- Latin name
- Viola odorata
- Family
- Violet family (Violaceae)
- Origin
- France, Egypt
- Parts used
- leaves
- Raw materials
- violet leaf absolute
- Extraction
- solvent extraction
- Olfactory group
- green
- Position in the pyramid
- top and heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- 2,6-nonadienal (“violet leaf aldehyde”), methyl heptine carbonate
Violet leaves are a separate note, quite unlike the sweet, powdery flower. They are gathered and extracted to obtain a thick, dark-green absolute with a very strong smell.
How it smells: green, watery and cool: freshly cut grass, cucumber, wet earth, with a faintly metallic and inky shade. Violet leaf sounds modern, restrained and elegant.
The key cucumber freshness comes from the molecule 2,6-nonadienal, often called “violet leaf aldehyde”. The note became famous in the late 1980s, when a masculine fragrance appeared in which violet leaf sounded at full strength — and it has been repeated in many fresh compositions ever since.
What it pairs with: with iris — cool green powder, with citrus and mint — fresh masculine fragrances, with leather and vetiver — an elegant “green leather”, with rose — a fresh garden rose, with cucumber and rain notes — aquatic compositions.
Good to know: violet leaf absolute is so powerful that perfumers use it by the drop: neat it smells sharp and almost fishy-marine, while diluted it smells of fresh greenery.
Fragrances with Violet Leaves
