Home › Glossary › Apple Mint

Apple Mint

Q: Is Apple Mint natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of Mentha suaveolens aerial parts (leaves and flowering tops). The oil is pale yellow to colorless, with a softer, fruitier, less menthol-heavy profile than peppermint. The 'apple' character comes from higher proportions of fruity esters and lower menthol/menthone content compared to other Mentha species. Origin: Mediterranean region, widely cultivated..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fruity · fresh · sweet

Apple Mint

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fruity · fresh · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	Mentha suaveolens
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength	High
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe
Pyramid	Top

Soft, fruity mint — less menthol punch, more green-apple sweetness. Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) is the gentlest mint in perfumery, closer to chewing gum than to toothpaste.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Soft, fruity mint — immediately recognizable as mint but without the menthol punch of peppermint or the sharpness of spearmint. A green-apple sweetness sits alongside the herbal freshness, giving it a gentler, more approachable character. The sensation is fresh without being cold, minty without being medicinal. Closer to a mint leaf rubbed gently between fingers than to mint extract.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Soft green-minty freshness with a fruity-apple sweetness — lighter than peppermint, less sharp

After a few hours

Fruity-herbal quality persists, the mint freshness becomes gentler, a green warmth emerges

After a few days

Faint, soft, herbal-green residue — dried mint leaves with a sweet undertone

Terroir & Transformation

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) is the quiet member of the mint family. Where peppermint slaps with menthol and spearmint crackles with carvone, apple mint offers a gentler proposition: minty freshness with a green-apple sweetness and a soft, almost fuzzy herbal warmth.

The chemistry explains the difference. Apple mint produces less menthol and menthone than peppermint, and compensates with higher proportions of fruity esters and softer monoterpenes. The result smells more like fresh herb garden than pharmacy — closer to chewing gum than to medicinal mouthwash.

In perfumery, apple mint functions as a top-to-heart modifier that adds mint freshness without the cooling-medicinal character that menthol-heavy mints impose. It works in green-aromatic compositions, in soft citrus-herbal structures, and in feminine fresh fragrances where mint is desired as a gentle accent rather than a dominant theme. It works with green apple, bergamot, basil, and chamomile.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Related: Lesser Calamint · Menthol · Mint · Spearmint

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Apple mint is sometimes called 'woolly mint' because its leaves are covered in soft, fuzzy trichomes — unlike the smooth leaves of peppermint and spearmint. These trichomes contain fewer menthol-producing glandular hairs, which is precisely why the plant smells softer and fruitier than its more famous relatives.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of Mentha suaveolens aerial parts (leaves and flowering tops). The oil is pale yellow to colorless, with a softer, fruitier, less menthol-heavy profile than peppermint. The 'apple' character comes from higher proportions of fruity esters and lower menthol/menthone content compared to other Mentha species. Origin: Mediterranean region, widely cultivated.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	N/A — complex essential oil (key: piperitenone oxide, linalool)
CAS Number	92129-73-2
Botanical Name	Mentha suaveolens
IFRA Status	Restricted — contains pulegone; IFRA limits pulegone content in consumer products
Synonyms	wild mint, round-leaved mint
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	High
Lasting Power	24 hours
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid

In Perfumery

Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) provides a softer, fruitier, less menthol-heavy mint note compared to peppermint (M. piperita) or spearmint (M. spicata). It functions as a top-to-heart modifier in fresh, aromatic, and green compositions, contributing minty freshness without the medicinal sharpness of menthol-heavy mints. The oil is lower in menthol and higher in fruity esters, giving it a green-apple sweetness that distinguishes it from other mints. In perfumery, apple mint works well with green notes, with citrus (especially green apple and bergamot), and with aromatic herbs (basil, tarragon) in compositions that want mint freshness without coolness.