Myrtle Oil
Natural Ingredient for Perfumery
Myrtle Oil, with its fresh menthol-like, resinous, and lemony aroma, is a top-note essential oil, ideal for colognes. Its aromatic profile blends well with bergamot, lavandin, lavender, and other oils.
Key attributes include its diffusive, terpenic nature, and suitability for aldehydic-type fragrances, especially high-quality Tunisian and Corsican variants.
🔎 Botanical Name — Myrtus communis
📂 CAS — 84082-67-7 ; 8008-46-6
👁 Aspect — Liquid
📝 Odour Type — Aromatic
👃🏼 Odour Profile — Fresh Menthol-like, diffusive, resinous and lemony. Terpenic.
What is Myrtle Oil?
Olfactive Description:
Fresh Menthol-like, diffusive, resinous and lemony. Terpenic.
Where it grows:
Among the numerous perfume plants originating in the Mediterranean countries, is Myrtus Communis, a bush or a small tree that grows wild in Algeria, Corsica, France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Sardinia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Yugoslavia, etc. The plant is also found abundantly on the island of Cyprus, but production of Myrtle Oil was abandoned in 1955 (S. Arctander)
How or when use it:
The better oils, e.g. Tunisian and Corsican myrtle oils, are very fresh and strong in top notes, and yet display an almost floral sweetness and little or no residue note. Myrtle oil belongs unquestionably to the “top note” materials and not to the fixative oils. It blends excellently with bergamot, lavandin, lavender, rosemary, sage clary, hyssop, artemisia oils, lime oil, bay leaf oil, etc., and is thus an interesting item for colognes, also those of aldehydic type.
Method of Extraction:
The essential oil is produced by steam distillation of the leaves and twigs; in some places, the flowers, which are highly fragrant, are also included. This explains partly the significant difference between the myrtle oils from various producing areas. Distillation takes place in France, (insignificant quantities), Corsica, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and in the Ex-Yugoslavia territory.
The sample provided has beed distilled in Turkey, and has been submitted for analysis from Goymen Oil.
Appearance:
Myrtle Oil is a pale yellow to orange-yellow or pale amber-colored liquid.
Possible Adulteration:
Cineole, camphene and fractions from the production of linalyl acetate have been used for this purpose.
Persistence:
Weak. Myrtle is clearly a Top note. Stays 5 hours on strip at no dilution.
Sources and informations
Fulvio Ciccolo — 2021
Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin — S. Arctander (1961)
