In short
Blackcurrant bud absolute is extracted from the buds of Ribes nigrum. It gives the green, fruity and sulphurous note of cassis.
What Blackcurrant Bud Absolute smells like
Blackcurrant bud absolute is green and fruity with a distinctive sulphurous, 'catty' undertone that turns woody-earthy as it dries. Most of its bulk is ordinary terpenes; a few sulphur-bearing thiols at trace levels give the recognisable character, which reads as blackcurrant at trace levels and becomes unmistakably catty at higher doses. Firmenich's listings include catty, green and sulphury; Robertet's Burgundy absolute fruity, green, fresh and sulphur. Most perfumery-grade buds come from Burgundy.
- Leading note
- Green blackcurrant bud
- Clear facets
- Catty, sulphurous
- Supporting facets
- Fruity
- Faint facets
- Woody-earthy drydown
- Character
- Green, sharp, animalic, juicy
What makes Blackcurrant Bud Absolute distinctive
The leaf and bud rather than the berry: green and catty, the sulphurous realism that makes a cassis note smell natural.
Concentration and dilution
Blackcurrant at trace levels; catty at higher doses.
How Blackcurrant Bud Absolute is used
Used in traces for cassis, fruity-green and chypre effects in fine fragrance.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Blackcurrant Bud Absolute differs from similar materials
- Buccoxime
- Buccoxime is a cleaner, herbal buchu-blackcurrant; the absolute is greener and catty-sulphurous.
- 8-Mercapto-p-menthan-3-one
- Mercaptomenthone is a thiol of the kind that gives the absolute its catty note; the absolute adds green terpenes and an earthy-woody drydown.
- Cassiffix
- Cassiffix is a synthetic cassis note without the sulphurous, catty facet the bud absolute carries.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Dark and potent; dose from dilution.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Absolute
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Fruity / Green
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Viscous liquid
- Also known as
- Cassis bud absolute
- Botanical source
- Ribes nigrum L.
- CAS number
- 68606-81-5
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Oxane
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — tropical, passion fruit, sulphurous, grapefruit
-
beta-Damascone
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Floral — fruity, rose, plum, blackcurrant
-
Galbanum Oil
Essential oil · Green / Resinous — green, sharp, bitter, resinous
-
Buccoxime
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — blackcurrant, buchu, green, fruity
Blackcurrant Bud Absolute is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Boronia Absolute, Buchu Oil, Cassiffix, Dimethyl Sulfide, Framboise and Tagetes Oil.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 7 published formulas
Blackcurrant Bud Absolute is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 6 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Blackcurrant Bud Absolute
Is Blackcurrant Bud Absolute natural or synthetic?
Blackcurrant Bud Absolute is natural. It is a concentrated extract obtained from plant material with a solvent, then washed with ethanol to remove the waxes.
What is the CAS number of Blackcurrant Bud Absolute?
68606-81-5, the registry number for the absolute as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Blackcurrant Bud Absolute?
Blackcurrant Bud Absolute is used in 7 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Açaí Accord, Blackberry Accord and Blackcurrant Signal. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135276923, checked 19 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — black currant bud absolute (with Firmenich and Robertet descriptions) — odour database.
- Fraterworks — blackcurrant absolute, Burgundy — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Black currant — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.