Tomato leaf absolute

Crushed tomato leaf, sharp green, earthy with a light sulfurous note, a touch of bell pepper. Very strong; dilution shows herbal and green resin notes.

Tomato leaf absolute has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index.

Tomato leaves contain the glycoalkaloid tomatine, which is non-volatile. The material is for fragrance, not ingestion. The absolute is very strong and used at trace level. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Tomato leaf odour comes from glandular hairs on stems and leaves. When touched, they rupture and release terpenes such as β-phellandrene along with green compounds. The smell is typical of a summer tomato patch.

The signature odorant is 2-isobutylthiazole, a sulfur and nitrogen compound with a low odour threshold. It also occurs in fresh tomato fruit. (Z)-3-Hexenol adds a cut-grass note.

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.

Tomato leaf absolute is made in very small volumes. Many producers use synthetic 2-isobutylthiazole for the note, as it is more stable and cheaper.

In perfumery tomato leaf absolute serves green, garden and modern herbal accords. It pairs with violet leaf, fig leaf, bergamot and vetiver. Trace amounts are enough to recognise it.

Many tomato leaf notes in perfume are built on synthetic molecules.

Tomato leaf absolute is usually a dark green paste. It should be heavily diluted for evaluation since neat it is harsh and sulfurous. In formulas it gives a freshly snapped leaf effect, livelier than a single molecule.