Absolutes are created through solvent extraction, rather than distillation. Often, plants used to make absolutes do not make an essential oil for various reasons, such as the plant material is degraded through the distillation process or the oil yield is too low or nonexistent. Since absolutes are created through solvent extraction, some of the extraction solution stays with the final product and can show up on testing reports. Absolutes are often a different consistency comparative to essential oils because they contain heavier compounds that are pulled through the extraction process vs the distillation process of essential oils.
Absolutes are often adulterated with nonvolatile components such as cooking oil. Carrier oils do not show up on short GC-MS runs, so they are likely to go undetected by less experienced laboratories.
Jasmine absolute can also be adulterated with aroma chemicals such as benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, linalool, or benzyl benzoate. Similar oils are also used to adulterate jasmine absolute, including other species of Jasmine. Ylang ylang and lime petitgrain both have high dimethyl anthranillate, so they are both easily substituted into a jasmine absolute. Synthetic fragrances such as amyl cinnamic aldehyde and synthetic jasmone may be added as well.
It is always important to test absolutes for purity. Experienced labs will know to test absolutes long enough and know what to look for to see additions that commonly happen, including carrier oils.
