Carnation

Natural & syntheticFLOWERSfloral · spicy · clove

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

3Origins

Specimen

Dianthus caryophyllus

Natural & Synthetic

Definition

Clove heat in a pressed collar. Carnation's dominant molecule — eugenol — belongs to the spice drawer, not the flower bed. The result is a peppery, powdery floral with a faint dental-cabinet edge that sits alone among classical perfumery flowers.

FLORAL SPICY SWEET WARM

OEILLET CLOVE PINK GILLYFLOWER DIANTHUS GAROFANO

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

Egypt France Morocco

Scent

Spicy before floral. The first impression is eugenol — clove-like, peppery, with a clean medicinal sharpness. Beneath it, a sweet floral body surfaces: powdery, softened by benzyl salicylate, with a faint wintergreen coolness from methyl salicylate. Compared to rose, which is transparent and aldehydic, carnation is opaque and warm. Compared to raw clove bud, carnation is more clean — isoeugenol contributing a fruity, almost creamy dimension that crude eugenol alone cannot produce. The dry-down is formal, structured, faintly waxy. Pressed flowers in an old book, not a summer garden.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →NUIT ÉLASTIQUEExtrait →

Terroir & Origins

The Full Story

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) occupies an unusual position among perfumery flowers. GC-MS analysis of the absolute reveals benzyl benzoate as the dominant component (14–15%), with eugenol at only 3–4%, alongside benzyl salicylate (3–4%), methyl salicylate, pentacosene, and traces of cis-jasmone. The eugenol fraction is small but disproportionately loud: it delivers the warm, peppery bite that defines carnation's identity. Isoeugenol, present in smaller quantities still, adds a creamier, faintly fruity softness that rounds out the clove attack. Headspace analysis of the living flower tells a different story — some cultivars show eugenol at over 80% of their volatile emissions — but the absolute, filtered through solvent extraction, is a broader, more complex material.

The natural absolute barely exists in commercial terms. World production was estimated at roughly 30 kilograms per year in the early 1960s by Steffen Arctander — a figure that has likely declined since. Egypt remains the primary source, with France and Morocco contributing marginal volumes. The concrete is obtained by petroleum ether extraction of fresh blossoms, yielding 0.2–0.3% of flower weight. The absolute yield from concrete is a further 10–25%. The result is a dark olive-green, viscous paste that must be warmed before handling. Steam distillation is not viable — the flower's delicate volatiles do not survive hydrodistillation.

In practice, perfumers reconstruct carnation from synthetic components: eugenol for the spicy backbone, isoeugenol for fruity refinement — though IFRA Amendment 51 now restricts isoeugenol to 0.11% in Category 4 (fine fragrance) finished products — benzyl salicylate for powdery diffusion, and cinnamic alcohol for balsamic warmth. Methyl Diantilis (2-ethoxy-4-(methoxymethyl)phenol, CAS 5595-79-9) has become a key modern substitute, delivering isoeugenol-like spicy-powdery character with a cleaner safety profile and no IFRA restriction.

Carnation's spiced-floral quality appears inNuit Elastique, where eugenol-rich clove nuances interweave with jasmine and tuberose.

This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Nuit Élastique. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

Related notes: Geranium · Iris · Lychee · Mimosa · Osmanthus · Peony · Rose · Violet

History

Carnation entered perfumery not as a soliflore but as a reconstructed accord. The eugenol-isoeugenol-benzyl salicylate triad was formalised in the early twentieth century as perfumers recognised that these three molecules, combined at the right ratios, produced a convincing carnation effect without requiring the scarce and expensive natural absolute. Through the 1920s–1950s, carnation became one of the defining florals in French perfumery: architectural, spicy, formal — a note for tailored compositions, not casual ones.

Successive IFRA amendments restricting eugenol and isoeugenol have progressively narrowed the concentrations at which classical carnation accords can be formulated. The 51st Amendment (2023) set the current limits: eugenol at 2.5% and isoeugenol at 0.11% in Category 4 (fine fragrance). Modern carnation is a quieter, more restrained version of its mid-century self — still recognisable, but leaner, with Methyl Diantilis increasingly standing in where isoeugenol once defined the accord.

Did You Know?

Eugenol was first extracted from clove oil by Ettling in 1834 but was not named until 1858, when the French chemist Auguste Cahours gave it the name eugenol after Eugenia caryophyllata — the Linnaean classification for the clove tree. Over a century earlier, Linnaeus had used the same root word, caryophyllus, for the carnation species (Dianthus caryophyllus, 1753), recognising by scent alone what chemistry would later confirm: carnation and clove share the same dominant molecule.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Solvent extraction of fresh Dianthus caryophyllus blossoms yields a dark olive-green concrete, which is further processed with ethanol to produce the absolute. Steam distillation is not viable — the flower's delicate volatiles do not survive hydrodistillation intact. Egypt is effectively the sole commercial source today. France and Morocco have contributed minor quantities historically. Yield is extremely low; Arctander recorded approximately 30 kg of absolute produced worldwide per year in the early 1960s, and current production remains negligible. In commercial perfumery, carnation is almost always a reconstruction built from eugenol, isoeugenol (within IFRA limits), benzyl salicylate, cinnamic alcohol, and methyl diantilis.

Formula: C₁₀H₁₂O₂ (Eugenol - the clove molecule that defines carnation)
CAS: 8021-43-0 (carnation absolute) · 97-53-0 (Eugenol)
Botanical: Dianthus caryophyllus
Appearance: Olive-green to amber viscous liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: OEILLET CLOVE PINK GILLYFLOWER DIANTHUS GAROFANO

IFRA status

Restricted

Restricted. IFRA Amendment 51 (2023): Eugenol — max 2.5% in Category 4 (fine fragrance). Isoeugenol — max 0.11% in Category 4; classified Category 1A skin sensitizer (EU CLP). Methyl eugenol — restricted across all categories due to carcinogenicity (systemic toxicity), with very low permitted concentrations.

In Perfumery

Carnation bridges the floral and spicy registers. Its eugenol content connects directly to clove, cinnamon, and pepper accords; its floral body ties it to rose, jasmine, and other heart materials. In classical amber and floral-spicy compositions, carnation supplied warmth, architectural structure, and a particular peppery edge no other flower could deliver. The canonical accord: eugenol + isoeugenol + benzyl salicylate. This triad creates the spicy-powdery-floral effect that defined mid-twentieth-century French perfumery. IFRA Amendment 51 (2023) now restricts eugenol to 2.5% and isoeugenol to 0.11% in fine fragrance (Category 4), making traditional carnation accords difficult to formulate at their original concentrations. Methyl eugenol — once a min or natural contributor — is restricted under IFRA 51 due to carcinogenicity concerns, with very low permitted concentrations across all categories. Modern reconstructions rely on methyl diantilis (CAS 5595-79-9) — a molecule offering isoeugenol-like powdery spice without IFRA restriction — alongside reduced eugenol, benzyl salicylate, and cinnamic alcohol. The natural absolute, when available, is reserved for luxury formulations where cost is secondary. Carnation's spicy-warm character pairs naturally with saffron and oud ambers.

Role in the formula

01signature note

02volume builder

Available as

absolute