Hazelnut Leaf
Note Profile
About
Hazelnut leaf is the foliage of the hazel tree, not the nut. It smells green and leafy, the raw crushed-leaf smell of a hazel grove, with a faint nutty edge and a dry woody undercurrent. It is not roasted and it is not sweet. The published hazelnut note is the opposite register: filbertone, Maillard pyrazines, caramel and butter, all of which only exist because the kernel was roasted. Nothing in the leaf's sourced description mentions any of that.
Scent Profile
Hazelnut leaf smells green and leafy, the raw, crushed smell of a hazel grove rather than the roasted nut. A faint nutty edge runs through it, slight rather than pronounced, with a dry, woody undercurrent from the grove itself. A subtle earthy trace sits underneath. It carries none of the caramel or butter warmth of roasted hazelnut.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Origin
Corylus avellana, Betulaceae, native to Europe and Western Asia. There is no commercial hazelnut leaf absolute or CO2 extract. Agoratopia states that 'direct extraction of oil from hazelnut leaves is uncommon' and that the scent is recreated 'through synthetic accords or by blending green, woody, and nutty notes'. No GC-MS or analytical study of Corylus avellana leaf volatiles was found. Hazelnut aroma research goes almost entirely to the roasted kernel, so the chemistry that is published is the chemistry of the nut and does not apply here.
Usage in Perfumery
A green modifier. Agoratopia places it as a middle or top note and pairs it with woods, florals and gourmand notes. Attested on 7 Parfumo entries across 7 brands and 0 Fragrantica entries, so its use is real but narrow and confined to one platform's tagging.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Hazelnut Leaf
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Hazelnut Leaf appears prominently.
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