Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
The Music of Fragrance
A major problem with language and fragrance terminology is that, as is said, "All art is a lie." 'Understanding' a perfume note or accord or describing its essence is meaningless in a way, similar to describing the particular key of a musical work. Many musical pieces are written in D minor, for example, yet each is a unique work of art. As perfumer Huib Maat says, "Throughout history we have sought to express ourselves in many different ways, and one of the most beloved forms of expression is the Alchemy of Scent. When perfume speaks to you, how do you listen? With your nose, your mind, your heart, your soul? A good perfume makes you sit up and take 'note' with every fibre of your being." Or as Jacques Guerlain put it, "I felt something so intense, I could only express it in a perfume." And as one perfume writer said, "The language of fragrance is unlike any other because it is not really about communication; it is meant to be vague."
![[Image: a7FVTBR.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/a7FVTBR.jpg)
Terminology similar to that of music has been used to describe aspects of perfume, such as in discussions of accords and harmonies. A great fragrance is as complex and harmonizing as a great musical composition and is also carefully composed of notes, as many or as few as are required to capture the perfumer's vision. Despite being technical and highly creative, the language of perfumes remains somewhat ambiguous because it is conveying ineffable qualities, just as description of a voice goes beyond the actual spoken words.
![[Image: 1iJOjHV.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/1iJOjHV.jpg)
In 1857, perfumer and chemist G.W. Septinus Piesse published a guide called The Art of Perfumery, in which he introduced the idea of thinking about fragrance in terms of musical notes. In it he outlined a comparative scale of 46 different aromas called the 'Gamut of Odors.' He used the methodology of scaling notes, for instance assigning the F note to civet and ambergris and the C note to jasmine and rose. Although this methodology was never widely accepted, his terminology did become popular in perfume descriptions.
![[Image: TsdYiIH.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TsdYiIH.jpg)
![[Image: ClOgFH9.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ClOgFH9.jpg)
In the same way that one sings or plays together several notes in music to create a chord with a unique sound, a perfume accord is a balanced blend of raw material ingredients that lose their individual indentity but complement one another to create a completely new, unified odor impression. One simplistic example of this is violet + bergamot + jasmine = tea accord. In perfumery there is no theoretical limit to the number of ingredients that can be combined, but like in music, there is usually a carefully chosen balance of several notes. Natural perfumes often have 10-25 different notes combined in various accords, while fragrances mainly composed of synthetics can have 200 or more blended notes. When the perfume materials are properly and harmoniously mixed, they are said to be in accordance with each other, and the individual notes are not easily detected in the accord(s). (Enthusiasts and experts alike debate often and heatedly the presence or absence of particular notes in a fragrance.) And as in a musical melody, fragrance notes follow each other over time, overlapping in pleasing accords or jarring discords, while outlining a theme that keeps its unified character through several transpositions. In this process, the timing and expression of a single scent note is as important as its identity and strength.
A musical chord, although a combination of multiple unique tones, is built from one primary note called the 'root note.' If someone says a chord is a C chord, that means that its root note is a C. The type of chord being played depends upon the intervals between the notes, the main musical chord types being major (happy and simple), minor (sad or serious), diminished (unpleasant or tense), major seventh (thoughtful, jazzy), minor seventh (moody and contemplative), etc. Similarly, a fragrance accord will have several blended notes but is definied mostly by a single 'root' scent note. The creative blending of this root scent note with other unrelated notes structures the character of the fragrance, such as fresh or green. (It is interesting that a traditional French perfumer's workstation, at which raw scent materials are arranged by top, middle, and base notes, is called an 'organ.')
![[Image: fvpepf7.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/fvpepf7.jpg)
Within an accord, notes are indicators and descriptors of individual smells. The word note is borrowed from musical language to specify an olfactory impression of a scent or aroma and to describe the experience itself, usually but not always due to more than one single ingredient. (This is in addition to the other use of the word 'note' to indicate the stages of a perfume: top, middle, and base notes.) In other words, a perfume note may correspond to a single musical note, but more often is instead a larger scent experience similar to the musical note's tone quality, which is due to how it is struck, sustained, and modulated. Such fragrance notes may represent reality but sometimes are created to represent imagined/fantasy scents that can't actually be extracted or distilled from nature, such as leather or amber notes. These more 'complex' notes might be considered a transitional stage toward being an accord.
![[Image: LBWdlLs.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/LBWdlLs.jpg)
![[Image: tpTq8ko.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/tpTq8ko.jpg)
Like the function of the root scent note, the 'main accord' of a finished perfume reveals the overall theme, the story that is tells, and gives the perfume its olfactory classification (for example the classic accord of bergamot, labdanum, and oakmoss falling in the chypre family and the accord consisting of geranium, lavender, and bergamot being found in the fougères). This main accord can be situated in the top, the heart, or the base, or it can persist across the perfume's life from the opening all the way to the final base notes. Although dominant in a way, it is often just a minor percentage by volume of a mix and frequently is complemented by important secondary notes that emphasize a side aspect or prolong the accord's impression. Two of the most popular main accords are citrus and floral. Main accords often situated in the base include woods, Oriental, and amber. And those that frequently span the whole fragrance evolution include chypre and fougère.
In discussions of accords, there has been some confusion about the difference between an accord and a base. Some think of a base as being more of a finished product (perhaps bottled and with a commercial name), formulated with a simple concept such as 'fresh cut grass' or 'morning dewy rose' and used by a perfumer as a module that is the foundation for final fragrances. A fragrance base of this type, like an essential oil (which a base sometimes is created to approximate), might be considered as an accord or combination of accords that can be reused over and over as an underlying platform, to which other notes or accords are added in varying mixes to yield a number of completely different stand-alone fragrances. One good example is the combination of dihydromyrcenol, amborxan, allyl amyl blycolate, and ambergris tinture, which is present in many of the various Creed perfumes, giving all of them a specific freshness despite their differences. The word accord, on the other hand, often has a more abstract meaning, something that is imagined and may be approximated but never exactly or completely expressed. However, some say that a base and an accord are essentially the same things, both describing a combination of ingredients to form a new one for inclusion in a fragrance, and these writers use the words interchangeably in perfume discussions.
(As an aside, use of a scent base has several benefits: it can blend difficult or overpowering scents into a more tolerable incorporation; it may provide a better overall scent approximation of a particular object than the object itself regardless of how the object is processed; and it provides a way for the perfumer to quickly rough out a concept and present it to others for feedback, after which its 'edges' can be smoothed.)
Further adding to the language confusion around perfumes is use of the term 'facet,' borrowed from the vocabulary of gemology, which can sometimes mean the same as the word accord but at other times refers to a quality somewhere in between accord and family, an assembly of similar related notes with a defining character. One scheme that often is used to guide creation of accords includes use of 17 different fragrance facets that are stratified by their volatility from top note to base, each defined generally by the unique character it contributes to a composition. These consist of hesperidic, marine, aldehydic, new freshness, aromatic, green, floral, solar, fruity, spicy, woody, chypre, eastern, gourmet, musky, powdery, and animalic facts. This defining term contributes to the overall 'olfactory family' classification of the perfume that is depicted on fragrance wheels. The predominant theme is 'dressed' with one or more lesser facets to outline the complete architecture of the perfume.
Perfume, like music, creates an atmosphere and mood and has the ability both to influence and to mirror our feelings. A fragrance can be loud or quiet, energetic or peaceful, light or heavy, and simple or complex, and it too evolves and transforms over time like music. Some compare the quickly-evaporating top notes of perfume to the lighter, higher-frequency musical instruments like chimes or harps; the heart notes to a lead guitar or solo voice; and the heavier base scent notes to drums or the base viol. Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has said, "To me music and perfume are very much related because they use a common medium - the air. You hear music when the vibration of the sound in the air hits your ears, the same way that perfume needs the movement of air to come to your nose. Both mediums are invisible, compared to painting or literature. This is why they are so deep in our soul, in a way."
A major problem with language and fragrance terminology is that, as is said, "All art is a lie." 'Understanding' a perfume note or accord or describing its essence is meaningless in a way, similar to describing the particular key of a musical work. Many musical pieces are written in D minor, for example, yet each is a unique work of art. As perfumer Huib Maat says, "Throughout history we have sought to express ourselves in many different ways, and one of the most beloved forms of expression is the Alchemy of Scent. When perfume speaks to you, how do you listen? With your nose, your mind, your heart, your soul? A good perfume makes you sit up and take 'note' with every fibre of your being." Or as Jacques Guerlain put it, "I felt something so intense, I could only express it in a perfume." And as one perfume writer said, "The language of fragrance is unlike any other because it is not really about communication; it is meant to be vague."
Terminology similar to that of music has been used to describe aspects of perfume, such as in discussions of accords and harmonies. A great fragrance is as complex and harmonizing as a great musical composition and is also carefully composed of notes, as many or as few as are required to capture the perfumer's vision. Despite being technical and highly creative, the language of perfumes remains somewhat ambiguous because it is conveying ineffable qualities, just as description of a voice goes beyond the actual spoken words.
In 1857, perfumer and chemist G.W. Septinus Piesse published a guide called The Art of Perfumery, in which he introduced the idea of thinking about fragrance in terms of musical notes. In it he outlined a comparative scale of 46 different aromas called the 'Gamut of Odors.' He used the methodology of scaling notes, for instance assigning the F note to civet and ambergris and the C note to jasmine and rose. Although this methodology was never widely accepted, his terminology did become popular in perfume descriptions.
In the same way that one sings or plays together several notes in music to create a chord with a unique sound, a perfume accord is a balanced blend of raw material ingredients that lose their individual indentity but complement one another to create a completely new, unified odor impression. One simplistic example of this is violet + bergamot + jasmine = tea accord. In perfumery there is no theoretical limit to the number of ingredients that can be combined, but like in music, there is usually a carefully chosen balance of several notes. Natural perfumes often have 10-25 different notes combined in various accords, while fragrances mainly composed of synthetics can have 200 or more blended notes. When the perfume materials are properly and harmoniously mixed, they are said to be in accordance with each other, and the individual notes are not easily detected in the accord(s). (Enthusiasts and experts alike debate often and heatedly the presence or absence of particular notes in a fragrance.) And as in a musical melody, fragrance notes follow each other over time, overlapping in pleasing accords or jarring discords, while outlining a theme that keeps its unified character through several transpositions. In this process, the timing and expression of a single scent note is as important as its identity and strength.
A musical chord, although a combination of multiple unique tones, is built from one primary note called the 'root note.' If someone says a chord is a C chord, that means that its root note is a C. The type of chord being played depends upon the intervals between the notes, the main musical chord types being major (happy and simple), minor (sad or serious), diminished (unpleasant or tense), major seventh (thoughtful, jazzy), minor seventh (moody and contemplative), etc. Similarly, a fragrance accord will have several blended notes but is definied mostly by a single 'root' scent note. The creative blending of this root scent note with other unrelated notes structures the character of the fragrance, such as fresh or green. (It is interesting that a traditional French perfumer's workstation, at which raw scent materials are arranged by top, middle, and base notes, is called an 'organ.')
Within an accord, notes are indicators and descriptors of individual smells. The word note is borrowed from musical language to specify an olfactory impression of a scent or aroma and to describe the experience itself, usually but not always due to more than one single ingredient. (This is in addition to the other use of the word 'note' to indicate the stages of a perfume: top, middle, and base notes.) In other words, a perfume note may correspond to a single musical note, but more often is instead a larger scent experience similar to the musical note's tone quality, which is due to how it is struck, sustained, and modulated. Such fragrance notes may represent reality but sometimes are created to represent imagined/fantasy scents that can't actually be extracted or distilled from nature, such as leather or amber notes. These more 'complex' notes might be considered a transitional stage toward being an accord.
