Clove
18 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Warm spicy, Spicy oriental
- Latin name
- Syzygium aromaticum
- Family
- Myrtle family (Myrtaceae)
- Origin
- Indonesia (the Moluccas), Madagascar, Zanzibar
- Parts used
- dried flower buds (as well as leaves and stems)
- Raw materials
- essential oil from buds, leaves or stems
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- spicy (warm spices)
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- eugenol, isoeugenol
The spice clove is the dried, unopened flower buds of an evergreen tropical tree. They look like little nails — hence the name in many languages (from the Latin “clavus”, nail).
How it smells: a hot, sweetish-fiery, dry-woody spice with a shade of smoke. Clove instantly warms a fragrance and gives it a festive, slightly old-fashioned mood.
The main odour substance of clove is eugenol. It is what you smell in a dentist's surgery, because it has long been used in dentistry. Eugenol also helps perfumers recreate the scent of the carnation flower, which is almost impossible to extract.
What it pairs with: with orange and cinnamon — “Christmas” compositions, with rose — a spicy vintage rose, with vanilla — warm sweetness, with oud and incense — oriental solemnity, with tobacco and rum — cosy evening fragrances.
Good to know: as early as the Han dynasty in China, courtiers held cloves in their mouths to freshen their breath before speaking to the emperor. And several colonial powers fought for control of the Moluccas, the “Spice Islands”, where it grew.
Fragrances with Clove
