Short answer
Aromatic notes are the herbs: lavender and lavandin, clary sage, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, the mints, tarragon and artemisia. In perfumery "aromatic" names a family built on these fresh, herbal, often camphoraceous materials — the heart of fougères, colognes and much of men's perfumery. The key to using them is knowing their chemistry: lavender is mostly linalool and linalyl acetate, lavandin adds camphor, rosemary and eucalyptus bring cineole, mint brings menthol or carvone. Grades and chemotypes smell different, several of these oils are now declarable allergens in the EU, and the phenolic herbs can irritate.
The aromatic palette
| Material | Odor | Main constituents (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) | Floral-herbal, sweet, clean | Linalool, linalyl acetate |
| Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia: grosso, abrial, super) | Sharper, more camphoraceous, cheaper | Linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor |
| Spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia) | Camphoraceous, medicinal | Linalool, cineole, camphor |
| Clary sage | Herbal, tea-like, ambery, slightly musky | Linalyl acetate, linalool, sclareol (in extracts) |
| Rosemary | Fresh, camphoraceous, resinous | Cineole, camphor, pinene — by chemotype |
| Sage (Dalmatian) | Herbal, camphoraceous, warm | Thujone, camphor, cineole |
| Thyme | Warm, phenolic, medicinal | Thymol or carvacrol, by chemotype |
| Basil | Green, anise-like or floral, by type | Linalool or methyl chavicol (estragole), by chemotype |
| Peppermint, cornmint | Cool, minty | Menthol, menthone |
| Spearmint | Sweet, chewing-gum mint | Carvone |
| Tarragon, artemisia, davana | Anisic-green; bitter-herbal; fruity-boozy | Methyl chavicol; thujones; davanone |
"Typical" means typical: the same plant grown in a different place, or a different chemotype, can have a different main constituent. That is why rosemary, thyme and basil are bought and recorded by chemotype; see essential oil chemotypes.
What aromatic notes do in a formula
- Freshness that lasts longer than citrus. Lavender and clary sage carry a fresh top into the heart.
- Structure. The fougère is lavender over coumarin and oakmoss-type mosses (the fougère accord); the cologne pairs citrus with herbs (eau de cologne formula).
- A masculine reading in conventional perfumery — by convention, not by nature.
- Bridges: clary sage leads toward amber; basil and tarragon toward green and anisic; mint toward cool, functional freshness.
Many aromatic oils are rebuilt or extended with their main constituents — linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor, cineole, menthol — which is cheaper and more consistent than the oil but loses its complexity (linalool in perfumery, essential oil reconstitution).
Restrictions and labeling
- EU allergens. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added lavender and lavandin oils and extracts (labeled "Lavandula Oil/Extract"), peppermint oil, spearmint oil, Eucalyptus globulus oil and bay laurel oil to the declarable list, together with constituents found across the herbs: linalyl acetate, camphor, menthol, carvone and terpineol. Linalool and limonene were already listed. See the fragrance allergens list.
- IFRA. Some herbs and their constituents are subject to IFRA Standards — among them materials rich in estragole, methyl eugenol or thujone. Check the Standard for each oil you use and record the chemotype it relates to.
- Irritation. Phenolic oils (thyme, oregano) and oxidized terpene-rich oils irritate or sensitize; keep stock fresh (raw material shelf life).
A study exercise
Dip blotters at 10% in ethanol of lavender, lavandin grosso, spike lavender, clary sage, rosemary (cineole type), linalool and linalyl acetate. Smell them together at once, at 30 minutes and at three hours. You will hear how much of lavender is its two main constituents, what camphor adds in lavandin and spike, and what is left over that makes the natural worth its price. Methods for studying materials are in how to learn perfume materials.
Common mistakes
- Buying "lavender" without knowing whether it is lavender, lavandin or spike.
- Expecting mint to behave like a perfume note; it dominates fast and reads as toothpaste.
- Overloading camphoraceous herbs, which turn a fresh accord medicinal.
- Ignoring chemotype on the material record, then failing to reproduce a batch.
Records
Record the botanical name, variety or chemotype, origin, grade and lot of every herb oil, with its documents. Tag the family "aromatic" and the pyramid position so the library can be searched by family; the method is in classifying perfume materials by family, and the families' palettes are mapped in the guide to perfume materials by odor family. Conifer needles, often grouped with the herbs, have their own page: conifer notes.
For the wearer's view, the RUŌOD Journal has lavender in perfume, fresh fragrances and fougère fragrances.
Sources
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, Annex; read October 11, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lavender and lavandin?
Lavandin is a hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. It yields more oil, costs less, and smells sharper and more camphoraceous. Perfumers use both, often together.
Is "aromatic" the same as "herbal"?
In perfumery classifications, yes, broadly: the aromatic family is built on herbs, and "aromatic fougère" is a common subfamily name.
Why does my lavender smell different from last year's?
Crop, origin, distillation and age all change it. Compare the new lot with a retained sample before using it (incoming raw material checks).
Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This article is general education about perfume formulation and record-keeping; it is not legal, regulatory or safety advice, and the examples are illustrations, not validated commercial formulas. How we write and check these guides.