Like the function of the root scent note, the 'main accord' of a finished perfume reveals the overall theme, the story that is tells, and gives the perfume its olfactory classification (for example the classic accord of bergamot, labdanum, and oakmoss falling in the chypre family and the accord consisting of geranium, lavender, and bergamot being found in the fougères). This main accord can be situated in the top, the heart, or the base, or it can persist across the perfume's life from the opening all the way to the final base notes. Although dominant in a way, it is often just a minor percentage by volume of a mix and frequently is complemented by important secondary notes that emphasize a side aspect or prolong the accord's impression. Two of the most popular main accords are citrus and floral. Main accords often situated in the base include woods, Oriental, and amber. And those that frequently span the whole fragrance evolution include chypre and fougère.
In discussions of accords, there has been some confusion about the difference between an accord and a base. Some think of a base as being more of a finished product (perhaps bottled and with a commercial name), formulated with a simple concept such as 'fresh cut grass' or 'morning dewy rose' and used by a perfumer as a module that is the foundation for final fragrances. A fragrance base of this type, like an essential oil (which a base sometimes is created to approximate), might be considered as an accord or combination of accords that can be reused over and over as an underlying platform, to which other notes or accords are added in varying mixes to yield a number of completely different stand-alone fragrances. One good example is the combination of dihydromyrcenol, amborxan, allyl amyl blycolate, and ambergris tinture, which is present in many of the various Creed perfumes, giving all of them a specific freshness despite their differences. The word accord, on the other hand, often has a more abstract meaning, something that is imagined and may be approximated but never exactly or completely expressed. However, some say that a base and an accord are essentially the same things, both describing a combination of ingredients to form a new one for inclusion in a fragrance, and these writers use the words interchangeably in perfume discussions.
(As an aside, use of a scent base has several benefits: it can blend difficult or overpowering scents into a more tolerable incorporation; it may provide a better overall scent approximation of a particular object than the object itself regardless of how the object is processed; and it provides a way for the perfumer to quickly rough out a concept and present it to others for feedback, after which its 'edges' can be smoothed.)
Further adding to the language confusion around perfumes is use of the term 'facet,' borrowed from the vocabulary of gemology, which can sometimes mean the same as the word accord but at other times refers to a quality somewhere in between accord and family, an assembly of similar related notes with a defining character. One scheme that often is used to guide creation of accords includes use of 17 different fragrance facets that are stratified by their volatility from top note to base, each defined generally by the unique character it contributes to a composition. These consist of hesperidic, marine, aldehydic, new freshness, aromatic, green, floral, solar, fruity, spicy, woody, chypre, eastern, gourmet, musky, powdery, and animalic facts. This defining term contributes to the overall 'olfactory family' classification of the perfume that is depicted on fragrance wheels. The predominant theme is 'dressed' with one or more lesser facets to outline the complete architecture of the perfume.
Perfume, like music, creates an atmosphere and mood and has the ability both to influence and to mirror our feelings. A fragrance can be loud or quiet, energetic or peaceful, light or heavy, and simple or complex, and it too evolves and transforms over time like music. Some compare the quickly-evaporating top notes of perfume to the lighter, higher-frequency musical instruments like chimes or harps; the heart notes to a lead guitar or solo voice; and the heavier base scent notes to drums or the base viol. Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has said, "To me music and perfume are very much related because they use a common medium - the air. You hear music when the vibration of the sound in the air hits your ears, the same way that perfume needs the movement of air to come to your nose. Both mediums are invisible, compared to painting or literature. This is why they are so deep in our soul, in a way."
John
Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
Tonka Bean/Coumarin
![[Image: JuYU4c7.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/JuYU4c7.jpg)
Coumarin is a fragrant organic compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, considered a lactone. Its name comes from kumarú, the name in the native Galibi (Carib) and Old Tupi languages of Guyana for the Cayenne Gaiac tree (Dipteryx Odorata), and from the derivative French word coumarou. This large tropical tree, indigenous to the rainforests of Central America and northern South America, produces the tonka bean, in which coumarin is present in high concentration (1-3%) and from which it was first isolated. Radiocarbon dating has established that in the wild the trees can live for over 1,000 years. The tree originally was cultivated for its beautiful purple flowers. Each tree produces many fruits, with each fruit containing one bean that has a black and wrinkled outer surface and a smooth brown interior, inside a pod about the size of a Brazil nut. The trees produce 1-3kg of beans each per year. Venezuela, Brazil, Columbia, and Nigeria are the major commercial producers of tonka beans, and the U.S. is the largest importer, almost exclusively for the tobacco industry.
![[Image: ngCtTCW.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ngCtTCW.jpg)
Natural coumarin also can be found in a variety of other plants, including Chinese cassia, sweet clover, sweetgrass, sweet woodruff, lavender, mullein, and angelica, as well as in sour cherries, strawberries, black currants, and apricots. It is found at high levels in some essential oils, such as cinnamon leaf and bark oils and lavender oil. Related compounds are found in some specimens of the genus Glycyrrhiza, from which the root and flavor licorice are derived. It has appetite-suppressing properties and a bitter taste, and it is thought that in this way coumarin may act in the plants to discourage predation.
The coumarin molecule was first isolated from tonka bean and sweet clover in 1820 by the German chemist August Vogel, who mistook it for benzoic acid. French pharmacist Nicholas Jean Baptiste Gaston Guibourt identified this error the same year and first named the compound. In 1856, Friedrich Woehler determined its structure, and in 1868 William Henry Perkin first synthesized it in the lab. Ten years later Perkin developed the industrial process for production of commercial coumarin.
![[Image: rLvT0NO.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/rLvT0NO.jpg)
Fallen pods are harvested from January to March, and the fresh fruits are picked in June and July. Distilling it is not effective, so the primary method of extracting the oil is by dissolving it to an absolute. The hard outer shell is removed, and the beans are spread out for 2-3 days to dry. They are drenched in alcohol for 12-24 hours, then dried again. Subsequently they shrivel, and a crystal structure, the absolute, appears on their surface. This absolute is a semihard bulk, light brown-yellow in color, and the character of this crystal layer is an indicator for buyers of the quality. Tonka bean absolute contains 20-45% (and rarely up to 90%) coumarin and is famed for displaying a very complex scent profile not matched by any single component, including the coumarin itself.
![[Image: t6sGH59.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/t6sGH59.jpg)
Ground tonka bean was first used in Europe for its smell when it was introduced in France in 1793, sometimes being used as a substitute for musk in scents for freshening clothing. Coumarin was one of the first commercial chemicals used in perfumes, appearing in Houbigant Fougère Royale (with a main accord of lavender, oakmoss, and 10% coumarin) by Paul Parquet in 1884 and subsequently in Jicky by Aimé Guerlain in 1889. It became renowned after its use in Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain in 1921. By the 1940s, artificial coumarin was readily available and inexpensive. Now among the most popular ingredients in modern perfumery, it is included in almost 90% of all perfumes. Descriptive lists of perfume notes might call it tonka bean, vanilla, marzipan, or tobacco. (Although tobacco absolute does not contain significant coumarin, they often are paired in accords called just 'tobacco.') Most commonly it is synthesized artificially now for perfumes.
![[Image: 2W7p1pV.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/2W7p1pV.jpg)
The scent of coumarin is soft, sweet, and fresh, reminiscent of newly mown grass or hay. Along with the herbaceous tone, it has a slight spicy inclination and a prominent vanillic aspect, as well as complex notes of cherry, smoke, cinnamon, almond, tobacco, and caramel at higher concentrations. It has many diverse character facets and is famously versatile. It is rich and powdery and provides a voluptuous, Baroque tone. Coumarin generally arises from the base and extends through heart of a fragrance, bringing warm depth and character and lingering on the skin. Coumarin and tonka beans seem to work best in spicy and sweet fragrances featuring notes that are somewhat similar to it in character, including clove, vanilla, heliotrope, bitter almonds, cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, rose, lemon peel, lavender, benzoin, and balsams such as tolu and peru. It is particularly popular in masculine Gourmand, Fougère, Chypre, and Oriental compositions, in which its warmth offsets the aromatic-citrusy sharpness of the top notes. Coumarin has good fixative effects, further accounting for its use as a base element.
Besides its use in perfumes, coumarin is put into many personal care and laundry care products, including deodorants, shower gels and shampoos, detergents and soaps, air fresheners, and insect repellants, bringing a sweet vanillic character where natural vanilla would be too expensive, and combining especially well with floral accords. When ingested, it is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys and is thought to be somewhat dangerous. It was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1954 as a food additive because of its liver toxicity in rodent research. Despite this ban, it is used legally as a flavorant in cigar and sweet pipe tobacco and in the form of sweet woodruff in certain alcoholic drinks. It is used more widely in Europe, where it is allowed in some breakfast cereals and baked goods and in some restaurant foods, especially stews and desserts. Some chefs claim that a single tonka bean can flavor as many as 80 dishes, and French cooks have been so obsessed at times with its flavor that their enthusiasm has been called 'tonka fever.'
Coumarin is subject to some restrictions in its topical use (1.6% or less in a finished perfume and 0.1% in cosmetics) because of concerns regarding its safety if absorbed and about possible allergic sensitization, but evidence for it causing allergic reactions is disputed and unclear. Related compounds, the furanocoumarins (or phytocoumarins) occur in a variety of plants and can be hazardous. One of them is bergapten (from bergamot), which is easily absorbed through the skin and can cause severe sunburn with light exposure. In the search for possibly safer alternatives and a broader scent palette in perfumery, new coumarin-like products have been developed, including coumane, Bicyclo Nonalactone, Givaudan's Methyl Laitone, and Symrise's Cantryl, but while being sweet, nutty and vanillic, these tend to have more of a creamy coconut-like odor property. One exception is Tonkene, whose structure was obtained through computer simulation of true coumarin's 'molecular vibration' and which is claimed to have a scent profile very much like the natural substance.
Coumarin is used as a precursor reagent in the synthesis of synthetic anticoagulants, known as coumadins (4-hydroxycoumarins), which are designed to have high potency and long duration times in the bodies of rodents. These rodenticide chemicals produce death from internal hemorrhaging after a period of several days and are still in use, although more modern rodenticides have been developed. Coumarin can effectively mask many unpleasant smells, and in the past it was used often in the pharmaceutical industry in the preparation of potions containing substances such as fish oil or iodoform. Concern was raised about coumarin's potential in cosmetics to be absorbed and to cause hemorrhaging, but this has been proven to be unwarranted since the coumadins themselves are completely absent from cosmetic products and coumarin is not metabolized to them in the body. Coumarin dyes are used extensively as gain media in commercial blue-green tunable organic dye lasers. The flowers are still sold commercially, and the tree bark (known as Brazilian teak) has become very popular as a durable hardwood for flooring.
