The Art of Perfumery by George William Septimus Piesse (comprehension books TXT) 📖
- Author: George William Septimus Piesse
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The civet is only used to give permanence to the perfume of the handkerchief.
Lily.—The manufacturing perfumer rejects the advice of the inspired writer, to "consider the lilies of the field." Rich as they are in odor, they are not cultivated for their perfume. If lilies are thrown into oil of sweet almonds, or ben oil, they impart to it their sweet smell; but to obtain anything like fragrance, the infusion must be repeated a dozen times with the same oil, using fresh flowers for each infusion, after standing a day or so. The oil being shaken with an equal quantity of spirit for a week, gives up its odor to the alcohol, and thus extract of lilies may be made. But how it is made is thus:—
Imitation "Lily of the Valley."Keep this mixture together for a month, and then bottle it for sale. It is a perfume that is very much admired.
Mace.—Ground mace is used in the manufacture of some of those scented powders called Sachets. A strong-smelling essential oil may be procured from it by distillation, but it is rarely used.
Magnolia.—The perfume of this flower is superb; practically, however, it is of little use to the manufacturer, the large size of the blossoms and their comparative scarcity prevents their being used, but a very excellent imitation of its odor is made as under, and is that which is found in the perfumers' shops of London and Paris.
Imitation "Essence of Magnolia."Marjoram.—The otto procured by distilling Origanum majorana, commonly called oil of oringeat by the French, is exceedingly powerful, and in this respect resembles all the ottos from the different species of thyme, of which the marjoram is one. One hundred weight of the dry herb yields about ten ounces of the otto. Oringeat oil is extensively used for perfuming soap, but more in France than in England. It is the chief ingredient used by Gelle Frères, of Paris, for scenting their "Tablet Monstre Soap," so common in the London shops.
Meadow Sweet.—A sweet-smelling otto can be produced by distilling the Spiræa ulmaria, but it is not used by perfumers.
Melissa. See Balm.
Mignonette.—But for the exquisite odor of this little flower, it would scarcely be known otherwise than as a weed. Sweet as it is in its natural state, and prolific in odor, we are not able to maintain its characteristic smell as an essence. Like many others, during separation from the plant, the fragrance is more or less modified; though not perfect, it still reminds the sense of the odor of the flowers. To give it that sweetness which it appears to want, a certain quantity of violet is added to bring it up to the market odor.
As this plant is so very prolific in odor, we think something might be done with it in England, especially as it flourishes as well in this country as in France; and we desire to see Flower Farms and organized Perfumatories established in the British Isles, for the extraction of essences and the manufacture of pomade and oils, of such flowers as are indigenous, or that thrive in the open fields of our country. Besides opening up a new field of enterprise and good investment for capital, it would give healthy employment to many women and children. Open air employment for the young is of no little consideration to maintain the stamina of the future generation; for it cannot be denied that our factory system and confined cities are prejudicial to the physical condition of the human family.
To return from our digression. The essence of mignonette, or, as it is more often sold under the name of Extrait de Rézéda, is prepared by infusing the rézéda pomade in rectified spirit, in the proportion of one pound of pomade to one pint of spirit, allowing them to digest together for a fortnight, when the essence is filtered off the pomade. One ounce of extrait d'ambré is added to every pint. This is done to give permanence to the odor upon the handkerchief, and does not in any way alter its odor.
Miribane.—The French name for artificial essence of almond (see Almond).
Mint.—All the Menthidæ yield fragrant ottos by distillation. The otto of the spear-mint (M. viridis) is exceedingly powerful, and very valuable for perfuming soap, in conjunction with other perfumes. Perfumers use the ottos of the mint in the manufacture of mouth-washes and dental liquids. The leading ingredient in the celebrated "eau Botot" is oil of peppermint in alcohol. A good imitation may be made thus:—
Eau de Botot.Modifications of this formula can be readily suggested, but the main object is to retain the mint ottos, as they have more power than any other aromatic to overcome the smell of tobacco. Mouth-washes, it must be remembered, are as much used for rinsing the mouth after smoking as for a dentifrice.
Myrtle.—A very fragrant otto may be procured by distilling both flowers and leaves of the common myrtle; one hundred-weight will yield about five ounces of the volatile oil. The demand for essence of myrtle being very limited, the odor as found in the perfumers' shops is very rarely a genuine article, but it is imitated thus:—
Imitation Essence of Myrtle.Mix and allow to stand for a fortnight: it is then fit for bottling, and is a perfume that gives a great deal of satisfaction.
