Making Bilberry absolute

by Abigail Hinsman May 6, 2022

Packing bilberry absolute, one of my handmade natural perfumery ingredients, the color is that of cooked blueberries, with bumpy fruit leather texture. It smells of tangy fruit with that back of the tongue taste of iron found in many deep purple to bluish berries. In perfume compositions it contributes juicy depth as well as lift thanks to its acidity. I created this absolute by tincturing cured bilberries in ethanol for 18 months. I then strained and pressed the liquor from the fruit before running it through my low temperature extractor to reclaim the ethanol for reuse. I leave a small amount of alcohol in the extraction before pouring it onto silicone mats to finish evaporating naturally. Then, while the absolute still contains bright top notes, I scrape it into glass bottles or jars for cool storage as shown here. You can find this bilberry absolute in my solid perfume Nymphs of Naxos.