Chimonanthus Fragrans Absolute

#### Chimonanthus Fragrans. Various exotic or foreign plants have from time to time been introduced in the south of France for the purpose of supplying the perfume industry with new and interesting items. One such plant is the **Chimonanthus**** ****Fragrans,**** **a shrub from China and Japan where the decorative plant has drawn the attention of certain manufacturers of perfume materials. An absolute is produced from the flowers of this shrub by petroleum ether extraction and subsequent alcohol washing of the concrète extract. This absolute has never attained any significant interest in perfumery and the production remains very occasional, although the absolute has been known for over 30 years. It is not a regularly produced, commercially available item. The odor of **Chimonanthus**** ****Fragrans**** **absolute is generally described as "resembling jasmin, jonquil and orange peel" (mostly quotations from a 1931 publication in a no more existing French perfumery periodical). The constituents which have so far been identified in the absolute of chimonanthus fragrans would confirm the likelihood of such an odor complex (unless the odor description was based upon these findings). Considering a yield of little more than 0.1% of absolute, based upon the weight of flowers, it is conceivable that this absolute is comparatively expensive. Materials which are occasionally offered in the perfume raw material market as **Absolute **of **Chimonanthus Fragrans **may very well be compounded perfume bases. The author has no personal experience with the use of this material.