Is Lettuce natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Not extracted for perfumery. Fantasy accord..

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Lettuce

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · green · aquatic

Lettuce

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fresh · green · aquatic
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Lactuca sativa
Appearance	Dark brown to black resinous material (lactucarium)
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Europe, North America
Pyramid	Heart

Watery-green, crisp, and almost flavorless. The smell of iceberg lettuce: mineral water, pale green, and the particular crunch of leaves with nothing to say.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Watery, pale-green, and almost nothing. Like splitting an iceberg lettuce head in half -- the cool, mineral-water freshness, the faintest green, and a barely perceptible milky quality from the sap. A deliberate whisper in a world of shouts.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Watery, pale-green, mineral. Almost nothing.

After a few hours

Barely detectable. Clean, green.

After a few days

Gone.

The Full Story

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is one of the mildest aromatic experiences in the vegetable world. Its scent is barely perceptible: a watery-green freshness, a faint mineral quality, and the latex-milky undertone from lactucarium (the milky sap for which Lactuca is named).

In perfumery, lettuce is a fantasy accord capturing this deliberate blandness as an aesthetic choice. The note provides a specifically crisp, watery, near-absence-of-smell that contrasts with the intensity of most perfumery materials.

Built from transparent green notes (cis-3-hexenol at very low levels), watery-mineral elements, and clean musks. Used in avant-garde, minimalist, and deliberately quiet compositions.

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

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Related: Acronychia Pedunculata · Adoxal · Agave · Algae · Aloe Vera · Aromatic Notes · Asparagus · Avocado

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Lettuce belongs to the genus Lactuca (from the Latin lac, milk) because of its milky latex sap. Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) produces enough lactucarium that it was historically used as a mild sedative -- sometimes called "lettuce opium" -- though its actual psychoactive effects are debatable.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Not extracted for perfumery. Fantasy accord.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture — lactucin C₁₅H₁₆O₅, lactucarium components
CAS Number	N/A — natural extract (lactucarium)
Botanical Name	Lactuca sativa
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Lactuca sativa, salad greens
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Dark brown to black resinous material (lactucarium)

In Perfumery

Accent note in minimalist, watery-green, and deliberately quiet compositions. Functions as a near-absence element. Built from trace green notes, mineral-watery accords, and clean musks.