![[Image: lM8bpjo.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/lM8bpjo.jpg)
![[Image: nT3nBsU.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/nT3nBsU.jpg)
It is transformed by a number of fungal species into the natural anticoagulant dicoumarol, which was responsible historically for the bleeding disorder in cattle known as 'sweet clover disease,' due to the animals eating moldy silage, early in the 20th century. A compound related to coumarin, the prescription drug warfarin (Coumadin), inhibits vitamin K synthesis in humans. First synthesized in 1948, it has been used as a medical anticoagulant, inhibiting formation of clots in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Coumarin also has limited approval for a few other medical uses, such as in the treatment of lymphedema. In basic research, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that it has anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, and antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Although not supported by studies, it has been claimed that tonka beans can strengthen immune system functions. In the past, especially in folk medicine, the beans were used as a medicine for treatment of cramps, nausea, cough, spasms, and tuberculosis. Tonka oil and ground beans have been used in aromatherapy, in which they are said to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and relieve stress and depression. In some cultures the bean has been considered an aphrodisiac, as well as having the power to summon courage and promote acquisition of wealth.
Masculine fragrances with significant tonka bean/coumarin include the following:
4711 Acqua Colonia Hazel & Tonka
Aeropostale Benton
Alfred Dunhill Fresh
Amouage Honour, Journey
Avon Musk Iron, Open Road, Trekking
Azzaro pour Homme
Bella Bellissima Perfect Man
Breil Milano Complicity
Brut Prestige
Burberry Touch, Brit Rhythm
Carolina Herrera Chic
Caron pour un Homme
Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme
Clive Christian VIII Rococo Immortelle
David Beckham Night for Men
Davidoff Brilliant Game
Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme
Galimard Eau de Romarin
Giorgio Armani Code (var.)
Givenchy Play Intense, Pi
Guerlain l'Homme Ideal
Hermes Equipage
Houbigant Fougere Royale
Hugo Boss Bottled Intense
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau, Le Male
Jequiti Prive Homme Absolu
John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special
Joop Freigeist Black Edition
Karl Lagerfeld Private Klub
Kokeshi Tonka
Lacoste 2000
Lancetti Mood Man
Laura Biagiotti Essenza di Roma
Liz Claiborne Curve Connect
l'Occitane Au Bresil Cumaru
Master Perfumer Blue Spice #25
Mennen Skin Bracer
Moliard Musc
Montblanc Legend
Narciso Rodriguez Musc Oil
Oriflame Be the Legend
Otto Kern Signature Eau Fraiche
Paco Rabanne Black XS Los Angeles, One Million
Pineider Cuoio Nobile
Prada Luna Rossa Black
Ralph Lauren Polo Black
Remy Latour Cigar Vanille Tonka
Robert Graham Fortitude
Scorpio Noir Absolu
Shaik Gold
Sothys Homme
St. Hilaire Private White
Star Wars Empire
Thera Cosmeticos Klaus, Arcade
Thierry Mugler A*Men
Tom Frank Tobacco Crystal
Versace Eros, Pour Homme, Blue Jeans
Yanbal Zentro
Yardley Bond Street
Yves Rocher Hoggar
Yves St. Laurent l'Homme, La Nuit de l'Homme, Rive Gauche, Kouros
Zara Gourmand Leather, Kilsbergen, C4SHMER4N, Nightfall Blue, Denim Jacket
Coumarin is a fragrant organic compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, considered a lactone. Its name comes from kumarú, the name in the native Galibi (Carib) and Old Tupi languages of Guyana for the Cayenne Gaiac tree (Dipteryx Odorata), and from the derivative French word coumarou. This large tropical tree, indigenous to the rainforests of Central America and northern South America, produces the tonka bean, in which coumarin is present in high concentration (1-3%) and from which it was first isolated. Radiocarbon dating has established that in the wild the trees can live for over 1,000 years. The tree originally was cultivated for its beautiful purple flowers. Each tree produces many fruits, with each fruit containing one bean that has a black and wrinkled outer surface and a smooth brown interior, inside a pod about the size of a Brazil nut. The trees produce 1-3kg of beans each per year. Venezuela, Brazil, Columbia, and Nigeria are the major commercial producers of tonka beans, and the U.S. is the largest importer, almost exclusively for the tobacco industry.
Natural coumarin also can be found in a variety of other plants, including Chinese cassia, sweet clover, sweetgrass, sweet woodruff, lavender, mullein, and angelica, as well as in sour cherries, strawberries, black currants, and apricots. It is found at high levels in some essential oils, such as cinnamon leaf and bark oils and lavender oil. Related compounds are found in some specimens of the genus Glycyrrhiza, from which the root and flavor licorice are derived. It has appetite-suppressing properties and a bitter taste, and it is thought that in this way coumarin may act in the plants to discourage predation.
The coumarin molecule was first isolated from tonka bean and sweet clover in 1820 by the German chemist August Vogel, who mistook it for benzoic acid. French pharmacist Nicholas Jean Baptiste Gaston Guibourt identified this error the same year and first named the compound. In 1856, Friedrich Woehler determined its structure, and in 1868 William Henry Perkin first synthesized it in the lab. Ten years later Perkin developed the industrial process for production of commercial coumarin.
Fallen pods are harvested from January to March, and the fresh fruits are picked in June and July. Distilling it is not effective, so the primary method of extracting the oil is by dissolving it to an absolute. The hard outer shell is removed, and the beans are spread out for 2-3 days to dry. They are drenched in alcohol for 12-24 hours, then dried again. Subsequently they shrivel, and a crystal structure, the absolute, appears on their surface. This absolute is a semihard bulk, light brown-yellow in color, and the character of this crystal layer is an indicator for buyers of the quality. Tonka bean absolute contains 20-45% (and rarely up to 90%) coumarin and is famed for displaying a very complex scent profile not matched by any single component, including the coumarin itself.
Ground tonka bean was first used in Europe for its smell when it was introduced in France in 1793, sometimes being used as a substitute for musk in scents for freshening clothing. Coumarin was one of the first commercial chemicals used in perfumes, appearing in Houbigant Fougère Royale (with a main accord of lavender, oakmoss, and 10% coumarin) by Paul Parquet in 1884 and subsequently in Jicky by Aimé Guerlain in 1889. It became renowned after its use in Shalimar by Jacques Guerlain in 1921. By the 1940s, artificial coumarin was readily available and inexpensive. Now among the most popular ingredients in modern perfumery, it is included in almost 90% of all perfumes. Descriptive lists of perfume notes might call it tonka bean, vanilla, marzipan, or tobacco. (Although tobacco absolute does not contain significant coumarin, they often are paired in accords called just 'tobacco.') Most commonly it is synthesized artificially now for perfumes.
The scent of coumarin is soft, sweet, and fresh, reminiscent of newly mown grass or hay. Along with the herbaceous tone, it has a slight spicy inclination and a prominent vanillic aspect, as well as complex notes of cherry, smoke, cinnamon, almond, tobacco, and caramel at higher concentrations. It has many diverse character facets and is famously versatile. It is rich and powdery and provides a voluptuous, Baroque tone. Coumarin generally arises from the base and extends through heart of a fragrance, bringing warm depth and character and lingering on the skin. Coumarin and tonka beans seem to work best in spicy and sweet fragrances featuring notes that are somewhat similar to it in character, including clove, vanilla, heliotrope, bitter almonds, cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, rose, lemon peel, lavender, benzoin, and balsams such as tolu and peru. It is particularly popular in masculine Gourmand, Fougère, Chypre, and Oriental compositions, in which its warmth offsets the aromatic-citrusy sharpness of the top notes. Coumarin has good fixative effects, further accounting for its use as a base element.
Besides its use in perfumes, coumarin is put into many personal care and laundry care products, including deodorants, shower gels and shampoos, detergents and soaps, air fresheners, and insect repellants, bringing a sweet vanillic character where natural vanilla would be too expensive, and combining especially well with floral accords. When ingested, it is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys and is thought to be somewhat dangerous. It was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1954 as a food additive because of its liver toxicity in rodent research. Despite this ban, it is used legally as a flavorant in cigar and sweet pipe tobacco and in the form of sweet woodruff in certain alcoholic drinks. It is used more widely in Europe, where it is allowed in some breakfast cereals and baked goods and in some restaurant foods, especially stews and desserts. Some chefs claim that a single tonka bean can flavor as many as 80 dishes, and French cooks have been so obsessed at times with its flavor that their enthusiasm has been called 'tonka fever.'
Coumarin is subject to some restrictions in its topical use (1.6% or less in a finished perfume and 0.1% in cosmetics) because of concerns regarding its safety if absorbed and about possible allergic sensitization, but evidence for it causing allergic reactions is disputed and unclear. Related compounds, the furanocoumarins (or phytocoumarins) occur in a variety of plants and can be hazardous. One of them is bergapten (from bergamot), which is easily absorbed through the skin and can cause severe sunburn with light exposure. In the search for possibly safer alternatives and a broader scent palette in perfumery, new coumarin-like products have been developed, including coumane, Bicyclo Nonalactone, Givaudan's Methyl Laitone, and Symrise's Cantryl, but while being sweet, nutty and vanillic, these tend to have more of a creamy coconut-like odor property. One exception is Tonkene, whose structure was obtained through computer simulation of true coumarin's 'molecular vibration' and which is claimed to have a scent profile very much like the natural substance.
Coumarin is used as a precursor reagent in the synthesis of synthetic anticoagulants, known as coumadins (4-hydroxycoumarins), which are designed to have high potency and long duration times in the bodies of rodents. These rodenticide chemicals produce death from internal hemorrhaging after a period of several days and are still in use, although more modern rodenticides have been developed. Coumarin can effectively mask many unpleasant smells, and in the past it was used often in the pharmaceutical industry in the preparation of potions containing substances such as fish oil or iodoform. Concern was raised about coumarin's potential in cosmetics to be absorbed and to cause hemorrhaging, but this has been proven to be unwarranted since the coumadins themselves are completely absent from cosmetic products and coumarin is not metabolized to them in the body. Coumarin dyes are used extensively as gain media in commercial blue-green tunable organic dye lasers. The flowers are still sold commercially, and the tree bark (known as Brazilian teak) has become very popular as a durable hardwood for flooring.
It is transformed by a number of fungal species into the natural anticoagulant dicoumarol, which was responsible historically for the bleeding disorder in cattle known as 'sweet clover disease,' due to the animals eating moldy silage, early in the 20th century. A compound related to coumarin, the prescription drug warfarin (Coumadin), inhibits vitamin K synthesis in humans. First synthesized in 1948, it has been used as a medical anticoagulant, inhibiting formation of clots in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Coumarin also has limited approval for a few other medical uses, such as in the treatment of lymphedema. In basic research, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that it has anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, and antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Although not supported by studies, it has been claimed that tonka beans can strengthen immune system functions. In the past, especially in folk medicine, the beans were used as a medicine for treatment of cramps, nausea, cough, spasms, and tuberculosis. Tonka oil and ground beans have been used in aromatherapy, in which they are said to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and relieve stress and depression. In some cultures the bean has been considered an aphrodisiac, as well as having the power to summon courage and promote acquisition of wealth.
Masculine fragrances with significant tonka bean/coumarin include the following:
4711 Acqua Colonia Hazel & Tonka
Aeropostale Benton
Alfred Dunhill Fresh
Amouage Honour, Journey
Avon Musk Iron, Open Road, Trekking
Azzaro pour Homme
Bella Bellissima Perfect Man
Breil Milano Complicity
Brut Prestige
Burberry Touch, Brit Rhythm
Carolina Herrera Chic
Caron pour un Homme
Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme
Clive Christian VIII Rococo Immortelle
David Beckham Night for Men
Davidoff Brilliant Game
Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme
Galimard Eau de Romarin
Giorgio Armani Code (var.)
