Prunella

NaturalFLOWERSfloral · green · sweet

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

3Origins

Specimen

Prunella vulgaris

Definition

A quiet, green-herbaceous note with a faintly medicinal edge. Self-heal flowers smell like crushed mint leaves left on a damp stone: cool, herbal, and slightly bitter.

Self-heal

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Florals
Subfamily: Green florals
Cluster: Green-fresh florals
Source: flowers
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

Asia Europe North America

Scent

Green-herbaceous with a faint mint-family coolness. Slightly bitter-medicinal, not sweet. Less intense than any commercial mint, more subtle, more field-like. A damp, slightly earthy quality from the plant's preference for moist meadows. Quiet and self-effacing.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Origins

The Full Story

Prunella (Prunella vulgaris), commonly known as self-heal or heal-all, is a perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to Europe, Asia, and North America. The plant has been used in traditional medicine across cultures for wound healing, hence the common names.

The flowers and leaves produce a subtle, green-herbaceous scent with mint-family characteristics: a slight camphoraceous quality, a cool freshness, and a faintly bitter-medicinal undertone. The scent is quiet and unassuming, nothing like the assertiveness of peppermint or rosemary.

In perfumery, prunella is a natural note rarely used commercially. When represented, it provides a green-herbaceous modifier with a healing-medicinal association. The note functions in herbal, meadow, and apothecary-themed compositions, contributing botanical realism and a sense of traditional plant medicine.

—

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Not commercially extracted for perfumery. The plant contains rosmarinic acid, ursolic acid, and various flavonoids, but no essential oil is produced at commercial scale. Representation in perfumery uses related herbal-green materials.

Formula: Complex mixture — key components: rosmarinic acid (C₁₈H₁₆O₈), ursolic acid (C₃₀H₄₈O₃)
CAS: 90105-92-3
Botanical: Prunella vulgaris
Appearance: Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: Self-heal

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Note: Extract from Prunella vulgaris. Used in traditional herbal medicine; limited perfumery physical data.

In Perfumery

Prunella is a rarely used natural modifier in herbal, meadow, and apothecary compositions. It provides quiet green-herbaceous character with a medicinal-healing association. The mint-family genetics give it a faint coolness without the intensity of peppermint or spearmint. Useful in compositions seeking botanical realism and traditional herbal references.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02modifier

03blender

04freshness

Available as

essential oil absolute