Woody

In the modern atelier, artisans begin by selecting mature trunks from sustainably managed forests. They strip the bark to expose the heartwood, then cut the wood into small chips. For essential oils, they place the chips in a stainless steel still and pass steam through at 100 °C for several hours. The steam carries volatile compounds upward, where it cools and condenses into a clear distillate. This steam‑distilled oil captures the bright, piney facets of cedar and the creamy depth of sandalwood. When the target material is a resin, such as agarwood, the process shifts to solvent extraction. Technicians soak the powdered wood in ethanol, allowing lipophilic aromatics to dissolve. After filtration, they evaporate the solvent under reduced pressure, leaving a thick absolute rich in woody aromachemicals. Throughout, quality control labs run gas‑chromatography to verify the presence of key constituents like α‑cedrol, santalol, and vetiverol. The final product, whether oil or absolute, is filtered, decanted into amber bottles, and sealed to protect the fragile aroma from light and oxygen.