Is Starflower natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Starflower

AccordFLOWERSfloral · fresh · green

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

Borago officinalis

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

Cool, green, cucumber-fresh. Starflower (borage) oil smells of crushed cucumber peel and wet garden soil -- a vegetal freshness without any floral sweetness.

FLORAL GREEN SWEET WARM FRESH

BORAGE STAR HERB

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

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

Mediterranean

Scent

Cool, green, and cucumber-fresh. Like pulling a borage leaf from the garden and rubbing it between wet fingers -- the oil releases a clean, vegetal coolness that smells of cucumber skin and morning dew. No sweetness, no warmth. Pure cold green.

In PREMIEREPEAU

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

The Full Story

Starflower typically refers to borage (Borago officinalis), a herb with vivid blue, star-shaped flowers, native to the Mediterranean but naturalized across Europe. The plant is primarily cultivated for its seed oil, which is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). In perfumery, the note is a fantasy accord.

The scent of fresh borage is distinctively cucumber-like. The leaves, when crushed, release a cool, green, almost melon-fresh quality that is closer to cucumber peel than to any flower. The blue flowers themselves have a fainter, sweeter scent, but it is the vegetal, cucumber character that defines borage olfactively.

Perfumers reconstruct the starflower note using green-cucumber materials: cis-3-hexenol (leaf alcohol), traces of violet leaf absolute for the green-metallic edge, and cucumber-melon molecules for the fresh, aqueous quality. The result is a cool, garden-fresh accent.

In a composition, starflower sits in the top notes. It provides an unusual green freshness -- less herbal than basil, less sharp than galbanum, cooler and more watery than most green notes.

—

Did You Know?

Borage flowers are one of the few truly blue edible flowers. They taste distinctly of cucumber and are traditionally frozen into ice cubes for summer cocktails. The plant is also one of the best bee-attracting herbs -- its nickname in some regions is "bee bread."

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Borage seed oil is cold-pressed for cosmetic use (rich in GLA), but not for perfumery. The starflower note in fragrance is a fantasy accord reconstructed from green-cucumber synthetics.

Formula: Complex mixture; key fatty acid: γ-linolenic acid (C₁₈H₃₀O₂)
CAS: 84012-16-8 (borage seed oil)
Botanical: Borago officinalis
Appearance: pale yellow oily liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: BORAGE STAR HERB

IFRA status

See note

Not subject to an IFRA Standard (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Flash point: > 200.00 °F. TCC ( > 93.33 °C. ) (est)
Specific gravity: 0.920 to 0.930 @ 25.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Top note in green, garden-fresh, and aquatic-green compositions. Functions as a cool, cucumber-like green accent. Built from cis-3-hexenol, violet leaf traces, and cucumber-melon molecules. Provides an unusual green freshness that is softer than galbanum and more watery than basil. Useful in spring and garden-themed formulas.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02modifier

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note