Givenchy Play Intense, Pi
Guerlain l'Homme Ideal
Hermes Equipage
Houbigant Fougere Royale
Hugo Boss Bottled Intense
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Beau, Le Male
Jequiti Prive Homme Absolu
John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special
Joop Freigeist Black Edition
Karl Lagerfeld Private Klub
Kokeshi Tonka
Lacoste 2000
Lancetti Mood Man
Laura Biagiotti Essenza di Roma
Liz Claiborne Curve Connect
l'Occitane Au Bresil Cumaru
Master Perfumer Blue Spice #25
Mennen Skin Bracer
Moliard Musc
Montblanc Legend
Narciso Rodriguez Musc Oil
Oriflame Be the Legend
Otto Kern Signature Eau Fraiche
Paco Rabanne Black XS Los Angeles, One Million
Pineider Cuoio Nobile
Prada Luna Rossa Black
Ralph Lauren Polo Black
Remy Latour Cigar Vanille Tonka
Robert Graham Fortitude
Scorpio Noir Absolu
Shaik Gold
Sothys Homme
St. Hilaire Private White
Star Wars Empire
Thera Cosmeticos Klaus, Arcade
Thierry Mugler A*Men
Tom Frank Tobacco Crystal
Versace Eros, Pour Homme, Blue Jeans
Yanbal Zentro
Yardley Bond Street
Yves Rocher Hoggar
Yves St. Laurent l'Homme, La Nuit de l'Homme, Rive Gauche, Kouros
Zara Gourmand Leather, Kilsbergen, C4SHMER4N, Nightfall Blue, Denim Jacket
John
Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
Artemisia/Wormwood/Mugwort
Artemisia (sometimes 'wormwood') is a large and diverse family of over 200 plants that includes mugwort, tarragon, sagebrush, and wormwood. While native to Europe, it grows readily across areas with various climates, including parts of Asia, Africa, South America, and North America, preferring temperate zones and dry or semiarid habitats. It has velvety white or greenish-silver stems, yellow-green leaves, and bulbous bright or pale yellow flowers. Most species have strong aromas and bitter tastes which discourage predators, although they are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of butterfly species.
![[Image: NXy7TBp.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/NXy7TBp.jpg)
The name Artemisia comes from Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, the woodlands, and the moon. In folk medicine it was considered a feminine plant, with protective powers to guard over witches' gardens and healing properties, especially in relation to the uterus and pregnancy. Some believe the name also refers to Artemisia II, a queen of Caria (in western Anatolia), botanist, and medical researcher in the 4th century B.C. It was called wormwood because of the plant's ability to treat intestinal parasites.
Artemisia gained notoriety from its use in absinthe, a French liqueur that was a favorite of many 19th century artists, including Vincent van Gogh, and was purported to have numerous adverse effects (which actually appear to have been due to its very high alcohol content and contamination with methanol or toxic green dye). Long considered an hallucinogen and potential poison, wormwood was banned in the U.S. from 1912 until 2007. Overwhelmingly bitter, Artemisia is mentioned several times in the Bible as a symbol for extreme bitterness and suffering.
![[Image: 53aYkFp.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/53aYkFp.jpg)
"Most wormwoods are segregated by the regions in which they are grown, and they all have different flavors and aromas," says Todd Leopold of Leopold Brothers distillery in Colorado. The best-known species is A. absinthium, grande wormwood, used by most distillers to produce absinthe. Wormwood can grow almost anywhere in the world, though much of it now is harvested commercially in Pontarlier (in Eastern France near the Swiss border) and in southern Virginia.
![[Image: re7LZM6.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/re7LZM6.jpg)
Use in Perfumes
Only a few species produce essential oils that are used commercially in perfumes, primarily A. vulgaris (mugwort), A. dracunculus (tarragon), and A. absinthium. A. vulgaris essential oil (Armoise) has an intense herbaceous, bittersweet, aromatic scent reminiscent of cedar leaf and sage and with musky, woody, marigold, and chamomile undertones. A. dranunculus is said to be more berry-like, evolving from bitterness to become sweet and floral. A. absinthium is a very sharp, bitter, 'green' fragrance element, used primarily is men's scents, where it brings balance to sweet floral and balsamic notes. Its initial slightly salty, bitter-camphoraceous tone develops into a more pleasant, sweet herbaceous, and tea-like drydown. It is used mainly in Fougère compositions, where it pairs well with lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin; and in Chypres, forest blends, and tobacco and leather fragrances. Wormwood is never used as a main theme, but rather is added as an accessory to other notes. Perfume expert Steffen Arctander says that A. Absinthium "is very warm and dry-woody, long-lasting and highly interesting as a unique perfume note. . . an extremely interesting perfume material which can be utilized in a multitude of new combinations. It blends well with oakmoss; it introduces a true-to-nature herbaceous note in a jasmin, orange-flower or hyacinth; it lends enormous richness to a chypre or a lavender compound..."
![[Image: PIsRQMB.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/PIsRQMB.jpg)
![[Image: umwULI4.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/umwULI4.jpg)
Artisan perfumers are experimenting with other Artemisias, including A. arborescens, which is said to have a clean, fresh, green aroma, and A. herba-alba, which is fresh, cool, and sweet-camphoraceous. The latter is being used especially to provide 'lift' to top note accords and to accentuate other green notes such as galbanum, sage, and rosemary. A. tridentata is used to a lesser degree by some artisan perfumers. Commonly known as North American sagebrush, it has a dry, pungent fragrance somewhat like garden sage but 'wilder.' A. dracunculus has characteristic herbal scent that has similarities to anise, basil, and sweet clover.
![[Image: 3B2K6Ds.png]](https://i.imgur.com/3B2K6Ds.png)
![[Image: iLFz6LG.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/iLFz6LG.jpg)
![[Image: nK9Yne8.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/nK9Yne8.jpg)
Medical Uses
All parts of the plant have been used in traditional medical practices for centuries. A. absinthium was used in European folk medicine to strengthen the body, ease digestion and remove intestinal worms, and reduce fever. A. herba-alba (white wormwood) is native to the Israeli Negev, and the bedouins in the desert used it as a general antiseptic, anthelmintic, and antispasmodic. It was also used to treat diabetics because its intense bitterness was believed to balance the excess of sugar and to stimulate the liver and pancreas, as do other bitter herbs such as germander and sage. Mugwort, also known as cronewort, is believed to be a nerve tonic and digestive tonic and is thought to increase mentrual bleeding and to treat pulmonary diseases. U.S. west coast Native American cultures used mugwort to prevent wound infections, to treat athlete's foot, as a headache remedy, and to stop internal bleeding. Another type of mugwort, A. californica (coastal sagebrush), has been used to treat respiratory complaints, including coughs, colds, and asthma, and for pain relief, in which it is said to be more effective and safer than opioids.
![[Image: yiNrnFe.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/yiNrnFe.jpg)
In Chinese medicine, mugwort is called 'moxa' and is used during acupuncture treatments, during which it is burned on top of the needles to warm them and activate the body's qi energy. This is thought to improve blood supply to the area. Chinese mugwort (A. argyi) is used mostly to treat women's bleeding during pregnancy or postpartum but also for promoting menstruation. Another Chinese species, A. apiaceae, is used to treat vertigo, cold sweats, fevers, headaches, and joint pains.
![[Image: BmpLblf.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/BmpLblf.jpg)
The main species employed in the West for their medicinal properties are A. cina, A. herba-alba, and A. arborescens, whose high santonin content makes them effective against intestinal worms. A. annua, which also contains artemisinin, is the current most effective drug against P. falciparum malaria, although there are concerns that subtherapeutic doses of it in popular juices and teas could promote resistance. Modern research has shown that Artemisia essential oils have antiseptic activity against several types of bacteria. A. capillaris is known to have sedative-hypnotic effects, and recent studies with mice have shown that the thujone in it and other Artemisias affect GABA levels and uptake in the brain, acting very much like cannabis THC does. A. annua has been considered as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Although there is no evidence that it can treat or prevent the viral infection, Madagascar has manufactured and distributed as a treatment of COVID-19 an herbal drink called Covid-Organics.
Other Uses
In aromatherapy, mugwort and lavender are used together in 'dream' pillows to balance their opposing actions of alertness/relaxation.
A. Absinthium also is used in soap fragrances and is popular as a scent for Japanese bath salts. And A. herba-alba is thought to be helpful for stress and emotional disturbance when used topically.
![[Image: JEbrN5n.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/JEbrN5n.jpg)
Artemisia tea has a strong medicinal flavor and is mostly drunk as a warming and energizing winter brew in North Africa and among Moroccan Jews in Israel, usually with mint. It is also ingested as a beneficial tea in Japan and Korea. A sweet rice-red bean Japanese pastry, Yomogi mochi, is flavored with mugwort. Historically, A. absinthium was used to spice mead in Medieval Europe, and in 18th century England it was used in making beer, preventing spoilage of the barley during fermentation. In combination with other herbs and spices, it flavors the green-colored absinthe liqueur, as well as vermouths. (The word vermouth is derived from the German word Wermut, meaning 'wormwood.') A. dranunculus (tarragon) is used widely as a culinary herb, especially in French cuisine.
Coastal mugwort and sagebrush have been used by Native American peoples in British Columbia to cleanse and purify a space in 'smudging ceremonies' (involving the burning of sacred herbs). Artemisia arborescens has been an important Christian monastery herb and was found wild in Israel near ancient Crusaders' forts. It is thought that the Crusaders brought it with them from Europe to plant in their own 'monastery gardens' near the fortresses. Interestingly, it also is now one of the fragrant herbs planted in Muslim cemeteries because it is believed that a good scent will be pleasing to the angels that judge the souls of the deceased. A few species oF Artemisia are grown as ornamental plants. A. tridentata, which has the most camphor, terpionoids, and tannins, was used by the Okanagan region's native people to tan hides. Several Artemisia species have been used as insect repellants.
Men's Artemisia and Wormwood Products
The common naming of essential oils of Artemisia species creates much confusion among perfumers, with some products called 'wormwood' and others called 'mugwort,' and some called both by various authors. In addition, Latin species name can refer to any of several different cultivars or subspecies with varying scents, so even the use of species names by manufacturers who are careful about which they are using can be confusing.
