Character
The Story of Sesame CO2
Sesame CO2 captures the warm, deeply toasted character of one of humanity's oldest cultivated seeds. This aromatic concentrate bridges the gap between the kitchen and the perfumer's palette, delivering an authentic nutty warmth that feels both familiar and surprisingly complex.
Heritage
Sesame accompanied civilization along ancient trade routes, moving from its probable origin in the Indus Valley region into Mesopotamia, Egypt, and eventually across the Mediterranean. Mesopotamian texts from 4,000 years ago mention sesame oil, while Egyptian medical papyri reference its use in cosmetics and remedies. Ancient Persians applied sesame oil as a base for enfleurage, one of the earliest recorded perfume-making techniques, using it to capture fragrant compounds from flowers.
In classical Greece and Rome, sesame featured in food, medicine, and religious offerings. The Romans used sesame seeds in cakes during celebrations, a practice echoed in some cultures today. Throughout Asia, sesame became integral to cuisines from tahini to sesame oil, each preparation revealing different aromatic facets of the same seed.
The shift from culinary to perfumery applications developed gradually as extraction techniques improved. Supercritical CO2 extraction, developed primarily in the 1980s for food and pharmaceutical applications, eventually reached fine fragrance production. This method allowed perfumers to access the authentic toasted, nutty character of sesame without the interference of carrier oils or heat-induced changes that earlier techniques produced.
At a Glance
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Feature this note
India
Primary source region
Ingredient Details
Supercritical CO2 extraction
Sesame seeds
Did You Know
"Sesame ranks among the oldest oilseeds cultivated by humans, with archaeological evidence suggesting it was grown in the Indus Valley more than 5,000 years ago."