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Wintergreen

Q: Is Wintergreen natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of Gaultheria procumbens leaves. Oil is 96-99% methyl salicylate. Most commercial supply is now synthetic..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / green · fresh · sweet

Wintergreen

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	green · fresh · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	Gaultheria procumbens
Appearance	pale yellow to reddish brown clear oily liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	North America
Pyramid	Top

Sharp, cool, medicinal mint that is not mint. Wintergreen is methyl salicylate: the burning-clean smell of muscle rubs, old-fashioned candy, and birch bark.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Sharp, cooling, medicinal. Not menthol but often confused with it. The specific clean sharpness of methyl salicylate. Sweeter than eucalyptus, less herbal than peppermint, more medicinal than either.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Sharp medicinal-cool burst, penetrating

After a few hours

Cooling subsides, sweet-clean remains

After a few days

Faint medicinal trace, mostly dissipated within hours

The Full Story

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) leaves contain up to 98% methyl salicylate (CAS 119-36-8). This single molecule dominates so completely that wintergreen oil and synthetic methyl salicylate are indistinguishable.

Methyl salicylate has a sharp, clean, cooling character often described as minty, though chemically unrelated to menthol. It activates cold-sensitive receptors (TRPM8). The compound is also the primary aromatic in sweet birch bark (Betula lenta).

In perfumery, methyl salicylate functions as a top-note modifier. Used sparingly in fougere, green, and forest compositions. Overdose reads as athletic liniment.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Methyl salicylate is toxic in concentrated form. As little as 5 ml of wintergreen oil can be lethal to a child. Despite its candy-like smell, it is the most common cause of fatal salicylate poisoning in young children.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of Gaultheria procumbens leaves. Oil is 96-99% methyl salicylate. Most commercial supply is now synthetic.

Molecular Formula	C8H8O3
CAS Number	68917-75-9
Botanical Name	Gaultheria procumbens
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	TEABERRY · CHECKERBERRY
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	8 hours at 100.00%
Appearance	pale yellow to reddish brown clear oily liquid
Flash Point	185.00 °F. TCC ( 85.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity	1.17618 to 1.18200 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.52900 to 1.54100 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Top-note modifier providing medicinal sharpness and cooling. CAS 119-36-8. Used sparingly to cut sweetness. Functions in fougere, green, and forest compositions. Also found in birch tar accords.