Materials & Origins: the evidence

The whole register · the page itself

Rosa damascena

• sourced Dominant Molecule β-Damascenone C₁₃H₁₈O · CAS 23696-85-7 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5366074, beta-Damascenone
• sourced The Rosa damascena is picked for twenty to thirty days from May in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria, near Kazanlak, between the Balkan and Sredna Gora mountain ranges. · Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (‘Българско розово масло’…
• sourced Picking starts in the early morning and ends around noon, before the heat of the day. It takes an enormous weight of hand-picked petals to make a single kilogram of rose oil. · Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (‘Българско розово масло’…

Jasminum grandiflorum

• sourced Key Molecule Indole C₈H₇N · CAS 120-72-9 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 798, Indole
• sourced For oil the opened flowers are picked by hand early in the day , before 10 a.m., the Tamil Nadu crop guide says , and a great many of them go into a single gram of absolute. · Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), TNAU Agritech Portal, “Horticulture :

Aquilaria malaccensis

• sourced Key Molecule Agarospirol C₁₅H₂₆O · CAS 1460-73-7 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 21675005, Agarospirol
• sourced Long-aged pieces are among the costliest materials in perfumery. · Baig et al. (2025). Agarwood in the Modern Era: Integrating Biotechnology and Pharmacology for Sustainable Use

Lavandula angustifolia

• sourced Key Molecule Linalool C₁₀H₁₈O · CAS 78-70-6 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 6549, Linalool

The molecules behind nature’s masterworks

• sourced Rosa damascena · The rose molecule: C₁₃H₁₈O CAS 23696-85-7 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5366074, beta-Damascenone
• sourced C₈H₇N CAS 120-72-9 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 798, Indole
• sourced C₈H₈O₃ CAS 121-33-5 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 1183, Vanillin
• sourced C₁₀H₁₈O CAS 78-70-6 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 6549, Linalool
• sourced C₁₅H₂₄O CAS 115-71-9 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 11085337, Alpha-Santalol
• sourced Pogostemon cablin · The earthy signature: C₁₅H₂₆O CAS 5986-55-0 · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 10955174, Patchouli alcohol. National Center for Biotechnology Information
• sourced C₁₄H₂₂O CAS 79-69-6 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5371002, alpha-Irone
• sourced Citrus bergamia · The citrus backbone: C₁₀H₁₆ CAS 138-86-3 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 22311, 1-Methyl-4-Prop-1-En-2-Ylcyclohexene
• sourced C₈H₈O₂ CAS 93-58-3 · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 7150, Methyl Benzoate. National Center for Biotechnology Information
• sourced C₁₅H₂₆O CAS 77-53-2 · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 65575, Cedrol. National Center for Biotechnology Information
• sourced C₁₀H₁₈O CAS 106-24-1 (from the record) · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 637566, Geraniol
• sourced C₁₃H₁₈O CAS 23696-85-7 · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5366074, beta-Damascenone
• sourced C₁₀H₁₆ CAS 138-86-3 · PubChem Compound Summary for CID 22311, 1-Methyl-4-Prop-1-En-2-Ylcyclohexene
• unsourced Found in a great many flowering plants. High-altitude Provence lavender is prized for a high ratio of linalyl acetate to linalool , the defining character of fine, as opposed to industrial, lavender.
• sourced The principal sesquiterpene alcohol of Mysore sandalwood , the main constituent of the heartwood oil. Creamy, milky, woody-sweet. The trees take decades to mature. · Diaz-Chavez et al. (2013). Biosynthesis of Sandalwood Oil: Santalum album CYP76F Cytochromes P450 Produce Santalols and Bergamotol
• sourced Earthy, smoky complexity from hundreds of compounds, with khusimol prominent among them. · Barcellos-Silva et al. (2025). Vetiver, Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash: Biotechnology, Biorefineries, and the Production of Volatile Phytochemicals
• house interpretation Traditionally said to improve with age.
• sourced Orris roots age for years before the irones develop. Among the costliest natural materials. · Crișan (2025). The Genus Iris Tourn. ex L.: Updates on Botany, Cultivation, Novel Niches and Impactful Applications
• sourced A dominant monoterpene of citrus peels, and a large part of cold-pressed bergamot oil. · Navarra et al. (2015). Citrus bergamia essential oil: from basic research to clinical application
• sourced A large part of bergamot oil · Navarra et al. (2015). Citrus bergamia essential oil: from basic research to clinical application
• house interpretation Atlas cedarwood from Morocco is valued for perfumery.
• unsourced A major part of cedar oil
• sourced Oman’s Dhofar region is famed for its Boswellia sacra. · Yamamoto et al. (2020). Roles of ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid and their interactions in frankincense resin production in Boswellia sacra Flueck
• house interpretation Bourbon geranium from Réunion Island is especially prized.
• sourced An early synthetic aroma molecule: Tiemann and Haarmann patented a synthesis in 1874, and other routes followed. · Lanfranchi et al. (2025). Transforming a Historical Chemical Synthetic Route for Vanillin Starting from Renewable Eugenol to a Cell-Free Bi-Enzymatic Cascade

