Oakmoss is a fragrant ingredient that is commonly used in perfumery, especially in chypre and Fougère types of perfumes. It has a heavy, musky, agrestic aroma which brings an exquisite depth of character to many blends. Oakmoss smells earthy, woody, sensual with hints of musk and amber, and is really not like anything else in the perfumer’s ‘palette’ because it also works fantastically as a ‘fixative’ to give scent a longer life on the skin. Oakmoss is often used as a base note and improves the longevity of the composition.
Oakmoss absolute can be obtained by solvent extraction or by using vacuum distillation. The one obtained by solvent extraction is dark green or even brown in color and has a strong, natural, earthy-mossy scent with a slight leather undertone. The process of vacuum distillation gives a pale yellow or green aromatic material with a very dry, earthy and bark-like flavor. Oakmoss absolute blends extremely well with other floral essential oils such as Rose and Jasmine as well as citrus fruit oils like Bergamot and much more.
Oakmoss is not a true plant, but a lichen, and is usually commercially grown in South-Central Europe and exported to Grasse in France, where the majority of the perfumery houses are situated. Oakmoss is found in many iconic perfumes such as Paloma Picasso.
However, oakmoss has become very controversial in recent times, since the IFRA, a body that regulates the guidelines for safe usage of fragrant chemicals and essential oils in perfumes, has listed oakmoss as a restricted ingredient due to its potential to cause allergic reactions in the consumer as fragrance ingredients. Nature In Bottle certifies that Oakmoss Absolute does not contain parabens, restricted preservatives, colorants or UV filters, and is cruelty-free and free of animal testing.
