a particular chemical constituent 4-methoxy-2-methylbutan-2-thiol. Because the olfactory detection is reputedly 1:1,000,000 billion, this is what perfumers look for and love about Blackcurrant Bud absolute because it gives them the ability to alter a scent with a very small amount.
Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, produces round black berries which are used in culinary dishes and beverages. The plants used for this absolute come from organic cultivation in the Burgundy Region of France where blackcurrant berries are integral to wine making. It takes over 660 pounds of buds to produce just 1 kilo of absolute. The extracted flower buds yield an absolute with a distinctive strong blackcurrant aroma used in perfumery rather than aromatherapy. However, with such a calming aroma you may find this absolute useful in anti-anxiety or meditation blends.
Solubility note: This absolute is very tricky to work with, but really worth the effort. The producer recommends alcohol (96%), DPG, or Castor oil for diluting the pure absolute. The reason Castor Oil is singled out from a long list of carrier oils is because it’s pretty much the only unsaturated fat that has a high amount of polarity, as all other oils are nonpolar or slightly polar. Jojoba, coconut, and avocado are slightly polar and it didn’t dissolve in Jojoba. Castor Oil is the best carrier to solubilize the absolute. Of the other oils tried, such as Jojoba, there was partial solubility with still quite a bit of sediment (undissolved parts) that collected in the bottom of the beaker. For those that prefer the convenience of a ready to use dilution we have 20% in Castor oil available.
Aromatherapy use: None documented.
General use: Natural and fine perfume, base note fixative, fragrance ingredient: soap, lotions, diffusers, potpourri, air fresheners, bath oils, and more.
Contraindications: None known
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