In short
Ylang ylang absolute is the solvent extract of Cananga odorata flowers, deeper and closer to the fresh flower than the distilled oil. It is used for a rich, creamy floral heart.
What Ylang Ylang Absolute smells like
Lush's perfumer describes the essential oil as floral with sweet, exotic fruit notes and the absolute as deeper and closer to the smell of fresh flowers, less sharply floral, with an earthy, juicy, warm depth that softens earthy notes; the absolute is made by solvent extraction rather than distillation. Biolandes produces ylang ylang in the Comoros and Madagascar and lists an absolute.
- Leading note
- Ylang ylang flower
- Supporting facets
- Earthy, juicy
- Character
- Rich, warm
What makes Ylang Ylang Absolute distinctive
The flower rather than the distillate: fuller and earthier than the oil, without its sharp top.
How Ylang Ylang Absolute is used
Used in white floral, tropical and oriental accords for a full, creamy ylang ylang note.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Ylang Ylang Absolute differs from similar materials
- Ylang Ylang Oil
- A perfumer compares the two: the oil is floral with sweet exotic-fruit notes, the absolute deeper, warmer and closer to the fresh flower, with less sharpness. (compared directly by a cited source)
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Shares its CAS number with ylang ylang oil, so none is given here.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Absolute
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Floral / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Viscous liquid
- Botanical source
- Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson
No CAS number is shown: suppliers use different identifiers for this material, and none could be confirmed as its own.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Ylang Ylang Oil
Essential oil · Floral / Spicy — floral, creamy, sweet, banana
-
Jasmine Absolute (Grandiflorum)
Absolute · Floral / Animalic — jasmine, floral, indolic, fruity
-
Benzyl Salicylate
Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — balsamic, floral, faint, sweet
Ylang Ylang Absolute is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Tobacco Flower Absolute.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 19 published formulas
Ylang Ylang Absolute is an ingredient in 5 perfume formulas, 13 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Ylang Ylang Absolute
Is Ylang Ylang Absolute natural or synthetic?
Ylang Ylang Absolute is natural. It is a concentrated extract obtained from plant material with a solvent, then washed with ethanol to remove the waxes.
Which published formulas use Ylang Ylang Absolute?
Ylang Ylang Absolute is used in 19 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Carnation Accord, Coconut Accord and Coquito Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- Lush — Ylang ylang absolute — published perfumery reference.
- Biolandes — Ylang ylang — manufacturer's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.