Alpinia
Sharp camphoraceous bite cut with a strawberry-balsamic sweetness. Imagine ginger stripped of its citrus layer, replaced by something closer to eucalyptus and warm cinnamon bark.
Scent
Terroir & Chemotypes
The Full Story
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method
Steam distillation of dried Alpinia galanga rhizomes. The rhizomes are typically harvested after 2-3 years of growth, cleaned, sliced, and dried before distillation. Yield is low — published data suggests approximately 0.1% (w/w) from dried rhizome material, though this varies with cultivar, drying method, and distillation parameters. CO2 supercritical extraction is also used commercially and produces a fuller-bodied extract that retains heavier, non-volatile constituents lost in steam distillation, including 1’-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), a phenylpropanoid absent from the steam-distilled oil.
- Formula
- Complex mixture; key compound: 1,8-cineole (C₁₀H₁₈O), methyl cinnamate (C₁₀H₁₀O₂)
- CAS
- 84625-26-3
- Botanical
- Alpinia galanga
- Appearance
- colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
- Odour strength
- Medium
- Synonyms
- galangal, greater galangal, Chinese ginger
No known restrictions
- Flash point
- 150.00 °F. TCC ( 65.56 °C. ) (est)
- Specific gravity
- 0.900 to 0.940 @ 25.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Galangal oil functions primarily as a modifier and lifting agent in the heart of a composition. Its 1,8-cineole content gives it diffusive power, projecting spicy-fresh qualities outward, while the methyl cinnamate anchors it with balsamic warmth that prevents the note from reading purely medicinal. It finds its place in spicy-amber, incense, and gourmand frameworks. In chypre structures, small doses can sharpen the transition between citrus top and mossy base. The oil blends effectively with cedarwood, frankincense, patchouli, vetiver, lavender, and rose. It also pairs with other Zingiberaceae materials — ginger, cardamom — to build layered spice accords without redundancy, since each contributes a distinct molecular signature. No PREMIEREPEAU fragrance currently features galangal as a listed note.