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latex

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD  /  creamy · fruity · fresh
latex
latex perfume ingredient
CategoryNATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategorycreamy · fruity · fresh
Origin
VolatilityHeart Note
BotanicalN/A — olfactory concept
AppearanceN/A — olfactory concept (no standard commercial form)
Odor StrengthMedium
Producing CountriesN/A — olfactory concept
PyramidHeart

Rubbery, slightly sweet, and industrial. The smell of natural rubber sap or new latex gloves -- a particular, almost medicinal elasticity translated into scent.

  1. Scent
  2. The Full Story
  3. Fun Fact
  4. Extraction & Chemistry
  5. In Perfumery

Scent

Smooth, rubbery, slightly sweet, and industrial. Like snapping on a new latex glove -- the particular elastic sweetness, a faint chemical sharpness, and the glossy, skin-tight quality of the material. Not unpleasant. Smooth, modern, and deliberately artificial.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Immediately

Smooth, rubbery, faintly chemical. Clean and elastic.
After a few hours

After a few hours

The chemical edge fades. Soft, glossy, musky warmth.
After a few days

After a few days

A subtle, smooth, synthetic-musky residue.

The Full Story

Latex in perfumery refers to the smell of natural rubber latex (the milky sap of Hevea brasiliensis) or, more commonly, the processed rubber products (gloves, balloons, tires) that most people associate with the word. The two smell different.

Natural rubber latex is mildly sweet, slightly sappy, and faintly ammonia-like (ammonia is used as a preservative). Processed rubber has a stronger, more characteristically rubbery smell from sulfur vulcanization compounds and various chemical additives.

In perfumery, latex is a fantasy accord that captures the industrial-rubber quality: smooth, slightly sweet, elastic, and faintly chemical. The note is built using synthetic materials that approximate rubber's particular odor profile, including certa in esters, traces of sulfurous notes, and smooth, glossy musk-like materials.

Latex functions as an avant-garde accent in fetish-themed, industrial, and deliberately provocative compositions.

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

Related: Abelia · Almond Blossom · Alpha Terpineol · Alstroemeria · Alumroot · Amarillys · Amazon Moonflower · Amethyst Flower

Did You Know?

Did you know?
Natural rubber latex from Hevea brasiliensis contains over 200 proteins, one of which (Hev b 1) is the primary cause of latex allergy. The rubber tree is native to the Amazon, but virtually all commercial rubber today comes from Southeast Asian plantations descended from 70,000 seeds smuggled out of Brazil by Henry Wickham in 1876.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fantasy accord. Natural rubber latex is not extracted for perfumery. The note is reconstructed from synthetic materials.

Molecular FormulaN/A — olfactory concept
CAS NumberN/A — olfactory concept
Botanical NameN/A — olfactory concept
IFRA StatusNo known restrictions
SynonymsRUBBER · NATURAL RUBBER · CAOUTCHOUC
Physical Properties
Odor StrengthMedium
AppearanceN/A — olfactory concept (no standard commercial form)

In Perfumery

Accent note in avant-garde, industrial, and fetish-themed compositions. Functions as a smooth, rubbery texture element. Built from rubber-adjacent esters, subtle sulfurous traces, and glossy synthetic musks. Deliberately provocative.

From the raw to the worn

This is what it becomes.