Maceration

1/An important step in the quality manufacturing of a fine fragrance: the matured ( see maturation) mixture of oil  is put on alcohol and allowed to age for weeks and sometimes months in order to create an homogeneous blend where all the ingredients are fused together, very much like an aged wine. This process, together with maturation, is critical to the quality and beauty of the fragrance, particularly when large amounts of essential oils and absolutes are part of the formula. These days, both of these steps are mostly overlooked and skipped by most manufacturers and brands who consider them a loss of time and an impairment to economic efficiency.

2/A process by which flowers are steeped in vats of hot fats. Maceration forms pomades, which are washed in alcohol to purify the scented mixture so that an extract of flower oil can be obtained (very similar to enfleurage). This expensive process requires a lot of hand labor and has become very rare.