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Garlic in Perfumery | Première Peau

Q: Is Garlic natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: 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..

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.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery
See Also

Scent

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.

Evolution over time

Immediately

After a few hours

After a few days

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.

Did You Know?

Did you know?

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.