Either the wormwood or mugwort might be noted in ingredients, but the following masculine scents are usually described as having a significant Artemisia vulgaris ('mugwort' plant) presence:
Antica Barbieria Colla 3 Colonia No. 0
Avon Musk Fresh
Ayala Moriel Gaucho
Azzaro Naughty Leather, Summer Edition 2013
Burberry Touch
Calvin Klein Obession Summer
Caron Yatagan
Cartier l'Envol
Charriol Philippe II
Crabtree & Evelyn Black Absinthe
Denim Illusion
Dzintars Hit Yellow
Emanuel Ungaro Cologne Extreme
Emper Presidente Sports, Urban Man
Ermenegildo Zegna New York
Fabi per Lui
Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire
Gucci pour Homme
Halston Man
Homem Agua de Cheiro
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
Jeanne Arthes Extreme Limit Rock
Jovan Fever
l'Acqua di Fiori Extreme
Marbert Man Classic
Max Deville Silverado (Black)
Natura Kaiak Aventura
Nazareno Gabrielli Details
Nicole Farhi Homme
Oriflame Deep Impact, Mister Giordani Aqua
Panouge Indifference
Parfums Genty Skyline Pacific
Thera Cosmieticos Monaco
X-Bond Happy
Yves St. Laurent La Collection Jazz, Kouros Eau d'Ete
Zara Man Limited
And those listed below are claimed to have some type of 'wormwood' tone:
Absolument Parfumeur La Treizieme Note
Amouage Memoir, Fate
Angel Schlesser Homme Oriental
Aramis Adventurer
Brocard Modern Classic
By Kilian A Taste of Heaven
Calvin Klein Dark Obsession, CK Free
Carven le Vetiver
Davidoff Hot Water
Durance en Provence Spiced Absinth
Dzintars Stylish Man
Franceso SMalto
Guess Man
Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir
Hugo Boss Spirit
Humiecki & Graef Skarb
I Profumi di Firenze Hidalgo
John Varvatos Vintage
Kenzo Homme Night
Kesling Bleu Formidable
Lindo Ganarin Esquire
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin
Mauboussin pour Lui
Milton Lloyd Chique
Moschino Uomo
Opus Oils Absintheo
Oriflame Architect, Excite
Paco Rabanne Black XS
Pantheon Roma Raffaello
Parlux Decadence
Ralph Lauren Polo Black
Roberto Cavalli Man
Zara Denim Couture Extreme
Artemisia (sometimes 'wormwood') is a large and diverse family of over 200 plants that includes mugwort, tarragon, sagebrush, and wormwood. While native to Europe, it grows readily across areas with various climates, including parts of Asia, Africa, South America, and North America, preferring temperate zones and dry or semiarid habitats. It has velvety white or greenish-silver stems, yellow-green leaves, and bulbous bright or pale yellow flowers. Most species have strong aromas and bitter tastes which discourage predators, although they are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of butterfly species.
The name Artemisia comes from Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, the woodlands, and the moon. In folk medicine it was considered a feminine plant, with protective powers to guard over witches' gardens and healing properties, especially in relation to the uterus and pregnancy. Some believe the name also refers to Artemisia II, a queen of Caria (in western Anatolia), botanist, and medical researcher in the 4th century B.C. It was called wormwood because of the plant's ability to treat intestinal parasites.
Artemisia gained notoriety from its use in absinthe, a French liqueur that was a favorite of many 19th century artists, including Vincent van Gogh, and was purported to have numerous adverse effects (which actually appear to have been due to its very high alcohol content and contamination with methanol or toxic green dye). Long considered an hallucinogen and potential poison, wormwood was banned in the U.S. from 1912 until 2007. Overwhelmingly bitter, Artemisia is mentioned several times in the Bible as a symbol for extreme bitterness and suffering.
"Most wormwoods are segregated by the regions in which they are grown, and they all have different flavors and aromas," says Todd Leopold of Leopold Brothers distillery in Colorado. The best-known species is A. absinthium, grande wormwood, used by most distillers to produce absinthe. Wormwood can grow almost anywhere in the world, though much of it now is harvested commercially in Pontarlier (in Eastern France near the Swiss border) and in southern Virginia.
Use in Perfumes
Only a few species produce essential oils that are used commercially in perfumes, primarily A. vulgaris (mugwort), A. dracunculus (tarragon), and A. absinthium. A. vulgaris essential oil (Armoise) has an intense herbaceous, bittersweet, aromatic scent reminiscent of cedar leaf and sage and with musky, woody, marigold, and chamomile undertones. A. dranunculus is said to be more berry-like, evolving from bitterness to become sweet and floral. A. absinthium is a very sharp, bitter, 'green' fragrance element, used primarily is men's scents, where it brings balance to sweet floral and balsamic notes. Its initial slightly salty, bitter-camphoraceous tone develops into a more pleasant, sweet herbaceous, and tea-like drydown. It is used mainly in Fougère compositions, where it pairs well with lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin; and in Chypres, forest blends, and tobacco and leather fragrances. Wormwood is never used as a main theme, but rather is added as an accessory to other notes. Perfume expert Steffen Arctander says that A. Absinthium "is very warm and dry-woody, long-lasting and highly interesting as a unique perfume note. . . an extremely interesting perfume material which can be utilized in a multitude of new combinations. It blends well with oakmoss; it introduces a true-to-nature herbaceous note in a jasmin, orange-flower or hyacinth; it lends enormous richness to a chypre or a lavender compound..."
Artisan perfumers are experimenting with other Artemisias, including A. arborescens, which is said to have a clean, fresh, green aroma, and A. herba-alba, which is fresh, cool, and sweet-camphoraceous. The latter is being used especially to provide 'lift' to top note accords and to accentuate other green notes such as galbanum, sage, and rosemary. A. tridentata is used to a lesser degree by some artisan perfumers. Commonly known as North American sagebrush, it has a dry, pungent fragrance somewhat like garden sage but 'wilder.' A. dracunculus has characteristic herbal scent that has similarities to anise, basil, and sweet clover.
Medical Uses
All parts of the plant have been used in traditional medical practices for centuries. A. absinthium was used in European folk medicine to strengthen the body, ease digestion and remove intestinal worms, and reduce fever. A. herba-alba (white wormwood) is native to the Israeli Negev, and the bedouins in the desert used it as a general antiseptic, anthelmintic, and antispasmodic. It was also used to treat diabetics because its intense bitterness was believed to balance the excess of sugar and to stimulate the liver and pancreas, as do other bitter herbs such as germander and sage. Mugwort, also known as cronewort, is believed to be a nerve tonic and digestive tonic and is thought to increase mentrual bleeding and to treat pulmonary diseases. U.S. west coast Native American cultures used mugwort to prevent wound infections, to treat athlete's foot, as a headache remedy, and to stop internal bleeding. Another type of mugwort, A. californica (coastal sagebrush), has been used to treat respiratory complaints, including coughs, colds, and asthma, and for pain relief, in which it is said to be more effective and safer than opioids.
In Chinese medicine, mugwort is called 'moxa' and is used during acupuncture treatments, during which it is burned on top of the needles to warm them and activate the body's qi energy. This is thought to improve blood supply to the area. Chinese mugwort (A. argyi) is used mostly to treat women's bleeding during pregnancy or postpartum but also for promoting menstruation. Another Chinese species, A. apiaceae, is used to treat vertigo, cold sweats, fevers, headaches, and joint pains.
The main species employed in the West for their medicinal properties are A. cina, A. herba-alba, and A. arborescens, whose high santonin content makes them effective against intestinal worms. A. annua, which also contains artemisinin, is the current most effective drug against P. falciparum malaria, although there are concerns that subtherapeutic doses of it in popular juices and teas could promote resistance. Modern research has shown that Artemisia essential oils have antiseptic activity against several types of bacteria. A. capillaris is known to have sedative-hypnotic effects, and recent studies with mice have shown that the thujone in it and other Artemisias affect GABA levels and uptake in the brain, acting very much like cannabis THC does. A. annua has been considered as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Although there is no evidence that it can treat or prevent the viral infection, Madagascar has manufactured and distributed as a treatment of COVID-19 an herbal drink called Covid-Organics.
Other Uses
In aromatherapy, mugwort and lavender are used together in 'dream' pillows to balance their opposing actions of alertness/relaxation.
A. Absinthium also is used in soap fragrances and is popular as a scent for Japanese bath salts. And A. herba-alba is thought to be helpful for stress and emotional disturbance when used topically.
Artemisia tea has a strong medicinal flavor and is mostly drunk as a warming and energizing winter brew in North Africa and among Moroccan Jews in Israel, usually with mint. It is also ingested as a beneficial tea in Japan and Korea. A sweet rice-red bean Japanese pastry, Yomogi mochi, is flavored with mugwort. Historically, A. absinthium was used to spice mead in Medieval Europe, and in 18th century England it was used in making beer, preventing spoilage of the barley during fermentation. In combination with other herbs and spices, it flavors the green-colored absinthe liqueur, as well as vermouths. (The word vermouth is derived from the German word Wermut, meaning 'wormwood.') A. dranunculus (tarragon) is used widely as a culinary herb, especially in French cuisine.
Coastal mugwort and sagebrush have been used by Native American peoples in British Columbia to cleanse and purify a space in 'smudging ceremonies' (involving the burning of sacred herbs). Artemisia arborescens has been an important Christian monastery herb and was found wild in Israel near ancient Crusaders' forts. It is thought that the Crusaders brought it with them from Europe to plant in their own 'monastery gardens' near the fortresses. Interestingly, it also is now one of the fragrant herbs planted in Muslim cemeteries because it is believed that a good scent will be pleasing to the angels that judge the souls of the deceased. A few species oF Artemisia are grown as ornamental plants. A. tridentata, which has the most camphor, terpionoids, and tannins, was used by the Okanagan region's native people to tan hides. Several Artemisia species have been used as insect repellants.
Men's Artemisia and Wormwood Products
The common naming of essential oils of Artemisia species creates much confusion among perfumers, with some products called 'wormwood' and others called 'mugwort,' and some called both by various authors. In addition, Latin species name can refer to any of several different cultivars or subspecies with varying scents, so even the use of species names by manufacturers who are careful about which they are using can be confusing.
Either the wormwood or mugwort might be noted in ingredients, but the following masculine scents are usually described as having a significant Artemisia vulgaris ('mugwort' plant) presence:
Antica Barbieria Colla 3 Colonia No. 0
Avon Musk Fresh
Ayala Moriel Gaucho
Azzaro Naughty Leather, Summer Edition 2013
Burberry Touch
Calvin Klein Obession Summer
Caron Yatagan
Cartier l'Envol
Charriol Philippe II
Crabtree & Evelyn Black Absinthe
Denim Illusion
Dzintars Hit Yellow
Emanuel Ungaro Cologne Extreme
Emper Presidente Sports, Urban Man
Ermenegildo Zegna New York
Fabi per Lui
Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire
Gucci pour Homme
Halston Man
Homem Agua de Cheiro
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
Jeanne Arthes Extreme Limit Rock
Jovan Fever
l'Acqua di Fiori Extreme
Marbert Man Classic
Max Deville Silverado (Black)
Natura Kaiak Aventura
Nazareno Gabrielli Details
Nicole Farhi Homme
Oriflame Deep Impact, Mister Giordani Aqua
Panouge Indifference
Parfums Genty Skyline Pacific
Thera Cosmieticos Monaco
X-Bond Happy
Yves St. Laurent La Collection Jazz, Kouros Eau d'Ete
Zara Man Limited
And those listed below are claimed to have some type of 'wormwood' tone:
Absolument Parfumeur La Treizieme Note
Amouage Memoir, Fate
Angel Schlesser Homme Oriental
Aramis Adventurer
Brocard Modern Classic
By Kilian A Taste of Heaven
Calvin Klein Dark Obsession, CK Free
Carven le Vetiver
Davidoff Hot Water
Durance en Provence Spiced Absinth
Dzintars Stylish Man
Franceso SMalto
Guess Man
Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir
Hugo Boss Spirit
Humiecki & Graef Skarb
I Profumi di Firenze Hidalgo
John Varvatos Vintage
Kenzo Homme Night
Kesling Bleu Formidable
Lindo Ganarin Esquire
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin
Mauboussin pour Lui
Milton Lloyd Chique
Moschino Uomo
Opus Oils Absintheo
Oriflame Architect, Excite
Paco Rabanne Black XS
Pantheon Roma Raffaello
Parlux Decadence
Ralph Lauren Polo Black
Roberto Cavalli Man
Zara Denim Couture Extreme
John
Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
Tobacco
![[Image: 8dxJ696.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/8dxJ696.jpg)
Like several other members of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, tobacco is native to the Americas and the West Indies. Two main species of tobacco are used aromatically, medicinally, and commercially. Nicotiana rustica is a wild tobacco, native to the West Indies and eastern North America, and is the one used by native Americans for centuries. Nicotiana tabacum is indigenous to Central and South American and was cultivated commercially later in the state of Virginia. Cultivated tobacco is an annual herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 3-6 feet. It is sensitive to temperature, air quality, ground humidity, and the type of soil. China now produces the most tobacco, followed by India, Brazil, and the U.S.
