Absolutes tend to smell more like the real plant or flower than essential oils, while on the other hand essential oils offer therapeutic properties. Absolutes are obtained by alcohol or solvent extraction of a concrete. The solvents dissolve the waxes which contain the odorous substances of the flowers and are then eliminated by evaporation under reduced pressure so that the heat does not affect the resulting product which is the concrete. A concrete looks and feels similar to solid wax and is insoluble both in water and in alcohol. Absolutes have a consistency similar to honey and may not be entirely soluble in alcohol, if there’s any solvent left behind it could be as low as 1 part per million.

Absolutes are similar to essential oils and are used in aromatherapy and perfumery. Whereas essential oils are steam distilled, absolutes are more concentrated and are extracted through the use of a solvent such as hexane. Most of the solvents is removed during the final stages of production and, if any is left, the amount is negligible. Absolutes are usually thicker than most essential oils, are highly aromatic and may solidify at room temperature.