Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Madagascar, Morocco, Reunion, South Africa, Spain
Pyramid
Heart
Rosy-green, minty, faintly metallic — the smell of crushing a pelargonium leaf between your fingers on a humid morning. Not rose, but close enough to fool most noses, at a twentieth of the cost.
Rosy-green with a cold metallic edge. Softer and leafier than rose absolute, sharper and mintier than palmarosa. The first impression is sweetness — citronellol's honeyed rose character — followed almost immediately by a cool, herbal bite from the menthone fraction, like chewing a mint leaf while holding a rose. A faint lychee-metallic note from trace rose oxide runs underneath. Bourbon is the most rounded and balanced. Egyptian is darker, earthier, more terpenic. Chinese is simpler, directly minty-rosy with less depth.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Bright rosy-green burst with a cold metallic-minty edge. Citronellol sweetness arrives first, layered instantly with herbal isomenthone and a flash of lychee-like rose oxide.
After a few hours
After a few hours
The minty bite recedes. A warm, soft, honeyed-rosy heart emerges — less bright, more rounded. The green-leafy backbone from sesquiterpenes (guaia-6,9-diene or 10-epi-γ-eudesmol depending on origin) becomes more apparent.
After a few days
After a few days
A faint rosy-green residue on fabric, drier and more powdery than the initial burst. On skin, moderate tenacity — 6-10 hours depending on concentration. The citronellol fraction fades first; the heavier sesquiterpenes persist longest.
Terroir & Origins
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Not a true geranium. The essential oil comes from Pelargonium graveolens and related cultivars — South African shrubs in the Geraniaceae family, brought to Europe in the 17th century, separated taxonomically from the genus Geranium by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789. The oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and herbaceous stems. The flowers contribute almost nothing.
Three origins define the market. Egyptian geranium — the largest volume, 200-230 tonnes annually — is distinguished by a roughly 1:1 citronellol-to-geraniol ratio and the presence of 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (CAS 15051-81-7), a sesquiterpene alcohol absent from other origins. Bourbon geranium (Réunion Island) carries guaia-6,9-diene instead, with higher citronellyl formate (~7% vs ~2% in Chinese), producing the most balanced, rosy profile. Chinese geranium is the most affordable and the most citronellol-dominant, with a simpler, mintier character. Together Egypt and China produce 280-350 of the world's estimated 350-400 annual tonnes.
The scent architecture: citronellol (16-42%) provides the rosy sweetness; geraniol (5-30%) adds brightness and lift; isomenthone gives a cool, herbaceous bite that rose lacks; cis-rose oxide (CAS 3033-23-6), present in traces, contributes the metallic, lychee-like spark shared with Gewürztraminer wine. The net impression is a rose filtered through green leaves and cold air — less dense than rose absolute, sturdier and cheaper than any natural rose product.
Yield is moderate: 0.15-0.2% essential oil from dried plant material, roughly 60-70 kg per hectare per year. The plant is cultivated as an annual crop in most regions, with harvest timing directly affecting chemistry — early harvest favours citronellol accumulation, later harvest shifts towards geraniol. Distillation runs 3-4 hours; too short leaves sesquiterpenes behind, too long pulls heavier, less desirable compounds into the oil.
This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Geranium oil comes from Pelargonium, not Geranium. L'Héritier de Brutelle split the two genera in 1789 based on stamen count — Pelargonium has seven fertile stamens, true Geranium (cranesbill) has ten. The common name stuck regardless, and perfumers have called it 'geranium' for over two centuries. True cranesbill geraniums have no significant scent.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of fresh or sun-dried leaves and herbaceous stems (not flowers). Distillation time: 3-4 hours per batch. Yield: 0.15-0.2% from dried plant material, approximately 60-70 kg of oil per hectare per year. Egypt produces the largest volume (200-230 tonnes/year from over 900 hectares). Bourbon quality from Réunion commands the highest price but smallest volume. Some producers sun-dry plant material before distillation to concentrate the oil; others distill fresh. Harvest timing affects composition — early harvest favours citronellol, later harvest increases geraniol proportion. An absolute also exists (solvent extraction of the concrete), used in high-end rose bases, but the essential oil dominates commercial perfumery.
Permitted. Citronellol and geraniol are EU-listed fragrance allergens requiring declaration.
Synonyms
GERANIUM BOURBON · PELARGONIUM · ROSE GERANIUM · GERANIOL
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
28 hours at 100.00%
Appearance
dark green liquid
Boiling Point
197.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
165.00 °F. TCC ( 73.89 °C. )
Specific Gravity
0.88700 to 0.89200 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index
1.46600 to 1.47000 @ 20.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Heart note. Geranium functions primarily as a rose substitute, a rose extender, and a floral-green bridge. At a fraction of rose oil's price, it delivers convincing rosy character with added herbal complexity that pure rose lacks. Foundational in chypre compositions (supporting the floral heart above oakmoss), in fougère constructions (bridging lavender and coumarin), and in fresh-floral feminines. The minty-green quality makes it more adaptable than rose in masculine contexts — it sits comfortably next to citrus, lavender, patchouli, cedar, and clary sage. Perfumers reconstruct rose accords by combining geranium oil with phenylethyl alcohol, citronellol isolate, and rose oxide — approximating rose absolute at roughly 5% of the cost. The oil's key molecules — citronellol (CAS 106-22-9) and geraniol (CAS 106-24-1) — are EU-listed allergens requiring INCI declaration, which makes their presence traceable across finished formulas.
