In short
Fenugreek absolute is extracted from the seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum. Rich in sotolone, it smells of maple syrup and curry spice.
What Fenugreek Absolute smells like
Fenugreek absolute is sweet, spicy and savoury. The Good Scents Company lists sweet, maple, celery, spicy, coumarin and balsamic; Robertet spicy, powerful, aromatic, celery-like, nutty and warm; Firmenich sweet, spicy and balsamic with slight celery notes and an anisic facet. Fraterworks describes a dramatic change on dilution, from savoury curry-like spice at high concentration to maple syrup and burnt caramel at low concentration — the behaviour of sotolone, its key odorant. It is very tenacious.
- Leading note
- Maple-curry
- Clear facets
- Celery
- Supporting facets
- Nutty, coumarin, balsamic
- Faint facets
- Anisic
- Character
- Powerful, warm, savoury-sweet, tenacious
What makes Fenugreek Absolute distinctive
The seed itself: sotolone's maple-curry with celery, nut and a coumarinic hay around it.
Concentration and dilution
Curry-like at high concentration; maple syrup and burnt caramel at low concentration.
How Fenugreek Absolute is used
Used in traces in gourmand, tobacco, oriental and immortelle-like compositions, and in maple and spice flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Fenugreek Absolute differs from similar materials
- Sotolone
- Sotolone is the key odorant alone; the absolute adds celery, nutty, coumarinic and anisic notes. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cyclotene
- Cyclotene is a clean maple-caramel; fenugreek absolute is savoury, with curry and celery.
- Helichrysum Oil
- Helichrysum adds honey, hay, dried fruit and tea to a similar curry note; fenugreek is maple-curry with celery and nut.
- Celery Seed Oil
- Celery seed is greener and more angular, without the sweetness; fenugreek pairs a celery note with maple and curry.
- Lovage Root Oil
- Lovage is sweet celery with angelica, musk and leather; fenugreek is maple-curry with celery.
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Extremely tenacious; use in traces.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Absolute
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Spicy
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Viscous liquid
- Botanical source
- Trigonella foenum-graecum
- CAS number
- 68990-15-8
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
-
Sotolone
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Spicy — fenugreek, maple, curry, caramel
-
Helichrysum Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Gourmand — honey, hay, curry, fruity
-
Lovage Root Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Spicy — celery, sweet, spicy, herbal
-
Coumarin
Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fougère — hay, sweet, almond, tobacco
Fenugreek Absolute is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Ethyl Cyclopentenolone.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
Fenugreek Absolute is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Fenugreek Absolute
Is Fenugreek Absolute natural or synthetic?
Fenugreek 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 Fenugreek Absolute?
68990-15-8, 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 Fenugreek Absolute?
Fenugreek Absolute is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Maple Fog and Rosewood Cello. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135316927, checked 19 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — fenugreek absolute (with Robertet and Firmenich descriptions) — odour database.
- Fraterworks — fenugreek absolute — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Fenugreek — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.