Clearwood

Composition

Clearwood contains at least 90% of patchoulol. Patchoulol, also called patchouli alcohol, is a sesquiterpene alcohol found in patchouli (Pogostemon cablin). Patchoulol is the main chemical component of patchouli oil. The (-)- optical isomer of patchoulol is one of the compounds responsible for the typical patchouli scent.

Origin and production

In collaboration with Amyris, a fragrance house pioneered industrial biotechnology for the fragrance industry with the launch of Clearwood. The industrial biotech approach behind Clearwood tends to consume less resource than traditional processes and often uses renewable carbon sources. Industrial biotechnology applications in the fragrance industry allow a sustainable production based on renewable feedstocks, instead of limited or threatened botanical resources.

Patchouli and patchoulol

Patchouli is native to Southeast Asia and is now grown widely in tropical climates. Gal first isolated patchoulol in 1869, and Montgolfier later established its formula as C₁₅H₂₆O. Early work showed it to be a saturated tricyclic tertiary alcohol.

History

Work on biotechnology at a fragrance house began as early as 2001, with the discovery of sesquiterpene synthases. In 2006 the isolation of a key gene involved in the synthesis of the fragrance alcohol from the patchouli plant was reported for the first time.

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