This is the most used and economically important technique for extracting aromatics in the modern perfume industry. Raw materials are submerged in a solvent that can dissolve the desired aromatic compounds.
Maceration can last anywhere from hours to months. Fragrant compounds for woody and fibrous plant materials are often obtained in this manner as are all aromatics from animal sources.
The technique can also be used to extract odorants that are too volatile for distillation or easily denatured by heat.
Commonly used solvents for maceration/solvent extraction include ethane, hexane and dimethyl ether. The product of this process is called concrete.