Clearwood is a modern, sustainable, and clean-smelling woody note with a soft, creamy patchouli character. It offers a refined, smooth, and slightly sweet woodiness, without the earthy or camphoraceous facets of natural patchouli. Often used to bring transparency and depth to woody or amber compositions, it imparts a contemporary twist to classic woody accords.
Scent Profile
Clearwood has a smooth, woody scent with creamy, slightly sweet undertones and a gentle patchouli nuance. It is notably clean and transparent, lacking the earthy, musty, or camphoraceous aspects found in natural patchouli. Over time, it maintains its soft woodiness and subtle sweetness, contributing a modern clarity to compositions.
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
What this is made of
Oils, Patchouli, patchoulol synthase-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae-fermented, from carbohydrates
Names this molecule
CAS 1450625-49-6
CORRECTED 2026-08-14: the material IS held, as 'Oils, Patchouli, patchoulol synthase-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae-fermented, from carbohydrates'. Held as its patchouli-synthase description - Clearwood IS Firmenich's biotech patchouli. The edge was authored against the trade name and nothing matched - the same lookup failure as D34's twenty. Previously: A Firmenich patchouli-derived captive we do not hold as a material. The material that would realise this note is Clearwood; we do
Clearwood is a biotech ingredient produced via fermentation of sugar cane using a proprietary process developed by Firmenich. This sustainable method yields a highly purified, single-molecule material related to patchouli alcohol, but without the impurities present in natural patchouli oil.
Usage in Perfumery
Perfumers use Clearwood primarily as a heart or base note to impart depth, smoothness, and a contemporary woody character. It blends well with other woody, amber, and musky materials, as well as florals, to create modern interpretations of classic accords. Its transparency allows it to add structure without overpowering other notes.
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