Lantana

Pungent, green-herbal, and almost animalic. Like pushing through a dense stand of lantana in tropical heat -- the bruised leaves release a sharp, catty, herbaceous smell that is simultaneously repellent and fascinating. More assertive than most herbs. A weed that fights back.

Lantana (Lantana camara, Verbenaceae family) is a tropical and subtropical shrub native to the Americas, now invasive across much of the tropical world. The plant produces clusters of small, brightly colored flowers, but its olfactory character comes primarily from the leaves, which have a strong, pungent, somewhat unpleasant smell when bruised.

The leaf aroma is green, herbal, and sharply pungent, with descriptors ranging from "cat urine" to "crushed sage" to "warm rubber." This aggressive quality comes from sesquiterpenes and various volatile compounds including beta-caryophyllene, germacrene D, and traces of sulfurous compounds.

Lantana essential oil is occasionally produced by steam distillation of leaves in regions where the plant grows abundantly (particularly India and parts of Africa). The oil has a complex, herbal-spicy character with better depth than the raw leaf smell.

In perfumery, lantana is a very niche material. Its pungent, almost animalic quality can add an unusual green-herbal edge to compositions seeking raw, tropical, or unconventional character.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.