GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / pungent · sulfurous · earthy
Garlic
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
pungent · sulfurous · earthy
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Allium sativum
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber pungent oily liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
China, India, South Korea, Spain
Pyramid
Heart
Pungent sulphur, sharp and penetrating, with a roasted sweetness hiding underneath. Garlic smells like alliinase chemistry in action -- a crushed clove releasing its volatile arsenal.
Raw: sharp, pungent, penetrating sulphur -- diallyl disulphide dominates. At distance, a green-vegetal quality emerges. Roasted: mellower, sweeter, with caramelised-sulphur warmth and nutty Maillard undertones. More aggressive than onion, vastly more pungent than chive. At trace levels, garlic's sulphur compounds add a subliminal vitality to compositions without being identifiable.
Sulphur dissipates rapidly, faint roasted sweetness may linger
After a few days
After a few days
Virtually absent on skin -- extremely volatile
The Full Story
Garlic (Allium sativum) is the most pungent member of the Allium genus. Its characteristic smell is not present in the intact bulb -- it is generated enzymatically when cells are crushed, releasing alliinase which converts alliin into allicin (diallyl thiosulphinate). Allicin then rapidly degrades into diallyl disulphide, diallyl trisulphide, and other volatile sulphur compounds.
In perfumery, garlic is a radical niche choice -- an intentionally confrontational note. It appears in ultra-naturalistic, culinary-themed, or provocative avant-garde compositions. At micro-doses, sulphur compounds can add a subconscious 'alive' quality to green or animalic accords without being identifiable as garlic. Roasted garlic is sweeter and mellower, with Maillard reaction products (furfural, methylfuranone) softening the sulphur.
The note functions as a top-note shock element. It is intensely volatile and dissipates rapidly, but its initial impact is unforgettable. The perfumer's challenge is dosage: too much destroys the composition; a trace can electrify it.
This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Allicin, the molecule responsible for fresh garlic's smell, has a half-life of less than one hour at room temperature. By the time you smell garlic, the allicin has already begun degrading into dozens of other sulphur compounds -- the smell is literally a molecule falling apart.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of fresh or dried garlic cloves yields garlic oil, dominated by diallyl disulphide and diallyl trisulphide. CO2 extraction preserves a more complete aromatic profile including Maillard products. For perfumery, the note is usually achieved with synthetic sulphur compounds at extreme dilution.
Molecular Formula
Key aroma compound: allicin C₆H₁₀OS₂
CAS Number
8000-78-0
Botanical Name
Allium sativum
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
ALLIUM · AJO · KNOBLAUCH
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber pungent oily liquid
Flash Point
130.00 °F. TCC ( 54.44 °C. )
Specific Gravity
1.04000 to 1.09000 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index
1.55900 to 1.57900 @ 20.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Garlic is an extreme niche note used as a top-note shock element or, at trace levels, as an animalic-green modifier. The key volatile (allicin/diallyl disulphide) is intensely pungent and ephemeral. In micro-doses, sulphur compounds add a subliminal 'living' quality to green or animalic accords. In higher doses, garlic is deliberately confrontational -- used in avant-garde, culinary, or provocative compositions. Dosage control is critical.
