Essential oils are derived from plants containing balsam glands and are typical Plant extracts. People often use the words extraction or extraction to summarize the production methods of essential oils. However, "Extract" and "Extraction" themselves are two different concepts.
To extract means to obtain through refining. The preparation of useful ingredients (such as ingredients or juices) from substances by treatment with a solvent (such as ethanol), distillation, dehydration, subjecting to pressure or centrifugal force, or other chemical or mechanical processes.
The most common essential oil extraction methods are: distillation, cold pressing, solvent extraction, oil separation, etc. The first two are physical reactions that use mechanical processes without any artificial additives. They are the most commonly used methods for extracting pure plant essential oils. The latter two are produced through a chemical process known as extraction.
Extraction: Processing with a solvent to remove soluble substances or using a solvent to completely remove unwanted components. The so-called solvent refers to a liquid that can dissolve other substances. It is divided into organic solvents and inorganic solvents according to its chemical composition.
The process of extraction is to use the difference in solubility or partition coefficient of a compound in two mutually immiscible (or slightly soluble) solvents to transfer the compound from one solvent to another. Finally, repeated extractions are required to extract most of the compounds.