GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / green · fresh · floral
Hops
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
green · fresh · floral
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Humulus lupulus
Appearance
Yellow to greenish-yellow liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Czech Republic, Germany, United States
Pyramid
Heart
Dry, green-resinous, with a bitter herbal bite. Hops smell like a fresh brewery before the sweetness arrives: dank, piney, and distinctly lupulin-dusted.
Green, resinous, and dank with a bitter-herbal bite. Myrcene dominates: piney, balsamic, almost cannabis-like (Humulus and Cannabis are close relatives). Humulene adds woody-spicy depth. A dry, powdery quality from the lupulin glands. Less sweet than cannabis, more bitter, more specifically beer-adjacent.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Green resinous burst, myrcene-piney, dank
After a few hours
After a few hours
Woody-spicy humulene, bitter-herbal depth
After a few days
After a few days
Persistent dry resinous-herbal base
The Full Story
Hops (Humulus lupulus) are the cone-shaped flowers of the hop plant, a climbing vine in the Cannabaceae family. The lupulin glands on the cone scales produce a resinous, bitter, aromatic substance that is the soul of beer and a fascinating perfumery material.
The essential oil composition is dominated by myrcene (up to 68% in some varieties), alpha-humulene (13-16%), and beta-caryophyllene (4-8%). Myrcene provides the green, herbaceous, resinous character; humulene gives the particular 'hoppy' woody-spicy quality; caryophyllene adds a peppery warmth.
In perfumery, hops oil provides a particular green-resinous note that sits between cannabis (a close relative), pine, and herbal aromatics. It functions as a heart modifier in chypre, aromatic, and beer-themed compositions. The dank, resinous quality has found favor in niche perfumery, where the cannabis-adjacent character adds edge and modernity. Used at low doses in deodorant formulations for its natural freshness.
This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Hops and cannabis are the only two genera in the family Cannabaceae. They share myrcene as a dominant terpene. Hop shoots (young vine tips) are a expensive vegetables in the world, selling for over 1,000 EUR per kilogram in Belgium, where they are considered a springtime delicacy.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation or CO2 extraction of the hop cones (strobiles). CO2 extraction preserves more of the delicate aromatic compounds. The lupulin glands are the primary source of volatile compounds. Essential oil yield is approximately 0.5-3% depending on variety.
Hops oil is a heart modifier in chypre, aromatic, and beer-themed compositions. Myrcene-dominant (up to 68%) with humulene and caryophyllene providing woody-spicy depth. The dank, resinous, cannabis-adjacent character appeals to niche perfumery. Works in green-aromatic accords alongside vetiver, oakmoss, and pine materials. Also used in functional fragrances for its natural deodorizing properties.