![[Image: peYafo5.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/peYafo5.jpg)
![[Image: 9E6ZYfy.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/9E6ZYfy.jpg)
There is evidence that tobacco may have been grown in Guatemala in the 9th to 7th centuries B.C. and that Mayans smoked tobacco during religious ceremonies by the 1st century B.C. The Arawak/Taíno people of the Caribbean are believed to be the first to cultivate and use it on a large scale. The seeds were introduced to Europe by the Spanish monk Roman Pano in 1496, first considered a decorative plant, then a medicinal panacea, and eventually a snuff and tobacco source. It arrived in Africa at the beginning of the 17th century.
![[Image: FUGELy9.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/FUGELy9.jpg)
The English word tobacco originates from the Spanish and Portuguese 'tabaco,' which probably was derived from Taíno, the Caribbean Arawakan language. In Taíno, it was said to mean either a roll of tobacco leaves (according to Bartolomé de las Casas, 1552), or tabago, a kind of L-shaped pipe used for sniffing tobacco smoke. However, similar words in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian were used in the 15th century for certain medicinal herbs and were probably derived from the Arabic ṭubāq, a word dating to the 9th century.
Perfumery Use
It is unclear when the tobacco note first gained popularity in perfumery. One theory is that a tobacco tincture may have been used in citrus colognes of the early 19th century to add woody, leathery, or ambery base nuances. There are many vintage perfume bottles from the late 19th century with the names Tabac, Tabacco, Tabac Doux, Tabac Fleuri, and Tabac Noir, but whether or not they actually included any tobacco is unclear. Houbigant Fougère Royale (1882), with lavender, moss, and coumarin in its formula, created what might be considered a tobacco 'hologram,' an illusion of tobacco fragrance. Tobacco became more popular in general with the invention of cigarettes during the First World War. The history of flapper girls who started to smoke in society is reflected in perfumes such as Caron Tabac Blond (1919) and Molinard Habanita (1921), although they contain no raw tobacco material and are actually leather-amber and wood-amber compositions. It is said that Maurer & Wirtz Tabac was first created in 1939 with a true tobacco note but was recreated in 1959 without it. The first major recognized appearance of tobacco in perfumery was in Guerlain Vetiver (1959). According to legend, the fragrance came about after a chance meeting of Jean-Paul Guerlain with a gentleman walking in the woods and smoking a pipe.
Nicotine
The primary chemical component (1-5%) of tobacco is nicotine, an alkaloid named in 1586, commonly and in Latin, by the botanist Jacques Dalechamps in honor of Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal. Nicot gave tobacco to Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France, as a remedy for migraine. The plant material has a very complex chemical composition, including around 3000 different constituents. The major sources of the characteristic tobacco fragrance are the caretenoids, with contribution also from terpenoids, phenols, furans, and lactones.
Curing
Like several other aromatic botanicals used in perfumery, tobacco requires processing before extraction, since the raw leaves have a somewhat unpleasant smell. Curing of the leaves can be done in several ways to produce different types of tobacco for use.
Air curing involves simple air drying, either outdoors or indoors in well-ventilated barn structures. In the original method, the entire plant is cut down and placed upside down so that the leaves dry more or less straight. Once dried, the leaves are brittle and fragile, so they are gathered, removed from the stems, and stacked into piles on a humid day or with humidity added to the barn atmosphere. They are left then to ferment and become brown, a process taking about 6-8 weeks. This results in a somewhat sweet, lightly-flavored tobacco with a high nicotine level. Cigar and burley tobaccos are air cured.
![[Image: dvAiI2S.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/dvAiI2S.jpg)
![[Image: grxADIE.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/grxADIE.jpg)
Fire curing is done indoors, where a hardwood fire is kept smoldering for 3-10 weeks, making a smoke that permeates the leaves. This produces a tobacco low in sugar and with a high nicotine content, with a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor, used mainly for pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff.
![[Image: LvR7VfI.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/LvR7VfI.jpg)
Flue curing also is done indoors, but with the barn heated by hot air run through pipes (flues), without exposure of the tobacco to smoke. This results in a tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to high nicotine levels, used for cigarettes. This is the fastest method, requiring about a week. Virginia tobacco that is flue cured is also called 'bright tobacco' because the curing turns its leaves gold, orange, or yellow.
![[Image: GQAO1fS.png]](https://i.imgur.com/GQAO1fS.png)
Sun curing consists of leaving the tobacco outdoors and exposed openly to the sun for 4-5 days, after which the leaves are taken indoors and allowed to dry further and then soften for packing. This method is mostly used in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries to create what is called Oriental tobacco, low in both sugar and nicotine and used in cigarettes and hooka blends.
![[Image: ImYTldA.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ImYTldA.jpg)
After curing, the tobacco is tied into small bundles of about 20 leaves called 'hands' or is machine-pressed into large blocks called bales. At this stage, rum, vanilla, molasses, dried fruit, or mint are sometimes added for flavoring. Also at this point, perfumes are added to some tobacco for use in scented cigars, cigarettes, loose-leaf tobacco, and snuff. The hands or bales are finally aged for 1-3 years to mature the flavor and reduce bitterness.
![[Image: yAtqPDF.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/yAtqPDF.jpg)
![[Image: cr0Sury.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/cr0Sury.jpg)
Absolute
For perfumery, the tobacco is usually solvent extracted from the cured leaves with petroleum ether or hexane, resulting in a concrete from which the absolute (also known as essential oil) is removed by ethanol. This raw absolute is a thick, dark brown-amber, pliable mass that must be heated slowly to become pourable for mixing. Co-distillation with water under a stream of inert gas, with subsequent single-solvent extraction of the distillate, can produce a nearly clear liquid so that perfumes to which it is added are not so darkly colored. When heavily diluted, the absolute obtains its characteristic cigar or pipe tobacco aroma. Perfume expert Steffen Arctander describes the absolute as "a dark brown, semi-solid mass of strong, almost repulsive odor, faintly reminiscent of cigar tobacco... In dilution, it has a typical cigar-tobacco fragrance."
Generally tobacco absolute is known for providing an earthy, mossy, woody, sweet aroma with notes of hay, tea, balsam, honey, and fruit, and hints of flowers, leather, and chocolate. The scent of the absolute varies depending upon the quality of the tobacco leaves used. Some absolute is flat, dry, and woody, with a tannin-like quality suggesting black tea and mate absolute. Others are fuller, more rounded and animalic, with more body and almost chocolate-like richness. Potent and very long-lasting, tobacco scent needs to be highly diluted and used in small quantities with complementary essences. According to Arctander, the preferred tobacco for absolute is the 'Virginia' type, of which most suppliers now sell a nicotine-free type. France is the major producer of the absolute, although Bulgaria also markets a significant amount. Other tobacco varieties used on a smaller scale to produce absolute include Burley, Oriental (Turkish), and Latakia (grown in Syria and Cyprus).
The tobacco note can be found in the top, middle, or base of a perfume. With its tannin quality, tobacco makes an excellent base for leather compositions, especially with castoreum or hyraceum tinctures and cade oil or birch tar. It also blends beautifully with all 'woody' fragrances, including vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, cedarwood, juniper, sage, and labdanum. In citrusy colognes, especially those with lime, it adds a polished, sophisticated tone. Tobacco works very well with Oriental spices and with florals (with which it shares some common chemical components), especially rose, violet-iris, geranium, jasmine, and orange blossom. In small amounts, it adds depth, character, and dryness to fougères. It generally adds sweet, sensuous, smoky, and mysterious nuances to a fragrance, giving hints of caramel or whiskey. There are very few other scents that conflict with it in a composition. In terms of the marketing around the concepts of gentlemen's clubs, smoking rooms, and other remnants of high class and 'manly pleasures,' tobacco sometimes is combined with tones of rum and whiskey, in addition to leather and smoky aromas. Finally, tobacco absolute also has excellent fixative properties.
Sometimes considered a subgroup of tobacco perfumes are those that are especially dry and pungent, in which tobacco strongly prevails or in which it is combined for this effect with ambergris or dry, sharp spices like cloves and black pepper. Examples are Maison Incens Oud Deneii, Rania T. Habanero, Sultan Pasha Attars, Jardins d'Ecrivains George, and Creed Tabarome.
Says perfumer Andy Tauer about tobacco, "In perfumery, I love it for its multitude of facets. There is a wood line. There are dried fruits giving it a gourmand character, supported by what brings 'cocoa' to mind. There is an animalic, furry, dirty line. And there is a quality that says 'bathroom, used, not cleaned for a while,' and so much more. Thus, it can be combined with all sorts of other notes: Think flowers, roses. The darkness of tobacco sets the flower petals in fire. Think patchouli, think vetiver, think amber, think musks, think... endless."
Another absolute whose aroma is similar to that of tobacco is Blazing Star (Liatris odoratissima), a plant of the aster family. Sweet, dry/powdery, herbal (coumarin-like), and with undertones of vanilla, it combines well with the same essences as does tobacco.
![[Image: FDhXTGq.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/FDhXTGq.jpg)
Tobacco Flower Absolute
There is also a tobacco flower absolute, usually sourced from Bulgaria. It very rare and is in high demand by perfumers. This is described as being delicate, subtle, rich, sweet, and spicy-floral, with a fresh and almost fruity note, reminiscent of carnation, violet, and cloves. It is sweeter and more complex than tobacco leaf absolute. Other varieties of tobacco, including jasmine/sweet or winged tobacco (N. alata), Aztec or 'strong' tobacco (N. rustica), and Petunia tobacco (N. petunoides) also produce very fragrant flowers that can be used for absolutes.
![[Image: HlLyX34.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/HlLyX34.jpg)
Tobacco Mimics and Synthetics
Other essences are frequently used to create an illusion of tobacco, including coumarin, sage, clove, cinnamon, lavender, vanilla, tonka beans, ambergris, licorice, amber, and deer tongue (lyatrix). Tobacco expert William Poucher includes a formula for a 'tobacco flower base' in his Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps that includes rose, carnation, clary sage, honey, jasmine, immortelle absolute, birch tar, coumarin, vanilla, and a hydroquinone, to recreate the flower's aroma. One modern example is Issara Dusita Paris, with tonka beans, clary sage, vetiver, and cedar. Another is Cuba Paris, with the the tobacco note actually only existing in its name. These scents also are sometimes added to emphasize the true tobacco (similar to the addition of coumarin to tobacco in cigarettes).
Synthetic tobacco absolute components are now available, including carotenoids. A well known one is veltonal, with a distinctive tobacco tone and a raspberry-pomegranate fruity accord. 3-Megastigmatrienone, which plays a major role in giving tobacco its aroma, is synthesized commercially and sold under the brand name Tabanon. Other chemicals with tobacco notes very close to the natural include oxophoyl, isophoryl acetate, 3-theaspirone, and 4-oxo-beta-ionone. Certain synthetic nitrous compounds are used in the perfume industry in nano-quantities to make the true tobacco note richer, more vivid, and with more contrast.
