Essential Oils
Katafray.
Katafray, distilled from the bark of a wildcrafted Madagascar shrub: dry and woody with a sweet, powdery dry-down, a middle note that anchors a perfume and extends its life.
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About this product
A perfumer's table at evening, small bottles uncapped, a paper strip drying in the lamplight. Katafray belongs there. Its aroma is dry and woody, settling into a sweet, powdery dry-down, and though it is a middle note rather than a base, it anchors a perfume blend and extends its life.
The oil is distilled from the bark of Cedrelopsis grevei, an oversized shrub wildcrafted in Madagascar, where it has a long history of traditional use. Its common name is unsettled, katafray, katrafay or katrafray, and no one quite agrees. More than 70% of the oil is sesquiterpenes, the source of its staying power in perfume, and in skin care it is valued as a companion to moisturizers for dry skin.
Details
- Botanical name: Cedrelopsis grevei
- Origin: Madagascar, wildcrafted
- Method: distilled from the bark
- Note: middle, with a sweet, powdery dry-down
- Blends with: clary sage, lavender, lemon, sweet marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, tea tree
How to use
Build it into a perfume blend, where it will hold the other notes longer, or add a little to a moisturizer for dry skin. Robert Tisserand advises that there are no known hazards.
A quiet wood from Madagascar, for perfumes that stay.
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Katafray
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