Melilot absolute

Sweet hay, almond, light vanilla, honey, a touch of tobacco. Clear coumarin but rounder than tonka, with a green herbal edge.

Melilot absolute has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index. Coumarin (IFRA restriction 2020) and dihydrocoumarin (IFRA restriction 2023) may be present and count toward limits per product category.

Coumarin is an EU-labelled allergen above threshold. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Melilotus officinalis is a biennial legume of European and Asian roadsides and meadows, with long spikes of small yellow flowers. When dried it smells of sweet hay far more than when fresh.

The odour comes from coumarin, released as glycosides in the tissue hydrolyse during drying. The plant also contains melilotic acid and dihydrocoumarin, which give a rounder sweetness than pure coumarin.

An absolute is made in two steps. The raw material is extracted with a non-polar solvent such as hexane to give a waxy concrete. The concrete is then washed with ethanol, chilled to precipitate waxes, filtered and freed of alcohol. What remains is the absolute.

Mouldy sweet clover can form dicoumarol, the anticoagulant discovered through cattle bleeding cases in North America in the early 20th century. The discovery led to warfarin. This belongs to pharmacology history; the fragrance absolute is unrelated to dicoumarol.

In perfumery melilot absolute serves fougère, tobacco, hay and amber bases. It pairs with lavender, tonka, hay and vanilla.

Since both coumarin and dihydrocoumarin are IFRA-restricted, each lot needs a certificate of analysis to calculate the maximum level.

Melilot absolute is usually a greenish-brown paste. Next to hay absolute it is sweeter and more almond-like, less earthy. Next to tonka it is greener and more herbal. It can be used in soap and candles.