Grapefruit Leaf

Note Profile

Botanical

About

Grapefruit leaf is the steam-distilled foliage of Citrus paradisi. It is a bright citrus over a crisp cut-leaf green, with a soft herbal undertone. It is not grapefruit peel thinned down. The leaf oil and the peel oil are chemically different materials.

Scent Profile

Citrus is the dominant facet and the two sources reach it independently. Premiere Peau leads with 'fresh, green citrus aroma' and 'bright and tangy, with a citrus quality'. The peer-reviewed cultivar study, which is not describing a perfume and has no reason to flatter the material, records 'strong citrus odour' for the leaf oil of all three varieties, with 'Strong lemonade smell' for one. Green is the second facet and is what makes it a leaf rather than a peel: 'crisp, green notes, like freshly cut foliage'. Citrus sits above green because both sources lead with citrus, but the two are close and the spreads overlap. Aromatic_herbal is the 'soft, herbal undertone' Premiere Peau names as the second stage. Fruity carries 'lemonade' and 'mild sweet citrus' from the study and the 'floral or fruity elements' Premiere Peau reports as the material rounds out. Under the naming line: sour for 'tangy', dry_woody and earthy for the 'gentle woodiness' and 'deeper, earthier quality' after a day on a blotter, and floral as the weaker half of the 'floral or fruity' pairing.

ScentWheel

Breadthbroad

EnvelopeHeart · ~4h lasting

Family Fresh & Citrus, Green & Aromatic

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

Origin

Steam-distilled from the leaves of the grapefruit tree, Citrus paradisi. It is used far less than the fruit. A study of three South African cultivars found the leaf oil pale yellow to colourless with a strong citrus odour, and intensity varied by cultivar: the White Marsh leaf gave a 'Strong lemonade smell' where Ruby Red and Rose Pink read only 'mild'.

Usage in Perfumery

Mostly a heart note, though it is bright enough to work in a top. It adds a rounded green facet where a peel oil would add only zest. On a blotter it keeps its brightness for a day and picks up a gentle woodiness.