GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · aquatic · green
Algae
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
fresh · aquatic · green
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Various species (Fucus, Laminaria, Undaria)
Appearance
dark green solid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Coastal regions worldwide
Pyramid
Heart
Salty, iodine-sharp, and briny. Algae in perfumery captures the smell of low tide and wet rocks — not the clean ocean of synthetic marines, but the organic, vegetal reality of coastline.
Sharp iodine and wet-rock brine on first contact — the unmistakable smell of exposed seaweed at low tide. Vegetal and slightly sulfurous, with a mineral saltiness that calone alone cannot produce. Less clean than synthetic marine accords, more organic, with a green-kelp undertone. The dry-down is faintly saline, like dried salt on skin after a day at the sea.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sharp iodine and brine — wet rocks, low tide, the mineral-vegetal smell of exposed seaweed
After a few hours
After a few hours
Vegetal green emerges alongside persistent saltiness, less sharp, more enveloping
After a few days
After a few days
Faint marine-mineral trace — dry salt on skin, like sea air after a walk on the coast
Terroir & Transformation
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Algae in perfumery represents the organic, iodized reality of coastline — not the clean, abstract 'ocean' of 1990s aquatic fragrances, but the actual smell of low tide: wet rocks, exposed seaweed, brine, and mineral salt. The category spans natural extracts (seaweed absolute from fucus, kelp, or Rhodophyta species) and the synthetic molecules that approximate or stylize their scent.
Natural seaweed absolute is solvent-extracted from dried algae and produces a dark, viscous liquid with a powerful iodine-brine character. Different algae species yield different profiles: green algae are crisp and vegetal, pairing well with citrus tops; red algae (Rhodophyta) are more mineral and iodized; brown algae (fucus, kelp) deliver the full, pungent low-tide experience with sulfurous and fishy undertones that require skilled dosing.
The synthetic side of marine perfumery began with calone (CAS 28940-11-6), a benzodioxepinone discovered by Pfizer in the 1960s. Its watermelon-ozonic-marine character defined an entire fragrance family. Later molecules — melonal, floralozone, algenone, transluzone, scentenal — clean and diversified the marine palette, but none replicate the organic complexity of actual seaweed. In contemporary perfumery, the most convincing marine accords layer synthetic molecules over trace amounts of natural seaweed absolute, balancing clean projection with briny authenticity.
Calone (CAS 28940-11-6), the molecule that defined the 1990s marine fragrance trend, was originally synthesized by Pfizer in the 1960s during pharmaceutical research. Its structure — a 7-membered benzodioxepinone ring — accidentally resembled the pheromones produced by brown algae to attract sperm cells. The smell of the synthetic ocean is, in a sense, the smell of seaweed sex.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Seaweed absolute is obtained by solvent extraction of dried algae (various species of Fucaceae, Laminariaceae, or Rhodophyta). CO2 extraction is also used for cleaner, lighter profiles. Synthetic marine notes (calone, melonal, floralozone) are produced by chemical synthesis. Natural seaweed absolute yields are low and vary by species. The absolute is typically dark green to brown, viscous, with a powerful iodine-brine scent.
Algae notes function as heart-to-base anchors in marine and aquatic compositions, providing the organic, iodized realism that synthetic molecules like calone (CAS 28940-11-6) or Marines cannot deliver alone. While calone gives a clean, ozonic 'sea breeze,' natural algae extracts (seaweed absolute, fucus, kelp) contribute the briny, vegetal, slightly sulfurous character of actual coastline. Green algae tend toward crisp, vegetal freshness suited to top-note blending with citrus. Red algae (Rhodophyta) add deeper, more mineral-iodized qualities. Brown algae (fucus, kelp) are the most pungent, bringing the full low-tide experience. Synthetic alternatives include calone (watermelon-marine), melonal (melon-marine), floralozone (ozonic), and algenone.
