GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / woody · fruity · balsamic
Myrica
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
woody · fruity · balsamic
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Myrica gale
Appearance
colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Europe, North America
Pyramid
Heart
Peppery, resinous, with a bitter-green bite. Myrica (bog myrtle) smells like crushing a leathery leaf between wet fingers on a Scottish moorland -- herbal, camphorous, slightly medicinal.
Herbal-camphorous, peppery, with a resinous-waxy undertone. Closer to bay laurel than to myrtle. Greener and wilder than rosemary, less sweet than eucalyptus, with a distinctly boggy, damp quality -- peat and wet bracken hovering at the edge. The leaf glands contribute a waxy stickiness.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sharp herbal-camphorous burst, peppery terpenes
After a few hours
After a few hours
Resinous-waxy depth emerges, boggy earthiness
After a few days
After a few days
Faint resinous warmth, dry herbal trace
Terroir & Transformation
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Myrica gale (bog myrtle, sweet gale) is a wetland shrub native to northern Europe, North America, and northeast Asia. Its resinous, aromatic leaves have been used since at least the early medieval period as a flavouring for beer (gruit) before hops became standard. The essential oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and twigs.
The volatile profile is dominated by alpha-pinene, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol), myrcene, limonene, and para-cymene -- a terpene-heavy composition that reads as herbal-camphorous with a peppery, slightly medicinal edge. The scent is closer to bay laurel or myrtle than to any true Myrtaceae member. A resinous, waxy undertone comes from the leaf surface glands.
In perfumery, myrica oil is a niche aromatic modifier. It provides a wild, boggy, herbal-green character useful in fougere, aromatic, and wild-nature compositions. The note sits in the top-to-heart zone, offering a rugged alternative to standard lavender or rosemary.
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Before hops dominated European brewing after the 15th century, bog myrtle was the primary bittering agent in gruit -- the medieval spiced herb mixture used to flavour and preserve beer across northern Europe.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of fresh or dried leaves and twigs. Yield is low (typically 0.3-0.5%). The oil is pale yellow to greenish with a strong herbal-resinous odour.
Myrica gale (bog myrtle) oil is an aromatic top-to-heart modifier providing wild, boggy, herbal-green character. Its terpene-heavy profile (alpha-pinene, cineole, myrcene) reads as a rugged alternative to lavender or rosemary. The note works in fougere, aromatic, and wild-nature compositions. It pairs with vetiver, moss, peat, and conifer notes in moorland-themed constructions.
