Essential oils and perfume?

Question

what are the different components of perfume?

why must flowers be processed immediately after harvesting?

what post preparation oil treatment can improve the odor intensity of the essential oils?

Answer 1

A good perfume contains aromatic compounds ( natural or synthetic ), solvent ( f.e. ethanol/water; coconut oil for perfume oil ) and a fixation ( wax, resin ).

The concentration of aromatic compounds varies with type of perfume.

The composition of fragrances usually contains three "notes", top ( or head-)-note, middle( or heart-)-note and base-note to make sure that the perfume has a balanced smell from first to last moment.

For more details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume

The flowers or other used plant-parts should be processed as fresh as possible. Otherwise the volatile oils can fly away or can be modified or even decomposed.

The intensity of essential oils depends on volatileness and composition of different scents. A prolonged smell can be achieved by fixation ( wax, resin ).

Here some recipes for simple homemade perfumes:

http://www.beautyfeast.com/Homemaderecip...

and the yahoo-group Perfumemaking for professional and beginning perfumers:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perfumemak...

Answer 2

Odors and flavors are volatile.  Wait too long and they are gone.

Cant help you with the rest