Definition
Pommade refers to the fat carrier saturated with aromatic molecules obtained at the end of cold enfleurage or warm enfleurage. The purified fat has absorbed the volatile compounds, but those compounds have not yet been separated from it. The pommade is a process stage, not a finished product for the bottle.
Origin and history
The pommade emerged with industrial enfleurage in Grasse (France) in the 19th century. It was also sold directly as a perfumed cosmetic, under the name pomade, before volatile solvent extraction rendered it economically obsolete in the early 20th century (source: Britannica).
The process survives today in a handful of artisan workshops and in the wake of slow perfumery, notably with natural perfumer Mandy Aftel in Berkeley.
Use in perfumery
The reference fat is a blend of lard and beef tallow, purified for their olfactory neutrality. Contemporary workshops often favor vegetal fats: shea butter, solidified coconut oil, jojoba. The saturated pommade is then washed with alcohol, which dissolves the aromatic molecules; the alcohol is later evaporated to yield the absolute.
The yields are sobering: one ton of jasmine flowers produces roughly 800 grams of pommade, which in turn yield about 100 grams of absolute (source: Wit & West).