What is an attar? Part 1.

Traditionally flowers, herbs, spices and woods have been steam distilled in order to extract their essence. This essence is generally captured into the base oils of either sandalwood or any other carrier oil of choice at the other end of the distillation apparatus. This blend is widely referred to as an ‘attar’ or ‘itr’.

An attar is a concentrated oil and you only need just a tiny amount. Traditionally, applied directly on skin, the mild heat of the skin helps project the fragrance slowly over an extended period of time. Since, there is no spraying that happens in case of an attar, like the regular alcohol based fragrances, a little goes a long way.

Most genuine attars, after application on skin, lasts well over 8 hours which is impressive considering the fact that most mainstream perfumes lasts a mere 4–6 hours or sometimes even less.

If applied on clothes, which is not always recommended due to the fact that it can stain the clothes, it may last for days or still such time that the fabric is washed and dried in sun.

I will introduce you to some of the traditional attars below.

Choya Ral Attar (shorea robusta)

Description

The oil is brown in color with a smoky-leathery, dry- woody, sweet resinous aroma, with a delicate ambery undertone.

Method of extraction

This attar is derived from a balsam made by distillation of the resin from Sal Tree (shorea robusta or wild Himalayan cedarwood). The word ‘ral’ means a resin, hence the name.

The Sal Tree bark containing the resin is immersed in a special earthen-ware and heated steadily over coal for long hours. The Choya Ral attar is created by capturing the essence in a carrier oil (or an appropriate base oil).

Uses

In Indian natural perfumery it is used a a fixative and to impart a smoky note to the overall composition. In mainstream perfumery, it is also used in the creation of leather-based perfumes, forest bases, fougere, men’s colognes, leather accords, chypre, incense notes.

Notable Western perfumes that contains Choya Ral are Cuir Beurre Soivohle (literally Leather Butter) and, Lucifer (Люцифер) OsmoGenes Perfumes

Gul Hina Attar (lawsonia inermis)

Description

Gul Hina Attar is generally used in tobacco industry.

Method of extraction

The attar is extracted using traditional hydro-distillation method by heating the flowers from hina tree in a water bath using deg and bhapka method and then extracted on the base of sandalwood oil (or an appropriate base oil).

Uses

Gul Hina Attar is used in the preparation of perfume for men and women and and sometimes to perfume the mehendi-mix along with eucalyptus for added impact. The leaves of henna are used as skin and hair dye traditionally. It is also used in medicine and oil for perfumery.

Hina Ambari Attar

Description

More than seventy five herbs and other ingredients gets incorporated in Hina Ambari attar. While hina exudes a very green and intensely floral property to it, also considered as being ‘cold’, addition of amber resin brings in the much needed warmth to it along with other spices, thus balancing out the cooler aspects of hina.

This attar is one of the specialties from the natural distilled perfumery corners of India, and primarily from the region of Kannauj. No other country in the world currently manufactures hina attar (hina or mehandi, as is popularly known) or hina oils.

Method of extraction

Hina ambari attar is extracted using co-distillation method by heating the flowers from hina tree in a water bath using deg and bhapka method and then extracted on the base of an appropriate base oil.

Uses

Hina ambari attar is used as an attar in itself especially during religious ceremonies. People like to apply this attar before visiting holy places for their prayers.

We will cover more attars in subsequent posts. So, watch this space for more.