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Woodruff or Galium Odoratum

Q: Is Woodruff or Galium Odoratum natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Solvent extraction of dried herb yields an absolute rich in coumarin. Fresh plant contains bound coumarin glycosides that are odorless; scent develops only upon drying..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / woody · green · fresh

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

Sweet, hay-like, vanillic green. Woodruff smells like dried sweet grass soaked in coumarin: the scent of May wine and freshly mown lawns with tonka-bean sweetness.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Sweet, green, coumarin-rich. Fresher than tonka, greener than vanilla, more herbal than hay. If tonka is the dessert version of coumarin, woodruff is the garden version.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Green-herbaceous freshness with rising coumarin

After a few hours

Coumarin dominates, vanillic and hay-like

After a few days

Persistent sweet-coumarin warmth, dry and gentle

The Full Story

Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a shade-loving European herb whose scent develops upon drying. The fresh plant is nearly odorless, but enzymatic hydrolysis releases coumarin from bound glycosides as it wilts.

The dried herb smells strongly of coumarin with supporting green-herbaceous and faintly vanillic qualities. It is the traditional flavoring for German Maibowle (May wine).

In perfumery, woodruff functions as a natural coumarin source, bridging green-herbaceous and sweet-vanillic families.

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?

Germany limits coumarin in food above 2 mg/kg due to hepatotoxicity concerns. Traditional Maibowle recipes specify strict limits on woodruff steeping time to keep coumarin within legal bounds.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Solvent extraction of dried herb yields an absolute rich in coumarin. Fresh plant contains bound coumarin glycosides that are odorless; scent develops only upon drying.

Molecular Formula	Key odorant: coumarin (C₉H₆O₂, CAS 91-64-5)
CAS Number	90028-83-4 (woodruff extract)
Botanical Name	Galium odoratum
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	sweet woodruff, wild baby's breath
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid

In Perfumery

Heart note providing natural coumarin sweetness in green-herbaceous context. Bridges hay, tonka, and green-leaf families. Suited to green, pastoral, spring, and herbaceous compositions. Useful in fougere and chypre variations.