Earthy

Ginseng

Note Profile

Botanical 12 perfumes

About

Ginseng is the root of Panax species, grown mainly in East Asia and North America. The dried roots are extracted by solvent or CO2. It smells earthy and slightly bitter, with a musty forest-floor depth and a medicinal edge like an apothecary cabinet. Distant pepper warmth and dry wood follow. It dries to a faint sweetness and a clean dryness.

Scent Profile

Ginseng has an earthy, slightly bitter aroma with a musty forest-floor depth and a subtle rooty undertone. A medicinal quality runs through it. The impression is of a medicine cabinet in a Korean apothecary, and the note is reconstructed with a trace of methyl salicylate for exactly that. It also displays a distant pepper warmth and dry woody nuances from the sesquiterpenes that dominate its volatile fraction. The note evolves to reveal a faint sweetness, a mild warmth and a lingering, clean dryness.

ScentWheel

Breadthfocused

EnvelopeBase · ~12h lasting

Family Woody & Earthy

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

What this is made of

Ginseng names no single substance

Reconstructed

Panax ginseng is not extracted for perfumery.

How the layers join

Origin

Ginseng is derived from the roots of Panax species, primarily cultivated in East Asia and North America. The roots are typically dried and then extracted using methods such as solvent extraction or CO2 extraction to obtain the aromatic components for perfumery.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use ginseng mainly in the heart or base of herbal, fougère, and woody compositions to impart complexity and a naturalistic, earthy depth. It blends well with green notes, spices, woods, and certain florals, supporting both masculine and unisex fragrances.

Similar Notes

Guaiacol

Sandalore™

Indonesian Sandalwood

EDP · 2025

d'Annam

Statement

Browse all 12 perfumes featuring Ginseng