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FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND NUTS / fruity · fresh · sweet
Pear
Category
FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND NUTS
Subcategory
fruity · fresh · sweet
Origin
Volatility
Top-Heart Note
Botanical
Pyrus communis
Appearance
N/A — olfactory concept
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
China, Italy, United States, Argentina
Pyramid
Top-Heart
Cool, waxy, translucent. Pear in perfumery is the juice that runs down your wrist from a cold Williams — less tart than apple, less lactonic than peach, more defined than melon. An ester-built illusion with no natural extract behind it.
Juicy, waxy, and gently sweet. Cooler than apple, without apple's malic tartness. More transparent than peach, which leans lactonic and velvety. Less aquatic than melon, which shares some of pear's ester vocabulary but drifts toward cucumber-aldehyde territory.
On a blotter, pear ester at 1% opens with an almost startlingly realistic burst of ripe Williams pear — wet, green-juicy, slightly ethereal. The hexyl acetate support gives a waxy-green freshness underneath, like pear skin rather than pear flesh. As the top fades, a soft, clean sweetness lingers — no creaminess, no warmth, just a fading fruit transparency.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
After a few hours
After a few hours
After a few days
After a few days
The Full Story
Pear is a synthetic reconstruction. No commercially viable natural extract exists — the volatile esters responsible for the aroma are present at parts-per-million concentrations in the fruit, too dilute and too heat-labile for distillation. Everything perfumers call 'pear' is built from molecules.
The impact molecule is ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate (CAS 3025-30-7, FEMA 3148), known commercially as Pear Ester. It was identified as the character-impact compound of Williams (Bartlett) pear by Jennings and Tressl in the 1970s. Molecular weight 196.29 g/mol, molecular formula C₁₂H₂₀O₂. Synthesized from (Z)-1-heptenyl bromide via lithium cuprate coupling with ethyl propiolate — the reaction yields 95% of the desired (2E,4Z) stereoisomer, with ~5% of the (2E,4E) diastereoisomer as byproduct. Only the (2E,4Z) configuration produces the unmistakable juicy-pear character.
In the natural fruit, esters account for 60–98% of total headspace volatiles, depending on cultivar. The dominant acetate esters — butyl acetate, hexyl acetate (CAS 142-92-7), pentyl acetate, propyl acetate — form the waxy-green backbone. In Williams and Abate Fetel varieties, hexyl acetate alone represents 27–39% of total volatiles. But it is pear ester, present at trace concentrations, that provides the specific character-impact signal the nose reads as 'pear' rather than generic fruit.
In compositions, pear occupies the top-to-heart transition zone. It is softer and more transparent than apple, making it a modifier rather than a statement note. Standard dosage: 0.1% for a naturalistic green-fruity inflection, up to 1% for an overt pear signature. It bridges well toward white florals, green-leaf accords, and other ester-based fruit notes. Longevity is moderate on skin (4–8 hours) but surprisingly tenacious on blotter (>48 hours), owing to the molecule's low vapor pressure relative to simpler acetate esters.
Did You Know?
Did you know?
Ethyl 2,4-decadienoate has four geometric stereoisomers (2E,4Z / 2E,4E / 2Z,4Z / 2Z,4E), but only the (2E,4Z) form produces the characteristic Williams pear aroma. The standard synthesis yields 95% of this correct isomer and ~5% of the (2E,4E) byproduct. Pear ester also functions as a kairomone — codling moth (Cydia pomonella), a major apple and pear pest, uses it as a host-location signal. Pheromone traps baited with pear ester are used commercially in integrated pest management across European and North American orchards.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: No natural pear extraction exists for perfumery. The fruit's volatile esters are present at ppm concentrations — too dilute for steam distillation, too heat-sensitive for solvent extraction. All pear notes are synthetic reconstructions. Pear ester (ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate) is produced via organometallic synthesis: (Z)-1-heptenyl bromide is converted to a lithium cuprate complex (using lithium metal and copper(I) iodide), then coupled with ethyl propiolate. The reaction yields a 95:5 mixture of the (2E,4Z) and (2E,4E) stereoisomers; the desired isomer is isolated by fractional distillation. An alternative enzymatic route uses lipase from Candida antarctica to transesterify related decadienoate esters with ethanol. Supporting esters — hexyl acetate, butyl acetate, amyl acetate — are produced industrially by Fischer esterification of the corresponding alcohols with acetic acid.
Molecular Formula
N/A — olfactory concept
CAS Number
N/A — olfactory concept (key aroma: ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate CAS 3025-30-7)
Botanical Name
Pyrus communis
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Pyrus communis, Williams pear
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
N/A — olfactory concept
In Perfumery
Pear functions as a top-to-heart fruity modifier in fresh, fruity-floral, and green compositions. Its role is textural: it softens aggressive citrus openings and adds a juicy transparency that heavier fruit notes (peach, plum) cannot provide. Pear ester (ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate, CAS 3025-30-7, FEMA 3148) is the impact molecule, typically dosed at 0.1–1% depending on the desired intensity. Hexyl acetate (CAS 142-92-7) provides broader waxy-green support and is almost always used in conjunction. The acetate-ester chemistry gives pear inherent affinity with apple and banana notes — blending them is a matter of ratio adjustment rather than bridging incompatible materials. Pear notes integrate naturally with freesia, lily-of-the-valley, white musk, and green-leaf accords. In fruity chypres and modern aldehydic florals, pear can serve as a discreet lifting agent, adding diffusion without the sharpness of straight aldehydes. Not currently featured as a primary note in any Première Peau fragrance.
