Oak

Q: Is Oak natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Oak absolute by solvent extraction of wood chips. For barrel character, perfumers use whiskey lactone (CAS 39212-23-2) and related molecules..

WOODS AND MOSSES / woody · rich · warm

Oak

Category	WOODS AND MOSSES
Subcategory	woody · rich · warm
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Quercus robur / Quercus alba
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	France, United States, Spain
Pyramid	Base

Tannic, dry, slightly vanillic wood. Oak smells like a wine barrel stave or the inside of a centuries-old church door: dense, warm, astringent, with lactone sweetness underneath.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dry, tannic, astringent wood with vanillic warmth underneath. Toasted oak shifts toward coconut, vanilla, and clove from lactones, vanillin, and eugenol. Less resinous than cedar, less creamy than sandalwood, more structural than either.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Dry tannic wood, slightly green and astringent

After a few hours

Vanillic warmth emerges with coconut-lactone sweetness

After a few days

Persistent woody-vanillic base, dry and structural

Terroir & Maturity

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Oak (Quercus spp.) contributes to perfumery through several forms: oakmoss (a lichen on oak bark), oak absolute from wood chips, and most importantly, the lactone-rich character of toasted oak used in cooperage. The smell most people associate with oak is actually oak lactones (whiskey lactones), which produce the coconut-vanilla-wood scent of barrel-aged spirits.

Oak wood itself smells drier and more tannic: like splitting a fresh log. An astringent, leathery quality from tannins and faint sweetness from vanillin precursors in lignin.

In perfumery, oak notes function as base elements that add structure and a tannic backbone. They bridge wood and leather families and anchor chypre, fougere, and woody-aromatic compositions.

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

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Ambramone · Amburana Bark · Amyris · Antillone

Did You Know?

Did you know?

The cis-isomer of whiskey lactone is roughly ten times more potent than the trans-isomer. American white oak (Q. alba) produces more cis-lactone than European oak (Q. robur), which is why bourbon smells more coconut-forward than Bordeaux barrel character.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Oak absolute by solvent extraction of wood chips. For barrel character, perfumers use whiskey lactone (CAS 39212-23-2) and related molecules.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture (essential oil)
CAS Number	68917-10-2
Botanical Name	Quercus robur / Quercus alba
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	oak wood, oak absolute, chêne
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	> 200 hours
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Specific Gravity	0.950 to 1.010 @ 25 °C (absolute)

In Perfumery

Base note providing tannic structure and dry-wood backbone. Key odorants: whiskey lactones, vanillin, eugenol, guaiacol. Bridges wood and leather families. Functions as a structural anchor in chypres, fougeres, and woody-aromatic compositions.