Green

Marigold

Note Profile

Botanical 330 perfumes

Also Known As

Tagetes

About

Marigold in perfumery typically delivers a sharp, green, and aromatic scent with herbal and somewhat fruity undertones. It can also impart a slightly bitter, pungent nuance reminiscent of fresh foliage or crushed leaves. This note is often used to add brightness and freshness to floral or green compositions.

Scent Profile

Marigold, also known as tagetes, has a distinctive green aroma with bitter, herbal facets and subtle fruity and spicy undertones. Its scent is sharp and fresh, evoking crushed leaves and wild foliage, with the almost medicinal pungency that makes it overpowering above trace levels. As it develops, it can reveal hints of apple-like fruitiness, an earthy base, and a faint honeyed sweetness that belongs to the absolute rather than the oil.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~6h lasting

Family Green & Aromatic, Fruity

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

WorldSee it in Note Island

ScentArt

What is ScentArt?

What this is made of

Tagetes minuta oil

A natural extract

CAS 8016-84-0

Tagetes minuta oil (IFRA NCS). Tagetes is the perfumery marigold; the ornamental Calendula is a different plant with no material.

Restricted: An IFRA Standard limits how much of this a perfumer can use the limit applies to the perfumer, not the wearer

These are facts about the substance, not about any perfume with this note.

Why that matters

A perfume that names Marigold can use a different extract, a reformulated version, or a synthetic reconstruction. It can also hold less than the amount that requires a declaration. We cannot tell which applies. These rows cover only the substances we hold a link for.

How the layers join

Origin

Marigold essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from the fresh flowering tops of Tagetes minuta or Tagetes erecta, primarily cultivated in India, South America, and Africa. The flowers are harvested at full bloom to maximize aromatic yield. The resulting oil is a concentrated source of the plant's characteristic scent compounds.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers typically use marigold as a top or heart note to impart brightness and a green lift to compositions. It blends well with citrus, herbal, and floral notes, and is often used to add complexity to green, chypre, or fougère fragrances. Its distinctive profile can also temper sweetness or add a naturalistic touch to modern accords.