Myrtle-flower water is sold in France under the name of eau d'ange, and may be prepared like rose, elder, or other flower waters.
Neroli, or Orange-flower.—Two distinct odors are procurable from the orange-blossom, varying according to the methods adopted for procuring them. This difference of perfume from the same flower is a great advantage to the manufacturer. This curious fact is worthy of inquiry by the chemical philosopher. It is not peculiar to the orange-flower, but applies to many others, especially rose—probably to all flowers.
When orange-flowers are treated by the maceration process, that is, by infusion in a fatty body, we procure orange-flower pomatum, its strength and quality being regulated by the number of infusions of the flower made in the same grease.
By digesting this orange-flower pomatum in rectified spirits in the proportions of from six pounds to eight pounds of pomade to a gallon of spirit, for about a fortnight at a summer heat, we obtain the extrait de fleur d'orange, or extract of orange-flowers, a handkerchief perfume surpassed by none. In this state its odor resembles the original so much, that with closed eyes the best judge could not distinguish the scent of the extract from that of the flower. The peculiar flowery odor of this extract renders it valuable to perfumers, not only to sell in a pure state, but slightly modified with other extraits passes for "sweet pea," "magnolia," &c., which it slightly resembles in fragrance.
Now, when orange-flowers are distilled with water, we procure the otto of the blossom, which is known commercially as oil of neroli. The neroli procured from the flowers of the Citrus aurantium is considered to be the finest quality, and is called "neroli petale." The next quality, "neroli bigarade," is derived from the blossoms of the Citrus bigaradia, or Seville orange. Another quality, which is considered inferior to the preceding, is the neroli petit grain, obtained by distilling the leaves and the young unripe fruit of the different species of the citrus.
The "petale" and "bigarade" neroli are used to an enormous extent in the manufacture of eau de Cologne and other handkerchief perfumes. The petit grain is mainly consumed for scenting soap. To form the esprit de neroli, dissolve 1-1/2 oz. of neroli petale in one gallon of rectified spirits. Although very agreeable, and extensively used in the manufacture of bouquets, it has no relation to the flowery odor of the extrait de fleur d'orange, as derived from the same flowers by maceration; in fact, it has as different an odor as though obtained from another plant, yet in theory both these extraits are but alcoholic solutions of the otto of the flower.
The water used for distillation in procuring the neroli, when well freed from the oil, is imported into this country under the name of eau de fleur d'orange, and may be used, like elder-flower and rose-water, for the skin, and as an eye lotion. It is remarkable for its fine fragrance, and it is astonishing that it is not more used, being moderate in price. (See Syringa.)
Nutmeg.—The beautiful odor of the nutmeg is familiar to all. Though an otto can be drawn from them of a very fragrant character, it is rarely used in perfumery. The ground nuts are, however, used advantageously in the combinations of scented powders used for scent bags.—See "Sachet's Powders."
Olibanum is a gum resin, used to a limited extent in this country, in the manufacture of incense and pastilles. It is chiefly interesting as being one of those odoriferous bodies of which frequent mention is made in the Holy volume.[C]
"It is believed," says Burnett, "to have been one of the ingredients in the sweet incense of the Jews; and it is still burnt as incense in the Greek and Romish churches, where the diffusion of such odors round the altar forms a part of the prescribed religious service."
Olibanum is partially soluble in alcohol, and, like most of the balsams, probably owes its perfume to a peculiar odoriferous body, associated with the benzoic acid it contains.
For making the tincture or extract of olibanum, take 1 pound of the gum to 1 gallon of the spirit.
Orange.—Under the title "Neroli" we have already spoken of the odoriferous principle of the orange-blossom. We have now to speak of what is known in the market as Essence of Orange, or, as it is more frequently termed, Essence of Portugal,—a name, however, which we cannot admit in a classified list of the "odors of plants."
The otto of orange-peel, or odoriferous principle of the orange fruit, is procured by expression and by distillation. The peel is rasped in order to crush the little vessels or sacs that imprison the otto.
Its abundance in the peel is shown by pinching a piece near the flame of a candle; the otto that spirts out ignites with a brilliant illumination.
It has many uses in perfumery, and from its refreshing fragrance finds many admirers.
It is the leading ingredient in what is sold as "Lisbon Water" and "Eau de Portugal." The following is a very useful form for preparing
Lisbon Water.This is a form for
Eau de Portugal.It should be noted that these perfumes are never to be filled into wet bottles, for if in any way damp from water, a minute portion of
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