Home › Glossary › Calendula

Calendula

Q: Is Calendula natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of dried flowers (yield under 0.1%). CO2 supercritical extraction for fuller extract. Production: Egypt, India, Germany..

FLOWERS / floral · green · warm

Calendula

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · green · warm
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Calendula officinalis
Appearance	reddish yellow to amber brown liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Egypt, India, Mediterranean
Pyramid	Heart

Herbal, honey-bitter, faintly musky. Calendula smells less pretty than it looks — green-medicinal, with warm, pollen-heavy mustiness.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Herbal, honey-bitter, warm muskiness. Not sweet-floral — like crushing the flower head: green stems, pollen dust, medicinal bitterness, surprising musky warmth underneath. Herb garden, not flower garden.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Herbal-bitter, pollen-heavy, green-medicinal

After a few hours

Warm muskiness emerges, honey undertone

After a few days

Musky-herbal persistence, dry green trace

The Full Story

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) consistently surprises: bright orange-yellow flowers smell herbal, slightly bitter, and faintly musky rather than sweet or floral. Pollen-heaviness and green-medicinal quality.

The essential oil is rarely used in perfumery. CO2 extract is more common in cosmetics, valued for anti-inflammatory properties rather than scent. The absolute is viscous, dark, herbaceous.

In perfumery, calendula is niche. Its herbal-bitter profile works in green, aromatic, and herbaceous compositions. Honest 'garden herb' quality — medicinal, practical, unglamorous. The musky undertone adds unexpected depth.

Used medicinally since at least the 12th century. Contains lutein, zeaxanthin, and has documented wound-healing activity.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Calendula flowers track the sun (heliotropism) and close at night. The name derives from Latin calendae (first day of the month) — the plant was said to bloom on the calends of every month in mild Mediterranean climates.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of dried flowers (yield under 0.1%). CO2 supercritical extraction for fuller extract. Production: Egypt, India, Germany.

Molecular Formula	N/A — complex natural extract (key: faradiol esters, carotenoids)
CAS Number	84776-23-8
Botanical Name	Calendula officinalis
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	pot marigold, marigold, calendula flower
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	reddish yellow to amber brown liquid
Boiling Point	350.00 to 353.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	> 200.00 °F. TCC ( > 93.33 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.91000 to 0.93000 @ 25.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Niche natural providing herbal-bitter florality with musky depth. Functions in green, aromatic, herbaceous compositions. Absolute or CO2 extract offers genuine 'pot marigold' character. Works with green herbs, vetiver, oakmoss.