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Pansy in Perfumery | Première Peau

FLOWERS  /  floral · green · fresh
Pansy
Pansy perfume ingredient
CategoryFLOWERS
Subcategoryfloral · green · fresh
Origin
VolatilityHeart Note
BotanicalViola tricolor
AppearanceDark green to brown viscous liquid (absolute) with sweet, powdery, green-floral odor
Odor StrengthMedium
Producing CountriesEurope
PyramidHeart

Green, faintly violet-like, with a waxy, powdery softness. Pansy smells like a smaller, quieter version of violet -- less sweet, more leafy, with an earthy, root-like undertone.

  1. Scent
  2. The Full Story
  3. Fun Fact
  4. Extraction & Chemistry
  5. In Perfumery
  6. See Also

Scent

Green, faintly violet, with a waxy-powdery softness and an earthy undertone. Quieter and less sweet than violet, more leafy, with the specific garden-bed quality of a plant close to the soil. The ionone is present but restrained -- a whisper rather than a statement. Think of wild heartsease on a hedgerow rather than Parma violets in a box.

Evolution over time

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The Full Story

Pansy (Viola tricolor and Viola x wittrockiana hybrids) is a garden flower in the violet family. Its fragrance is mild and inconsistent across varieties -- many modern cultivars bred for visual impact have lost whatever scent their wild ancestors carried. Wild heartsease (V. tricolor) has a faint, green-violet character.

In perfumery, pansy is a fantasy note capturing a quieter, greener interpretation of violet: ionone-based (for the violet character) but with more green-leaf, less powdery sweetness, and a faint earthy-root quality. Construction uses alpha-isomethyl ionone (green-violet), cis-3-hexenol (green leaf), and a trace of orris-type powderiness.

Functionally, pansy works as a green-violet modifier in the heart zone. It provides a garden-flower reference more humble and less regal than violet itself. Works in garden, green-floral, and cottage-style compositions.

Did You Know?

Did you know?
The name 'pansy' derives from the French 'pensee' (thought or remembrance). In the Victorian language of flowers, pansies symbolised loving thoughts. Shakespeare used them in A Midsummer Night's Dream as the source of the love potion: 'the juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid / Will make man or woman madly dote.'

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial pansy essential oil or absolute exists. The note is an entirely synthetic fantasy accord.

Molecular FormulaKey compounds include methyl salicylate (C₈H₈O₃), methyl 2-aminobenzoate (C₈H₉NO₂)
CAS NumberN/A — natural extract (absolute), complex mixture
Botanical NameViola tricolor
IFRA StatusNo known restrictions
Synonymsheartsease, Johnny jump-up, wild pansy
Physical Properties
Odor StrengthMedium
AppearanceDark green to brown viscous liquid (absolute) with sweet, powdery, green-floral odor

In Perfumery

Pansy is a green-violet fantasy heart-note modifier: alpha-isomethyl ionone (green-violet), cis-3-hexenol (green leaf), orris-type powderiness. Quieter and greener than violet. A humble garden-flower reference. Works in garden, green-floral, and cottage-style compositions.

See Also

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