Royal Jelly

Note Profile

Animal

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About

The gland secretion nurse bees feed to larvae, and the only food of the queen. It does not smell like honey. It is sour first, with a bitter, phenolic edge, set in something thick and creamy.

Scent Profile

Royal jelly smells pungent and sour first. A phenolic edge and a slight bitterness come with the sourness. It does not smell sweet like honey. A fatty, creamy body sits underneath. Only a trace of hive sweetness remains.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~4h lasting

Family Fruity

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

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ScentArt

What is ScentArt?

Origin

Secreted from the hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees and harvested from queen cells. It is an ivory to pale yellow gel. Its signature compound is 10-HDA, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, and one supplier attributes the sourness to that acid and the other organic acids directly.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumes name it as an accord that a perfumer builds. Zoologist Bee lists a 'Royal Jelly Accord' in its top notes, and Aromifo lists 10 perfumes with the note. In Bee the accord reads as rich, sweet honey, not as the sour raw jelly. It belongs to the hive notes with honey, beeswax, propolis and pollen.