Cistus Absolute

Latin name :

Cistus ladaniferus L.

Botanical profile :

The cistus belongs to the Cistaceae family and to the genus Cistus. This includes three subspecies.

Geographic origin :

Cistus ladaniferus is a common plant found all over the mediterranean area. It is especially abundant in Spain ( Huelva Province - Andevalo) as well as in Portugal (Alentejo and Algarve regions). This is where the largest cistus plantations are located. It is also possible to find some cultivations in the Esterel (Var - France).
The emblematic city of Cistus is Puebla de Guzman, in Andalusia, where the communities, mainly gypsies, have transmitted a unique savoir-faire from one generation to the next.

Chemotypes :

The genus Cistus includes about 20 different species, the majority of which exudes fragrant gum.
Among these, the most used are:
Cistus ladaniferus var. albiflorus, var. maculatos, var. stenoiphyllus, which produce the resin used in perfumes.
Cistus creticus, with rose to purple petals, surronding a tuft of stamens.
Cistus salvifolius, with white petals.
Cistus parviflorus, with pale rose petals.

Extraction process :

In April, Cistus ladaniferus fields are covered with the famous white flowers, but they don't smell and are very delicate (they only last a few days). It is necessary to wait a few months, around May-June, for a new shoot to appear. This new branch protects itself from the sun - and from the summer heat of southern Spain - by secreting a very fragrant viscous gum. We use the latter in perfumery.
In July, from dawn to noon, new branches are cut with a sickle, bundled and taken to the factory to extract the gum. It will then be necessary to wait another 3 years to harvest the cistus again.
To obtain the resinoid, the gum is treated in a soda solution for extraction with a 3 to 5% yield. After filtration, an acid treatment is carried out. A pasty product is recovered by skimming and distilled to dry it. The paste is finally treated with alcohol, then filtered to remove insoluble compounds. A ''labdanum alcohol resinoid '' is then obtained.
Several reprocessing are possible on the cistus absolute, to remove insoluble compounds or colour. Such rectification has no olfactory impact.

Major Components :

Data not available.