Other Uses
Tobacco is a sacred plant to nearly all Native American peoples. The first to use it were probably the Mayans. The Aztecs also cultivated it so they could use the flowers as ceremonial ornaments. Tobacco has been an essential element in many Native American rituals, in different ways: placed as an offering to gods or spirits, burned on a fire to produce fragrant smoke, and smoked in a pipe or as cigar-like rolled leaves. Generally they did not inhale the smoke, and historically their reverence for the plant and respect for its powers prevented them from allowing addiction to it. In addition to nicotine, tobacco contains other alkaloids that are monoamine oxidase inhibitors, whose properties are like those of certain modern antidepressant medications. These compounds give tobacco smoke its effect of 'generating the divine within,' which allowed Native American shamans to enter mystic altered states of consciousness in their practices.
Tobacco administered by chewing, as snuff, and by smoking, was used medicinally by Native Americans to treat many ailments, including asthma, fever, animal bites and stings, and mental confusion. It has been used topically in many cultures for centuries to treat oral ailments (toothaches, gum bleeding, cavities) and skin diseases (infections, burns, eczema, rashes, alopecia, dandruff). Macerated tobacco leaves have been used as first aid for venomous snake bites. The oil has been thought to be a potent aphrodisiac and an effective treatment for sexual problems. The absolute also has been used both topically and in aromatherapy burners to treat anxiety, depression, emotional imbalance, and mental 'dullness;' it is reputed to be soothing, calming, and relaxing. In addition, it is sometimes used in nasal drop form to suppress craving in those trying to quit smoking.
In modern times, tobacco has been considered to have sedative, diuretic, expectorant, emetic, and saliva stimulant effects, although it is not often used for these purposes. Research has demonstrated that it has antioxidant properties, possibly due to its vitamin C content. A Duke University study in 2006 showed that nicotine patches were effective as an antidepressant therapy, thought to be due to increased brain release of dopamine and serotonin. Tobacco has been shown to have some bactericidal and fungicidal activity. And research at the University of Louisiana Monroe has demonstrated that it has some benefit in treating prostate and breast cancers. Studies are also looking at its use for rheumatism and asthma.
With its toxic nicotine content, thought to provide a defense against animal predators, tobacco leaf extract was a popular pest control substance until the beginning of the 20th century, when it was replaced generally by other chemicals. In 1851, the Belgian chemist Jean Stas documented the use of tobacco extract as a murder poison, after the Count Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé poisoned his brother-in-law with it in order to acquire money. Varieties other than N. Tabacum are cultivated as ornamental plants, and tobacco plants have been used in some biofuels.
Tobacco appears in a large number of perfumes, with some considered to be unisex preparations and many thought to have a 'masculine' character. And while some contain only tobacco leaf absolute and others tobacco flower absolute, a number of them appear to have touches of both types in varying proportions, so the lines differentiating them are not clear. The following lists are simply representative of the commercial offerings.
'Masculine' Tobacco Leaf/Cigar/Pipe Tobacco Fragrances:
Aficionado Cigar Aficionado (cigar tobacco)
Alt-Innsbruck
Aramis Havana, Tobacco Reserve
Banana Republic Black Walnut
Bogart Pour Homme (cigar tobacco)
Burberry London
Calvin Klein CK One Shock
Coqui Tabaco
Creed Tabarome Millesime
Czech & Speake Cuba (cigar tobacco)
David Jourquin Cuir Tabac
Demeter Pipe Tobacco
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Emanuel Ungaro Man
Frau Tonis Parfum No. 70 Habanera
Gianfranco Ferre For Man (bitter pipe tobacco)
Giorgio Armani Code
Gucci Pour Homme
Issey Miyake Pour Homme
John Varvatos Vintage
Kilian Light My Fire, Back to Black
Korres Premium II
Le Labo Santal 33
Le Re Noir #126 Tabac du Chaman
Maison Martin Margiela Jazz Club
Maurer & Wirtz Tabac
Michael Kors Michael for Men
MiN New York Moon Dust
Parfums de Marly Herod
Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque La Feria
Pierre Cardin Centaure Cuir Blanc
Remy Latour Cigar for Men
Robert Graham Fortitude
Roger & Gallet Cigalia
Roja Dove Enigma
Santa Maria Novella Tabacco Toscano, Acqua di Cuba (cigar tobacco)
Serge Lutens Chergui
Sjaak Hullekes 64
Teatro Olfattivo di Parma
Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Havane (sweet cherry tobacco)
Tom Ford Tobacco Oud, Tobacco Vanille (vanilla pipe tobacco)
Tommy Bahama Cigar
Versace The Dreamer (fresh cigarette tobacco)
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb
Volutes Diptyque
Zara Tobacco Collection Rich Warm Addictive, Tone Indeterminee
'Masculine' Tobacco Flower Fragrances:
Atelier Segall & Barutti Le Tabac & Citrus
Avon Black Suede Leather
Banana Republic Modern 2015
Bloke Benji
Bvlgari BLV Pour Homme, Notte Pour Homme
Cherigan Fleurs de Tabac
Di Palomo Per Lui
FEN Perfumes Gentlemen's Club
Gandini 1896 Tobacco
Givenchy Play
John Varvatos Rock Volume 1
Korres Saffron Tobacco
La Martina Suerte
O Botaicario Connexion My Way
Parfumes Quartana Wolfsbane
Thera Cosmeticos Dakar
Tru Fragrances Ultimo Noir
Versace The Dreamer
Womo Black Tobacco
Xerjoff Shooting Stars Oesel
Like several other members of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, tobacco is native to the Americas and the West Indies. Two main species of tobacco are used aromatically, medicinally, and commercially. Nicotiana rustica is a wild tobacco, native to the West Indies and eastern North America, and is the one used by native Americans for centuries. Nicotiana tabacum is indigenous to Central and South American and was cultivated commercially later in the state of Virginia. Cultivated tobacco is an annual herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 3-6 feet. It is sensitive to temperature, air quality, ground humidity, and the type of soil. China now produces the most tobacco, followed by India, Brazil, and the U.S.
There is evidence that tobacco may have been grown in Guatemala in the 9th to 7th centuries B.C. and that Mayans smoked tobacco during religious ceremonies by the 1st century B.C. The Arawak/Taíno people of the Caribbean are believed to be the first to cultivate and use it on a large scale. The seeds were introduced to Europe by the Spanish monk Roman Pano in 1496, first considered a decorative plant, then a medicinal panacea, and eventually a snuff and tobacco source. It arrived in Africa at the beginning of the 17th century.
The English word tobacco originates from the Spanish and Portuguese 'tabaco,' which probably was derived from Taíno, the Caribbean Arawakan language. In Taíno, it was said to mean either a roll of tobacco leaves (according to Bartolomé de las Casas, 1552), or tabago, a kind of L-shaped pipe used for sniffing tobacco smoke. However, similar words in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian were used in the 15th century for certain medicinal herbs and were probably derived from the Arabic ṭubāq, a word dating to the 9th century.
Perfumery Use
It is unclear when the tobacco note first gained popularity in perfumery. One theory is that a tobacco tincture may have been used in citrus colognes of the early 19th century to add woody, leathery, or ambery base nuances. There are many vintage perfume bottles from the late 19th century with the names Tabac, Tabacco, Tabac Doux, Tabac Fleuri, and Tabac Noir, but whether or not they actually included any tobacco is unclear. Houbigant Fougère Royale (1882), with lavender, moss, and coumarin in its formula, created what might be considered a tobacco 'hologram,' an illusion of tobacco fragrance. Tobacco became more popular in general with the invention of cigarettes during the First World War. The history of flapper girls who started to smoke in society is reflected in perfumes such as Caron Tabac Blond (1919) and Molinard Habanita (1921), although they contain no raw tobacco material and are actually leather-amber and wood-amber compositions. It is said that Maurer & Wirtz Tabac was first created in 1939 with a true tobacco note but was recreated in 1959 without it. The first major recognized appearance of tobacco in perfumery was in Guerlain Vetiver (1959). According to legend, the fragrance came about after a chance meeting of Jean-Paul Guerlain with a gentleman walking in the woods and smoking a pipe.
Nicotine
The primary chemical component (1-5%) of tobacco is nicotine, an alkaloid named in 1586, commonly and in Latin, by the botanist Jacques Dalechamps in honor of Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal. Nicot gave tobacco to Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France, as a remedy for migraine. The plant material has a very complex chemical composition, including around 3000 different constituents. The major sources of the characteristic tobacco fragrance are the caretenoids, with contribution also from terpenoids, phenols, furans, and lactones.
Curing
Like several other aromatic botanicals used in perfumery, tobacco requires processing before extraction, since the raw leaves have a somewhat unpleasant smell. Curing of the leaves can be done in several ways to produce different types of tobacco for use.
Air curing involves simple air drying, either outdoors or indoors in well-ventilated barn structures. In the original method, the entire plant is cut down and placed upside down so that the leaves dry more or less straight. Once dried, the leaves are brittle and fragile, so they are gathered, removed from the stems, and stacked into piles on a humid day or with humidity added to the barn atmosphere. They are left then to ferment and become brown, a process taking about 6-8 weeks. This results in a somewhat sweet, lightly-flavored tobacco with a high nicotine level. Cigar and burley tobaccos are air cured.
Fire curing is done indoors, where a hardwood fire is kept smoldering for 3-10 weeks, making a smoke that permeates the leaves. This produces a tobacco low in sugar and with a high nicotine content, with a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor, used mainly for pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff.
Flue curing also is done indoors, but with the barn heated by hot air run through pipes (flues), without exposure of the tobacco to smoke. This results in a tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to high nicotine levels, used for cigarettes. This is the fastest method, requiring about a week. Virginia tobacco that is flue cured is also called 'bright tobacco' because the curing turns its leaves gold, orange, or yellow.
Sun curing consists of leaving the tobacco outdoors and exposed openly to the sun for 4-5 days, after which the leaves are taken indoors and allowed to dry further and then soften for packing. This method is mostly used in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries to create what is called Oriental tobacco, low in both sugar and nicotine and used in cigarettes and hooka blends.
After curing, the tobacco is tied into small bundles of about 20 leaves called 'hands' or is machine-pressed into large blocks called bales. At this stage, rum, vanilla, molasses, dried fruit, or mint are sometimes added for flavoring. Also at this point, perfumes are added to some tobacco for use in scented cigars, cigarettes, loose-leaf tobacco, and snuff. The hands or bales are finally aged for 1-3 years to mature the flavor and reduce bitterness.
Absolute
For perfumery, the tobacco is usually solvent extracted from the cured leaves with petroleum ether or hexane, resulting in a concrete from which the absolute (also known as essential oil) is removed by ethanol. This raw absolute is a thick, dark brown-amber, pliable mass that must be heated slowly to become pourable for mixing. Co-distillation with water under a stream of inert gas, with subsequent single-solvent extraction of the distillate, can produce a nearly clear liquid so that perfumes to which it is added are not so darkly colored. When heavily diluted, the absolute obtains its characteristic cigar or pipe tobacco aroma. Perfume expert Steffen Arctander describes the absolute as "a dark brown, semi-solid mass of strong, almost repulsive odor, faintly reminiscent of cigar tobacco... In dilution, it has a typical cigar-tobacco fragrance."
