Cilantro

NaturalGREENS, HERBS & FOUGERESfresh · green · citrus

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

4Origins

Specimen

Coriandrum sativum

Definition

Green, soapy, and polarizing. Cilantro smells like crushed leaf stems with a metallic-aldehydic bite — bright and herbaceous for some, overwhelmingly soapy for others, depending on genetics.

Coriander leaves, Chinese parsley

Type: Ingredient
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

China India Mexico Morocco

Scent

Intensely green and aldehydic — like snapping a fresh herb stem and holding it to your nose. The fatty, waxy aldehydes (decenal, dodecenal) create a soapy brightness that teeters between fresh and abrasive. Underneath, a floral-spicy quality from linalool provides grounding.

Compared to coriander seed oil (predominantly linalool, warm-spicy-floral), cilantro leaf oil is rawer, greener, more pungent — a wild herb versus a clean spice. Compared to parsley, cilantro is brighter and more aldehydic, less earthy. The material divides people by their genetics, not their taste.

In PREMIEREPEAU

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

Terroir & Transformation

The Full Story

Cilantro in perfumery refers specifically to the leaf and stem of Coriandrum sativum — the same plant whose dried seeds produce coriander oil, an entirely different aromatic material. The distinction matters: coriander seed oil is predominantly linalool (62-77%), clean and floral-spicy. Cilantro leaf oil is dominated by unsaturated aldehydes — (E)-2-decenal (16-47%), decanal (5-19%), (E)-2-dodecenal (4-9%) — which create its characteristic pungent, green, and controversial aroma.

The controversy is genetic. A variant on chromosome 11 (in the OR6A2 olfactory receptor gene cluster) causes roughly 4-14% of the population to perceive cilantro as intensely soapy, metallic, or similar to of crushed bugs. For the rest, cilantro reads as bright, fresh, green, and appetizing. This makes it a subjective raw materials in perfumery.

The aldehydic profile — particularly the (E)-2-decenal and (E)-2-dodecenal — gives cilantro leaf oil its fatty, waxy, slightly soapy character. These same aldehydes are responsible for the characteristic green pungency of the fresh herb. Decanal contributes a slightly citrusy, waxy sweetness. The linalool content (12-30%) provides a floral bridge to the seed oil's character.

In fragrance, cilantro leaf oil is rare and specialized. It appears in green-herbal accords, some gourmand compositions seeking culinary authenticity, and avant-garde niche fragrances that embrace polarizing ingredients.

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

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Essential oil is steam-distilled from the fresh aerial parts (leaves and stems) of Coriandrum sativum. The oil is pale yellow to yellow-green. Yield is low, typically 0.1-0.4% on fresh herb weight — substantially lower than coriander seed oil yield. This low yield and the delicate, easily degraded aldehyde content make cilantro leaf oil relatively expensive. Major producers include India, Egypt, and Russia. CO2 extraction can preserve more of the volatile aldehyde fraction but is not standard commercial practice.

Formula: Complex mixture (no single formula)
CAS: 8008-52-4
Botanical: Coriandrum sativum
Appearance: Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: Coriander leaves, Chinese parsley

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Specific gravity: 0.86500 to 0.88500 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive index: 1.46200 to 1.47000 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Cilantro leaf oil is a top-note accent used at very low concentrations (0.1-0.5%) to provide green, herbaceous brightness with an aldehydic edge. It can sharpen citrus accords, add authenticity to herbal-culinary compositions, and introduce a provocative, polarizing green note in avant-garde formulations. It works in citrus, amber, herbaceous, green, and spice-gourmand accords. The fatty aldehydes provide a particular waxy green character unlike any other herb oil. Due to the genetic perception divide, cilantro must be dosed with awareness that it will read differently to different wearers. Cilantro is not featured in any current PREMIEREPEAU fragrance.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02lifting agent

03blender

04volume builder

05freshness

Available as

essential oil expressed oil