GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / green · fresh · sweet
Pandanus
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
green · fresh · sweet
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Pandanus amaryllifolius
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Pyramid
Heart
Sweet, green, and tropical-grassy. Pandanus (screwpine) carries a warm, slightly toasted sweetness similar to of pandan leaf but broader — coconut-rice-vegetal, an equatorial baseline note.
Sweet, green, and tropical with a toasted-gra in undertone. The 2-AP character (basmati rice, bread) dominates in P. amaryllifolius. The coconut-fruity quality appears in P. tectorius. The rosy-sweet quality comes from P. odorifer. The genus covers a wide aromatic range with in tropical sweetness.
More tropical and sweet than standard green notes. Less sharply herbal than lemongrass (a fellow tropical grass). Warmer and more comforting than citrus-green notes.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sweet, tropical-green — rice-nutty or coconut-fruity depending on species
After a few hours
After a few hours
Warmer, rounder tropical sweetness
After a few days
After a few days
Faint, warm, sweet-tropical trace
The Full Story
Pandanus is a genus of tropical plants (screwpines) found across Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and tropical Africa. Several species are aromatic: Pandanus amaryllifolius (pandan leaf, intensely sweet-nutty), P. tectorius (pandanus fruit, tropical-coconut-sweet), and P. odorifer (kewra, rosy-sweet).
The fragrance varies by species, but the genus shares a tropical, sweet-green character. The key aroma compound in P. amaryllifolius is 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (shared with basmati rice and freshly baked bread). Other species contribute different profiles: P. tectorius produces a fruity-coconut scent; P. odorifer yields kewra water, which is floral-rosy.
In perfumery, pandanus provides tropical-green-sweet character that is more specific and geographically anchored than generic green notes.
Pandanus tectorius fruit is a major food source across the Pacific Islands, where individual segments (keys) are eaten raw or cooked. In the Marshall Islands, the pandanus fruit is considered so important that there are over 200 named varieties — more named cultivars than exist for any other Pacific Island food crop.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation or solvent extraction depending on species. Kewra water (from P. odorifer flowers) is produced by hydrodistillation and is a traditional Indian perfumery ingredient used in attar production. Pandan leaf (P. amaryllifolius) is more frequent in food than fragrance. Essential oil yields vary by species.
Molecular Formula
Key odorant: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (C₆H₉NO, CAS 85213-22-5)
CAS Number
N/A — no standard CAS for pandanus extract
Botanical Name
Pandanus amaryllifolius
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
SCREWPINE · PANDAN
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber liquid
In Perfumery
Pandanus is a heart note providing tropical-sweet greenness. It bridges green and gourm and territories in tropical compositions. The specific character depends on the Pandanus species referenced. P. amaryllifolius (pandan): rice-sweet, nutty. P. tectorius: coconut-fruity. P. odorifer (kewr a): rosy-floral. Useful in tropical, Southeast Asian-themed, and exotic-sweet compositions.
