What's it used in? Perfumes and moisturisers.
What does it do? Helps relieve anxiety, and aids relaxation and circulation. It's supposed to nourish mature skin. Absolutes are extracted using pure alcohol. The alcohol dissolves and absorbs the fragrant material. The alcohol is removed through evaporation. What is left behind is the pure, fragrant absolute - a concentration of aromatic compounds including essential oil constituents. It's different from the extraction of essential oils, which is done by distillation.
Any controversy? Some aromatherapists prefer to use only essential oils because they think the chemical solvents used in the extraction of an absolute have a negative effect on the properties of the oil. Others believe that this process of using alcohol has no effect on creating a true rose fragrance.