Generally tobacco absolute is known for providing an earthy, mossy, woody, sweet aroma with notes of hay, tea, balsam, honey, and fruit, and hints of flowers, leather, and chocolate. The scent of the absolute varies depending upon the quality of the tobacco leaves used. Some absolute is flat, dry, and woody, with a tannin-like quality suggesting black tea and mate absolute. Others are fuller, more rounded and animalic, with more body and almost chocolate-like richness. Potent and very long-lasting, tobacco scent needs to be highly diluted and used in small quantities with complementary essences. According to Arctander, the preferred tobacco for absolute is the 'Virginia' type, of which most suppliers now sell a nicotine-free type. France is the major producer of the absolute, although Bulgaria also markets a significant amount. Other tobacco varieties used on a smaller scale to produce absolute include Burley, Oriental (Turkish), and Latakia (grown in Syria and Cyprus).
The tobacco note can be found in the top, middle, or base of a perfume. With its tannin quality, tobacco makes an excellent base for leather compositions, especially with castoreum or hyraceum tinctures and cade oil or birch tar. It also blends beautifully with all 'woody' fragrances, including vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, cedarwood, juniper, sage, and labdanum. In citrusy colognes, especially those with lime, it adds a polished, sophisticated tone. Tobacco works very well with Oriental spices and with florals (with which it shares some common chemical components), especially rose, violet-iris, geranium, jasmine, and orange blossom. In small amounts, it adds depth, character, and dryness to fougères. It generally adds sweet, sensuous, smoky, and mysterious nuances to a fragrance, giving hints of caramel or whiskey. There are very few other scents that conflict with it in a composition. In terms of the marketing around the concepts of gentlemen's clubs, smoking rooms, and other remnants of high class and 'manly pleasures,' tobacco sometimes is combined with tones of rum and whiskey, in addition to leather and smoky aromas. Finally, tobacco absolute also has excellent fixative properties.
Sometimes considered a subgroup of tobacco perfumes are those that are especially dry and pungent, in which tobacco strongly prevails or in which it is combined for this effect with ambergris or dry, sharp spices like cloves and black pepper. Examples are Maison Incens Oud Deneii, Rania T. Habanero, Sultan Pasha Attars, Jardins d'Ecrivains George, and Creed Tabarome.
Says perfumer Andy Tauer about tobacco, "In perfumery, I love it for its multitude of facets. There is a wood line. There are dried fruits giving it a gourmand character, supported by what brings 'cocoa' to mind. There is an animalic, furry, dirty line. And there is a quality that says 'bathroom, used, not cleaned for a while,' and so much more. Thus, it can be combined with all sorts of other notes: Think flowers, roses. The darkness of tobacco sets the flower petals in fire. Think patchouli, think vetiver, think amber, think musks, think... endless."
Another absolute whose aroma is similar to that of tobacco is Blazing Star (Liatris odoratissima), a plant of the aster family. Sweet, dry/powdery, herbal (coumarin-like), and with undertones of vanilla, it combines well with the same essences as does tobacco.
Tobacco Flower Absolute
There is also a tobacco flower absolute, usually sourced from Bulgaria. It very rare and is in high demand by perfumers. This is described as being delicate, subtle, rich, sweet, and spicy-floral, with a fresh and almost fruity note, reminiscent of carnation, violet, and cloves. It is sweeter and more complex than tobacco leaf absolute. Other varieties of tobacco, including jasmine/sweet or winged tobacco (N. alata), Aztec or 'strong' tobacco (N. rustica), and Petunia tobacco (N. petunoides) also produce very fragrant flowers that can be used for absolutes.
Tobacco Mimics and Synthetics
Other essences are frequently used to create an illusion of tobacco, including coumarin, sage, clove, cinnamon, lavender, vanilla, tonka beans, ambergris, licorice, amber, and deer tongue (lyatrix). Tobacco expert William Poucher includes a formula for a 'tobacco flower base' in his Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps that includes rose, carnation, clary sage, honey, jasmine, immortelle absolute, birch tar, coumarin, vanilla, and a hydroquinone, to recreate the flower's aroma. One modern example is Issara Dusita Paris, with tonka beans, clary sage, vetiver, and cedar. Another is Cuba Paris, with the the tobacco note actually only existing in its name. These scents also are sometimes added to emphasize the true tobacco (similar to the addition of coumarin to tobacco in cigarettes).
Synthetic tobacco absolute components are now available, including carotenoids. A well known one is veltonal, with a distinctive tobacco tone and a raspberry-pomegranate fruity accord. 3-Megastigmatrienone, which plays a major role in giving tobacco its aroma, is synthesized commercially and sold under the brand name Tabanon. Other chemicals with tobacco notes very close to the natural include oxophoyl, isophoryl acetate, 3-theaspirone, and 4-oxo-beta-ionone. Certain synthetic nitrous compounds are used in the perfume industry in nano-quantities to make the true tobacco note richer, more vivid, and with more contrast.
Other Uses
Tobacco is a sacred plant to nearly all Native American peoples. The first to use it were probably the Mayans. The Aztecs also cultivated it so they could use the flowers as ceremonial ornaments. Tobacco has been an essential element in many Native American rituals, in different ways: placed as an offering to gods or spirits, burned on a fire to produce fragrant smoke, and smoked in a pipe or as cigar-like rolled leaves. Generally they did not inhale the smoke, and historically their reverence for the plant and respect for its powers prevented them from allowing addiction to it. In addition to nicotine, tobacco contains other alkaloids that are monoamine oxidase inhibitors, whose properties are like those of certain modern antidepressant medications. These compounds give tobacco smoke its effect of 'generating the divine within,' which allowed Native American shamans to enter mystic altered states of consciousness in their practices.
Tobacco administered by chewing, as snuff, and by smoking, was used medicinally by Native Americans to treat many ailments, including asthma, fever, animal bites and stings, and mental confusion. It has been used topically in many cultures for centuries to treat oral ailments (toothaches, gum bleeding, cavities) and skin diseases (infections, burns, eczema, rashes, alopecia, dandruff). Macerated tobacco leaves have been used as first aid for venomous snake bites. The oil has been thought to be a potent aphrodisiac and an effective treatment for sexual problems. The absolute also has been used both topically and in aromatherapy burners to treat anxiety, depression, emotional imbalance, and mental 'dullness;' it is reputed to be soothing, calming, and relaxing. In addition, it is sometimes used in nasal drop form to suppress craving in those trying to quit smoking.
In modern times, tobacco has been considered to have sedative, diuretic, expectorant, emetic, and saliva stimulant effects, although it is not often used for these purposes. Research has demonstrated that it has antioxidant properties, possibly due to its vitamin C content. A Duke University study in 2006 showed that nicotine patches were effective as an antidepressant therapy, thought to be due to increased brain release of dopamine and serotonin. Tobacco has been shown to have some bactericidal and fungicidal activity. And research at the University of Louisiana Monroe has demonstrated that it has some benefit in treating prostate and breast cancers. Studies are also looking at its use for rheumatism and asthma.
With its toxic nicotine content, thought to provide a defense against animal predators, tobacco leaf extract was a popular pest control substance until the beginning of the 20th century, when it was replaced generally by other chemicals. In 1851, the Belgian chemist Jean Stas documented the use of tobacco extract as a murder poison, after the Count Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé poisoned his brother-in-law with it in order to acquire money. Varieties other than N. Tabacum are cultivated as ornamental plants, and tobacco plants have been used in some biofuels.
Tobacco appears in a large number of perfumes, with some considered to be unisex preparations and many thought to have a 'masculine' character. And while some contain only tobacco leaf absolute and others tobacco flower absolute, a number of them appear to have touches of both types in varying proportions, so the lines differentiating them are not clear. The following lists are simply representative of the commercial offerings.
'Masculine' Tobacco Leaf/Cigar/Pipe Tobacco Fragrances:
Aficionado Cigar Aficionado (cigar tobacco)
Alt-Innsbruck
Aramis Havana, Tobacco Reserve
Banana Republic Black Walnut
Bogart Pour Homme (cigar tobacco)
Burberry London
Calvin Klein CK One Shock
Coqui Tabaco
Creed Tabarome Millesime
Czech & Speake Cuba (cigar tobacco)
David Jourquin Cuir Tabac
Demeter Pipe Tobacco
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Emanuel Ungaro Man
Frau Tonis Parfum No. 70 Habanera
Gianfranco Ferre For Man (bitter pipe tobacco)
Giorgio Armani Code
Gucci Pour Homme
Issey Miyake Pour Homme
John Varvatos Vintage
Kilian Light My Fire, Back to Black
Korres Premium II
Le Labo Santal 33
Le Re Noir #126 Tabac du Chaman
Maison Martin Margiela Jazz Club
Maurer & Wirtz Tabac
Michael Kors Michael for Men
MiN New York Moon Dust
Parfums de Marly Herod
Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque La Feria
Pierre Cardin Centaure Cuir Blanc
Remy Latour Cigar for Men
Robert Graham Fortitude
Roger & Gallet Cigalia
Roja Dove Enigma
Santa Maria Novella Tabacco Toscano, Acqua di Cuba (cigar tobacco)
Serge Lutens Chergui
Sjaak Hullekes 64
Teatro Olfattivo di Parma
Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Havane (sweet cherry tobacco)
Tom Ford Tobacco Oud, Tobacco Vanille (vanilla pipe tobacco)
Tommy Bahama Cigar
Versace The Dreamer (fresh cigarette tobacco)
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb
Volutes Diptyque
Zara Tobacco Collection Rich Warm Addictive, Tone Indeterminee
'Masculine' Tobacco Flower Fragrances:
Atelier Segall & Barutti Le Tabac & Citrus
Avon Black Suede Leather
Banana Republic Modern 2015
Bloke Benji
Bvlgari BLV Pour Homme, Notte Pour Homme
Cherigan Fleurs de Tabac
Di Palomo Per Lui
FEN Perfumes Gentlemen's Club
Gandini 1896 Tobacco
Givenchy Play
John Varvatos Rock Volume 1
Korres Saffron Tobacco
La Martina Suerte
O Botaicario Connexion My Way
Parfumes Quartana Wolfsbane
Thera Cosmeticos Dakar
Tru Fragrances Ultimo Noir
Versace The Dreamer
Womo Black Tobacco
Xerjoff Shooting Stars Oesel
John
Merchant
St. Louis, MO
So excellent. Reminds me of the wonderful smells I experienced driving just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina past drying barns. The inspiration for El Jefe.
When I tell people (outside of the shaving community) we have a tobacco scent, they make faces. Then they smell it, and are surprised it is not what they expected.
When I tell people (outside of the shaving community) we have a tobacco scent, they make faces. Then they smell it, and are surprised it is not what they expected.
Shave Sharp, Look Sharp
Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
(09-24-2020, 09:19 PM)dominicr Wrote: So excellent. Reminds me of the wonderful smells I experienced driving just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina past drying barns. The inspiration for El Jefe.
When I tell people (outside of the shaving community) we have a tobacco scent, they make faces. Then they smell it, and are surprised it is not what they expected.
Yes indeed. When I first saw tobacco-scented shaving software I imagined something smelling like an ashtray. After I finally tried one, it became a favorite fragrance.
John
Posting Freak
I am a Kentucky native and grew up around these aromas. They can be used to create a wide range of blends. And I will say El Jefe is my favorite tobacco style wet shaving puck. It has a nice hay, black tea aura-and the musk makes it deep and satisfying. Wunnerful stuff![[Image: d91845669ba764af27d95e6163f48198.jpg]](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200926/d91845669ba764af27d95e6163f48198.jpg)
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