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Catnip

Q: Is Catnip natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of dried flowering herb. Yield approximately 0.3-1%. The oil is pale yellow with a characteristic mint-herbal-musky odor..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · green · aromatic

Catnip

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fresh · green · aromatic
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Nepeta cataria
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe
Pyramid	Heart

Minty-herbaceous, slightly skunky, with a peculiar warmth. Catnip smells like rough spearmint crossed with something musky — cats know why, humans can only guess.

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

Scent

Minty-herbaceous, slightly musky-skunky. Like spearmint that spent time in a barn — the mint freshness is there but overlaid with warmth, earthiness, and a faint animal quality. Less clean than peppermint, less sweet than spearmint.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Minty-herbal, slightly skunky-musky

After a few hours

Warm herbaceous depth, less minty, earthy

After a few days

Faint herbal-musky residue, warm clean fade

Terroir & Transformation

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a mint-family herb whose essential oil has a particular minty-herbaceous profile with an unusual musky-skunky undertone. The molecule responsible for feline attraction is nepetalactone, a monoterpene that mimics cat pheromones.

The oil contains nepetalactone (iridoid), citronellol, geraniol, and menthol-type compounds. The scent is recognizably mint-family but rougher, less clean, with a warmth and slight funkiness absent from true mint.

In perfumery, catnip is a niche natural providing herbal-minty character with unusual musky depth. It functions in green-aromatic and herbal compositions where conventional mint would be too clean or predictable.

Production: mainly Europe, North America. The plant naturalizes aggressively in temperate regions.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Nepetalactone, the cat-attracting compound, is also a effective mosquito repellents known — a 2001 Iowa State University study found it 10 times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of dried flowering herb. Yield approximately 0.3-1%. The oil is pale yellow with a characteristic mint-herbal-musky odor.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture — key component: nepetalactone (C₁₀H₁₄O₂)
CAS Number	8023-84-5
Botanical Name	Nepeta cataria
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	catmint, field balm, nepeta
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid

In Perfumery

Niche herbal natural providing minty character with musky depth. Nepetalactone gives it a warmth absent from true mints. Functions in herbal, green-aromatic, and unconventional compositions. Works with lavender, green notes, earthy bases.