Mysore Sandalwood

• sourced The fragrant heartwood takes decades to develop, and harvest in India is tightly regulated. The scarcity makes genuine Mysore sandalwood oil one of the costliest materials in perfumery. · Fatima et al. (2022). Comparative transcriptome profiling of high and low oil yielding Santalum album L.
• sourced Mysore oil is rich in α-santalol, the source of its creaminess. · Diaz-Chavez et al. (2013). Biosynthesis of Sandalwood Oil: Santalum album CYP76F Cytochromes P450 Produce Santalols and Bergamotol
• house interpretation The wood was sacred in Hindu and Buddhist tradition for millennia; carved sandalwood keeps its scent for a very long time.
• sourced The heartwood of decades , a prized wood in perfumery, its creamy, milky sweetness hard to match with any synthetic or other species. · Diaz-Chavez et al. (2013). Biosynthesis of Sandalwood Oil: Santalum album CYP76F Cytochromes P450 Produce Santalols and Bergamotol

Calabrian Bergamot

• sourced Raw bergamot contains bergapten, a furanocoumarin that can make skin sensitive to sunlight , which is why perfumery generally uses bergapten-free (FCF) grades. · Navarra et al. (2015). Citrus bergamia essential oil: from basic research to clinical application

Madagascar Vanilla

• unsourced Vanillin is the dominant aromatic compound, but natural vanilla contains hundreds of compounds that give it depth synthetic vanillin cannot match.

Florentine Iris

• house interpretation The powdery elegance of orris root , among the costliest natural materials in perfumery.

Omani Frankincense

• sourced Laboratory studies in animals have reported effects of incensole acetate, a compound in the resin; what that means for people burning it is not established. · Moussaieff et al. (2008). Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain

The Precious Materials

• sourced This takes decades, and only a small share of wild trees ever produce it. · Baig et al. (2025). Agarwood in the Modern Era: Integrating Biotechnology and Pharmacology for Sustainable Use
• unsourced Yield A tiny fraction of the petal weight
• sourced Picked by hand in the early morning; thousands of flowers go into a single gram of absolute. · Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), TNAU Agritech Portal, “Horticulture :
• unsourced Found on beaches, and rare; whether it may be collected or traded is set by each country’s law.
• unsourced Mysore sandalwood takes decades to reach olfactory maturity, and the tree is felled for its heartwood. Now scarce and tightly protected.
• unsourced Each tree is tapped several times a year.
• sourced Burned in temples for thousands of years. · Moussaieff et al. (2008). Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain
• unsourced Labor-intensive beyond modern economics , only a handful of practitioners remain.
• sourced Hand-picked from early morning to about noon in the Valley of Roses, for 20 to 30 days from May, and it takes an enormous weight of petals to make a little rose oil. · Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (‘Българско розово масло’…

