Is Ginkgo natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Ginkgo

AccordGREENS, HERBS & FOUGERESfresh · green · nutty

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

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

Ginkgo biloba

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

Fan-shaped leaves turning gold, with a fresh green scent. Ginkgo's leaves are clean and herbal; its fruit is notorious -- rancid butter and vomit, an evolutionary strategy for dispersal by dinosaurs.

GREEN SWEET FRESH

Ginkgo leaf, Maidenhair tree

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Aromatic
Subfamily: Green notes
Cluster: Green leafy notes
Source: leaves and flowering tops
Chemical class: olfactory concept

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

China

Scent

Clean, green, faintly nutty, with a transparent, almost aquatic freshness. Lighter than galbanum, less sharp than bamboo, with a quiet, well-mannered greenness. The impression is visual as much as olfactory -- golden autumn leaves on wet pavement. No bitterness, no astringency, no olfactory aggression.

In PREMIEREPEAU

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

The Full Story

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a living fossil -- the last surviving member of an order that flourished 200 million years ago. The fan-shaped leaves have a mild, green, slightly nutty aroma. The fruit (technically a seed surrounded by a fleshy sarcotesta), produced only by female trees, is notoriously malodorous: butyric acid and hexanoic acid give it a rancid-butter, vomit-like smell.

In perfumery, the ginkgo note refers exclusively to the leaf -- the clean, green, mildly herbaceous impression. No one uses the fruit. Construction of a ginkgo accord typically employs green-leaf aldehydes (cis-3-hexenol), a faint nutty element (filbertone at trace levels), and light musks for the clean, modern quality. The note is about freshness and quiet beauty rather than olfactory drama.

Functionally, ginkgo works as a clean green modifier in the top-to-heart zone. It provides a specific, recognisable botanical reference -- the fan-shaped leaf is visually foundational -- without strong olfactory character. The note works in green, clean, and Japanese-aesthetic compositions.

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

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

No standardised essential oil or absolute of Ginkgo biloba leaves is commercially produced for perfumery. Ginkgo leaf extract exists for nutraceutical use but is not aromatic. The note is reconstructed synthetically.

Formula: Complex mixture — key: bilobalide (C₁₅H₁₈O₈), ginkgolides
CAS: 90045-36-6 (Ginkgo biloba extract)
Botanical: Ginkgo biloba
Appearance: Deciduous tree with particular fan-shaped leaves; ripe fruit pulp has a pungent, butyric acid-like odour
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: Ginkgo leaf, Maidenhair tree

IFRA status

See note

Not subject to an IFRA Standard (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Note: Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) leaf extract. CAS 90045-36-6. Key compounds: ginkgolides (A, B, C), bilobalide (C₁₅H₁₈O₈, MW 326.30). The ripe fruit pulp contains butyric acid, giving its distinctive pungent odor.

In Perfumery

Ginkgo is a clean green modifier functioning in the top-to-heart zone. The accord captures the leaf (not the fruit) of Ginkgo biloba: green, faintly nutty, transparent. Built from cis-3-hexenol, trace filbertone, and clean musks. The note works in green, clean, and Asian-aesthetic compositions as a gentle, recognisable botanical reference.

Role in the formula

01signature note

02lifting agent

03blender

04naturalizer

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note