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Red Willow

Q: Is Red Willow natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No standard perfumery extraction of red willow specifically. Willow bark tinctures exist in herbal medicine. The perfumery note is largely conceptual..

WOODS AND MOSSES / woody · earthy · sweet

Red Willow

Category	WOODS AND MOSSES
Subcategory	woody · earthy · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Salix laevigata / Cornus sericea (depending on tradition)
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Europe, North America
Pyramid	Heart

Bitter-green, bark-astringent, faintly aspirin-like. Red willow smells of salicin — the chemical precursor to aspirin, leaching from wet, red-tinged bark.

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

Scent

Bitter-green, bark-astringent, faintly medicinal. Wet red bark by a river — the salicin gives it a wintergreen-aspirin edge. Cold, austere, and pharmaceutical. No warmth, no sweetness.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Bitter-green bark, salicin-medicinal, cold astringent

After a few hours

Wet woody depth, less sharp, green-phenolic

After a few days

Faint medicinal-green persistence, bark residue

Terroir & Maturity

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Red willow (Salix laevigata or various red-barked Salix species) has a particular bark scent: bitter-green, astringent, with the faint medicinal quality of salicin — the compound that Bayer synthesized into aspirin in 1897.

The scent is wet bark, green-bitter, slightly medicinal. Not sweet, not warm. The salicin/salicylic acid character gives it a phenolic, almost wintergreen edge. More austere than most wood notes.

In perfumery, red willow is a niche concept providing bitter-bark character. It functions in green, aquatic-riverside, and medicinal compositions. The aspirin-adjacent quality gives it a specific, recognizable edge.

Willows are riparian trees — their roots hold riverbanks together. The red bark color comes from anthocyanin pigments, the same compounds that redden autumn leaves.

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 · Antillone · Apple Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Willow bark tea has been used as a pain reliever for over 3,500 years — documented in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Chinese medicine. Felix Hoffmann at Bayer synthesized acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) from salicin in 1897, creating the world's first synthetic pharmaceutical.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No standard perfumery extraction of red willow specifically. Willow bark tinctures exist in herbal medicine. The perfumery note is largely conceptual.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Key compound: salicin C₁₃H₁₈O₇
CAS Number	N/A — natural wood extract, no single CAS
Botanical Name	Salix laevigata / Cornus sericea (depending on tradition)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	SALIX · WILLOW · SALIX ALBA · SALIX FRAGILIS
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid

In Perfumery

Niche concept note providing bitter-bark, salicin-tinged character. Functions in green, riverside, and medicinal compositions. The aspirin-adjacent quality provides specific recognition. Built from methyl salicylate (trace), green-bark synthetics, bitter elements.