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Mangosteen

Q: Is Mangosteen natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No commercial essential oil or absolute from the fruit. Mangosteen accords in perfumery are synthetic reconstructions. The rind is used in traditional medicine for its xanthones (α-mangostin) but is not a perfumery raw material..

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Mangosteen

Category
Subcategory
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	Garcinia mangostana
Appearance	N/A (no isolate)
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines (fruit); perfumery accords assembled globally
Pyramid	Top

Mangosteen is the fruit of Garcinia mangostana, a slow-growing tropical tree native to the Sunda Islands and the Malay Peninsula. Beneath a thick purple rind, the white aril segments carry a delicate flavor that has been described as a cross between lychee, peach and grape, with hints of strawberry. The fruit yields no commercial essential oil — mangosteen notes in perfumery are accord reconstructions.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Lychee-peach-grape at the core, with a soft strawberry-floral edge and a faint resinous undertone from the rind xanthones. Less sweet than lychee, more vinous than peach, with a watery-floral lift. Reconstructions typically combine ionones, ethyl caprylate, γ-undecalactone and trace damascenone.

The Full Story

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Mangosteen was banned from import into the United States from 1965 until 2007 over fears that its rind might harbor the Asian fruit fly. During those four decades, mangosteen attained mythic status in American food writing — Queen Victoria reportedly offered a knighthood to anyone who could bring her a fresh one, a story now generally regarded as apocryphal but indicative of the fruit's mystique.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial essential oil or absolute from the fruit. Mangosteen accords in perfumery are synthetic reconstructions. The rind is used in traditional medicine for its xanthones (α-mangostin) but is not a perfumery raw material.

Botanical Name	Garcinia mangostana
Synonyms	QUEEN OF FRUITS · MANGGIS · MANGOUSTAN
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	2-6 hours (top-note range)
Appearance	N/A (no isolate)

In Perfumery

Top-to-heart fruity material in fresh-modern compositions. Reads as a tropical-yet-restrained fruit signal — pairs naturally with lychee, white tea, freesia and frangipani. Adds a Southeast-Asian fruity facet without the sweetness ceiling of mango or the candy of pineapple.