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Willow-Leaved

Q: Is Willow-Leaved natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No commercial willow leaf extract exists. Reconstructed synthetically..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / fresh · green · woody

Willow-Leaved

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	fresh · green · woody
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Salix spp.
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe, North America
Pyramid	Heart

Damp, green, slightly bitter bark-leaf. The smell of willow branches trailing in water: cool, aqueous, with a salicylic sharpness from the salicin in the bark.

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

Scent

Cool, damp, bitter-green. The specific green of a leaf that grows near water: more aqueous than dry-land foliage, with a faint medicinal-aspirin quality from salicin derivatives.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Cool aqueous green with bitter-bark sharpness

After a few hours

Softer damp green, less bitter

After a few days

Faint cool-green trace, barely perceptible

Terroir & Transformation

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Willow-leaved refers to the scent character of Salix species foliage. The leaves are not strongly aromatic, but the bark contains salicin, a precursor to salicylic acid, giving willow a faintly medicinal, bitter-green quality.

In perfumery, the willow-leaf concept carries waterside greenery: damp, cool, slightly metallic green of vegetation growing near rivers and ponds. Less sharp than nettle, more aqueous than general green-leaf notes.

Perfumers approximate this with cis-3-hexenol, methyl salicylate for the bitter-bark edge, and aqueous-transparent notes.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Acronychia Pedunculata · Adoxal · Agave · Algae · Aloe Vera · Aromatic Notes · Asparagus · Avocado

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Hippocrates prescribed chewing willow bark for pain relief around 400 BCE. The active compound salicin is metabolized into salicylic acid. Bayer synthesized aspirin from it in 1897.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial willow leaf extract exists. Reconstructed synthetically.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	N/A — complex bark/leaf extract (salicin C₁₃H₁₈O₇)
CAS Number	84082-82-6
Botanical Name	Salix spp.
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Salix, willow
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid

In Perfumery

Top-to-heart modifier for aqueous-green atmospheres. Built from cis-3-hexenol, methyl salicylate, and aqueous notes. Distinct from generic green-leaf accords due to waterside quality.