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Lesser Calamint

Q: Is Lesser Calamint natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of Calamintha nepeta aerial parts. Yield approximately 0.5-1%. Wild-harvested in Mediterranean Europe. High pulegone content (40-70%) — IFRA restricted for leave-on products due to hepatotoxicity concerns..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · floral · green

Lesser Calamint

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fresh · floral · green
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe
Pyramid	Heart

Minty-herbaceous, slightly camphoraceous, fresh. Lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta) smells like pennyroyal's gentler cousin — cool mint with herbal warmth.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Fresh, minty-herbal, slightly camphoraceous. Softer than peppermint, more minty than basil. The pulegone gives it a pennyroyal-like freshness — cool, clean, herbaceous. Like crushing calamint leaves on a dry Mediterranean hillside — cool mint, warm herbs, stone.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Fresh minty-herbal, cool, clean

After a few hours

Softer, warmer herbal, less minty

After a few days

Faint herbal residue

The Full Story

Lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta, syn. Clinopodium nepeta) is a Mediterranean herb in the Lamiaceae family with a fresh, minty-herbaceous scent. The essential oil is dominated by pulegone (the same compound found in pennyroyal), menthone, and piperitenone, giving it a mint-like character that is softer than peppermint but more assertive than basil.

Calamintha nepeta grows wild across the Mediterranean basin, typically on rocky, dry soils in garrigue and maquis habitats. It is used in Italian regional cooking (particularly in Tuscan mushroom dishes) and in traditional herbal medicine.

Pulegone content requires caution — the compound is hepatotoxic at high doses and is restricted by IFRA for skin-contact applications. Lesser calamint oil typically contains 40-70% pulegone.

In perfumery, lesser calamint provides a fresh, minty-herbal top note with Mediterranean terroir specificity.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Apple Mint · Menthol · Mint · Spearmint

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Pulegone — the dominant compound in lesser calamint — derives its name from Mentha pulegium (pennyroyal), historically used as a flea repellent. The Latin pulex means flea, and pennyroyal/pulegone has been used to repel fleas since Roman times.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of Calamintha nepeta aerial parts. Yield approximately 0.5-1%. Wild-harvested in Mediterranean Europe. High pulegone content (40-70%) — IFRA restricted for leave-on products due to hepatotoxicity concerns.

Molecular Formula	N/A — complex mixture (pulegone, piperitenone, menthone)
CAS Number	N/A — no single CAS (herb essential oil)
Botanical Name	Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	CALAMINT · NEPETA · FIELD MINT
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid

In Perfumery

Lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta) provides a fresh, minty-herbal top note. Pulegone-dominant (40-70%), with menthone and piperitenone. Functions in Mediterranean, herbal, and fresh compositions. IFRA restrictions on pulegone limit skin-contact usage. Pairs with lavender, rosemary, and thyme in garrigue accords.