Perfumery 101

• perfumery convention Every fragrance unfolds in three stages: Top notes hit first (citrus, herbs) and fade first.
• perfumery convention Base notes linger longest (woods, musks) , often for many hours.
• house interpretation Synthetics are lab-created molecules , consistent from batch to batch. Safety depends on the material, not on where it came from.
• perfumery convention Can range from a couple of hours (light citrus) to a full day or more (heavy ambers).
• unsourced A foundation of the classic eau de cologne since the early eighteenth century.
• unsourced The roots of this tropical grass are steam-distilled once the plant is well established.
• house interpretation Hand-picked in India. Its scent was thought so heady that, the story goes, Victorian girls were warned away from it.
• perfumery convention A foundation of the classic amber accord.
• sourced Among the costliest natural materials in perfumery. Iris roots (orris) are dried for several years, during which irones develop. Then distilled to produce a concrete, which yields butter. · Crișan (2025). The Genus Iris Tourn. ex L.: Updates on Botany, Cultivation, Novel Niches and Impactful Applications

Where fragrance grows

• house interpretation Many of perfumery’s great materials come from a handful of storied regions , each with its own soil, climate and centuries of expertise.
• sourced Mysore stands for Indian sandalwood: in Karnataka, natural populations remain at Chamundi Hills and Bannerghatta. · Kirdat et al. (2022). Nested Real-Time PCR Assessment of Vertical Transmission of Sandalwood Spike Phytoplasma (‘Ca
• sourced Florence stands for Tuscan orris: the iris is the city’s emblem, and the growing areas on record today are Chianti and Pratomagno. · Crișan (2025). The Genus Iris Tourn. ex L.: Updates on Botany, Cultivation, Novel Niches and Impactful Applications
• sourced Sarawak, on Malaysian Borneo, is the page’s point for oud: Aquilaria malaccensis is the primary source of premium agarwood in Southeast Asia. · Baig et al. (2025). Agarwood in the Modern Era: Integrating Biotechnology and Pharmacology for Sustainable Use

The Ingredient World Map

• unsourced Since the sixteenth century this Provençal town has been a capital of perfumery.
• unsourced Home to the raw-material works of several fragrance houses.
• sourced Thousands of flowers for a gram of absolute, picked by hand in the morning. A benchmark for jasmine. · Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), TNAU Agritech Portal, “Horticulture :
• sourced The Kazanlak Valley is one of the great rose-oil regions of the world; Rosa damascena has been grown here for centuries. · Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (‘Българско розово масло’…
• sourced Once the world’s sandalwood capital, India’s Mysore region was known for Santalum album until overharvesting led to tight protection. · Diaz-Chavez et al. (2013). Biosynthesis of Sandalwood Oil: Santalum album CYP76F Cytochromes P450 Produce Santalols and Bergamotol
• unsourced Now scarce. The creamy, buttery benchmark for sandalwood; much of the “sandalwood” in modern perfumes is built from synthetics.
• sourced A leading vanilla producer. Each orchid flower is open only briefly and must be pollinated by hand, and months of curing develop the vanilla’s profile. · de Oliveira RT, da Silva Oliveira JP, Macedo AF
• sourced Boswellia sacra trees in Oman’s Dhofar region are famed for frankincense, in a trade that reaches back thousands of years. · Yamamoto et al. (2020). Roles of ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid and their interactions in frankincense resin production in Boswellia sacra Flueck
• unsourced Wild Boswellia populations are under pressure.
• sourced Haiti is one of the leading producers of vetiver oil. · Ouyang et al. (2021). The Smelling Principle of Vetiver Oil, Unveiled by Chemical Synthesis
• unsourced The grass grows in the southern highlands, and the roots , which contain the aromatic oil , are harvested once the plant is established.
• sourced Tonnes of petals for a kilogram of oil, picked from early morning to about noon for 20 to 30 days from May. · Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (‘Българско розово масло’…

Raw Material Adulteration

• house interpretation What’s sold as “sandalwood oil” is often: Australian S. spicatum (different species, different smell), synthetic santalol blends, or Indian sandalwood heavily diluted with synthetics. Buyer beware.
• unsourced Pure Lavandula angustifolia from Provence costs far more than lavandin (a hybrid).
• house interpretation GC-MS analysis is how it is caught; a “100% pure” label on its own proves little.
• unsourced A perfumer designing with “jasmine absolute” that’s actually partly synthetic indole and benzyl acetate creates a different fragrance than one using genuine Grasse jasmine.
• unsourced Difficult at low levels of adulteration
• house interpretation Large buyers commonly test the materials they receive , but smaller perfumers often cannot afford it.

from the house’s claims register and the records, checked against the pages’ own words when the site was built