GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · aquatic · green
Laminaria
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
fresh · aquatic · green
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Laminaria spp. (kelp/seaweed)
Appearance
Colorless to pale green liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
France (Brittany), Japan, Norway
Pyramid
Heart
Marine, iodine-rich, briny-vegetal. Laminaria (kelp) smells like the tide line — salt, seaweed, mineral, with the specific character of brown algae drying in sun.
Marine, briny, iodine-rich, faintly sulfurous. The raw, biological smell of the shore — not a clean aquatic fantasy but actual seaweed character. Like picking up a piece of kelp on a cold beach — salt, iodine, mineral, faintly organic-decaying. Authentic marine rather than synthetic marine.
Laminaria is a genus of large brown kelp seaweeds (Phaeophyceae) found in cold ocean waters worldwide. Species like L. digitata, L. hyperborea, and L. japonica are commercially harvested for alginates, food (kombu in Japanese cuisine), and increasingly for cosmetic and fragrance applications.
The aromatic profile is dominated by dimethyl sulfide (marine, oceanic), bromophenols (briny, iodine-like), and various halogenated metabolites unique to marine organisms. The scent is intensely marine — not the clean aquatic of synthetic Calone-type notes but the raw, biological smell of actual seaweed.
Seaweed absolute exists as a commercial perfumery material, produced from various species including Laminaria, Fucus (bladderwrack), and others. The absolute is dark green-brown, intensely marine, and extremely potent.
In perfumery, laminaria provides an authentic marine note — briny, iodine-rich, and unmistakably oceanic.
Laminaria japonica (kombu) is the primary source of glutamic acid for umami flavor — it was by studying kombu that Kikunae Ikeda identified umami as the fifth basic taste in 1908, leading to the commercial production of MSG.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Solvent extraction of dried Laminaria or mixed seaweed (including Fucus, Ascophyllum) yields seaweed absolute. CO2 extraction produces a lighter, more aromatic version. The raw material is collected from cold-water coastlines (Brittany, Norway, Japan, Atlantic Canada). Yield varies by species and drying method.
Molecular Formula
Complex mixture (seaweed extract)
CAS Number
1207666-16-7
Botanical Name
Laminaria spp. (kelp/seaweed)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
kelp, seaweed
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
24 hours
Appearance
Colorless to pale green liquid
In Perfumery
Laminaria provides a raw, authentic marine note via seaweed absolute. Functions as a marine-iodine modifier in realistic maritime, coastal, and mineral compositions. Seaweed absolute is commercially available — dark green-brown, intensely potent, used at micro-dosages. Provides authentic marine character that synthetic aquatics (Calone) cannot achieve.
