Is Cherry Leaf natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Cherry Leaf

AccordGREENS, HERBS & FOUGERESfresh · floral · green

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

2Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

Prunus avium (sweet cherry) Prunus cerasus (sour cherry)

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

Crushed green leaf with a bitter-almond undercurrent. Cherry leaf smells like snapping a twig from a Prunus tree -- vegetal sap, faint marzipan, wet bark.

GREEN SWEET FRESH NUTTY

PRUNUS AVIUM LEAF CHERRY TREE LEAF

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Aromatic
Subfamily: Green notes
Cluster: Green leafy notes
Source: leaves and flowering tops
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

Europe North America

Scent

Green, slightly bitter, with a distinct bitter-almond whisper underneath. More astringent than violet leaf, less sharp than galbanum. The almond quality (benzaldehyde) is dry and thin -- nothing like marzipan or cherry candy. A faint coumarinic sweetness emerges after a few minutes, like dried hay at the edge of an orchard.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

Cherry leaf in perfumery refers to the green, slightly bitter-almond aroma of foliage from Prunus species -- primarily Prunus avium (sweet cherry) and Prunus cerasus (sour cherry). The scent is not extracted industrially; it is reconstructed as an accord.

The characteristic almond-cherry smell of the crushed leaf comes from benzaldehyde, released when plant cells rupture and cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin, prunasin) break down enzymatically. Scopoletin, a coumarin derivative, adds a faint hay-sweet warmth. The overall impression is greener and more astringent than cherry fruit or cherry blossom -- closer to laurel leaf or bitter almond than to any confectionery cherry.

In composition, cherry leaf is a green modifier. It sits between the sharp grassiness of galbanum and the softer, powdery green of violet leaf. It contributes a naturalistic vegetal quality to chypres and green-floral constructions, grounding sweeter cherry or almond notes with a credible botanical origin.

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Related: Acronychia Pedunculata · Adoxal · Agave · Algae · Aloe Vera · Aromatic Notes · Asparagus · Avocado

Did You Know?

Japanese cherry leaves (from Prunus specios a) are salt-pickled and wrapped around mochi rice cakes. The pickling converts coumarin glycosides into free coumarin, producing the particular sweet-herbaceous scent of sakura-mochi.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

No commercial essential oil or absolute exists for cherry leaf. The note is reconstructed in perfumery using benzaldehyde (for the almond quality), green leaf accords (cis-3-hexenol, cis-3-hexenyl acetate), and traces of coumarin.

Formula: Complex mixture; contains coumarin (C₉H₆O₂), benzaldehyde (C₇H₆O)
CAS: 85566-22-9 (Prunus avium leaf extract)
Botanical: Prunus avium (sweet cherry) Prunus cerasus (sour cherry)
Appearance: Green leaf; extract is greenish-yellow liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: PRUNUS AVIUM LEAF CHERRY TREE LEAF

IFRA status

See note

Not subject to an IFRA Standard (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Note: Leaf extract from Prunus spp.; used in fragrance for green-almond-coumarinic effect

In Perfumery

Cherry leaf acts as a green modifier in perfumery, contributing a naturalistic vegetal-almond quality. It bridges green-floral accords and chypre constructions, grounding sweeter cherry or almond notes with botanical credibility. The key molecule behind its almond character is benzaldehyde, released from cyanogenic glycosides in the crushed leaf. Scopoletin (a coumarin derivative) contributes a quiet hay-sweet warmth. The note works well alongside violet leaf, galbanum, and hedione in green-floral hearts.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02modifier

03signature note

04lifting agent

05blender

06volume builder

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note