The principles of enfleurage are simple. Certain flowers (e.g. tuberose and jasmine)
continue the physiological activities of developing and giving off perfume even after picking.
Every jasmine and tuberose flower resembles, so to speak, a tiny factory continually emitting
minute quantities of perfume. Fat possesses a high power of absorption and, when brought in
contact with fragrant flowers, readily absorbs the perfume emitted. This principle, methodically
applied on a large scale, constitutes enfleurage. During the entire period of harvest, which lasts
for eight to ten weeks, batches of freshly picked flowers are strewn over the surface of a
specially prepared fat base (corps), let there (for 24 h in the case of jasmine and longer in the
case of tuberose), and then replaced by fresh flowers. At the end of the harvest, the fat, which is
not renewed during the process, is saturated with flower oil. Thereafter, the oil is extracted from
the fat with alcohol and then isolated.