Botanically close yet distinct to eye and nose: spearmint (Mentha spicata), with pale, long and lightly veined leaves, offers a sweet, almost anise-like scent ; peppermint (Mentha × piperita), darker and more veined, releases an intensely mentholated aroma with camphor-medicinal accents ; and field mint (Mentha arvensis), very rich in menthol, develops a rawer, more direct freshness, often used in industrial extraction.
In perfumery, the essential oil of Mentha arvensis or Mentha piperita, obtained by distillation of fresh or lightly dried leaves, is used primarily. These varieties are cultivated in India, China or the United States. Their composition varies according to origin, but typically contains menthol, menthone and neomenthol.
These components confer a vivid yet highly volatile freshness. Spearmint evaporates quickly, carrying away the perfume’s initial thrust. For this reason, it is often supported or relayed by structural materials, or replaced by more stable molecules capable of evoking its facets.
Versatile and expressive, spearmint appears in diverse fragrance families : it enlivens citrus in hesperidic (citrus) accords, injects biting freshness into modern fougères, electrifies aromatic woods with its crystalline tension, and creates a striking contrast in gourmands by adding a frosted touch to soft or melting accords.
An evocative palette beyond the leaf
The smell of mint usually triggers immediately an avalanche of evocations
• the crumpled leaf between the fingers,
• the after-meal tisane,
• mint tea served piping hot, overflowing with leaves,
• and of course candies, chewing-gum and toothpastes!
Its aromatic nuances also appear in other raw materials : the eucalyptol of eucalyptus and rosemary, the borneol of camphor, or certain dry wood and moss notes. These olfactory pathways extend the mentholated sensation, coloring it with woody, camphor or vegetal reflections.
The minty compounds
The essential oil of peppermint (as that of Mentha piperita) or of field mint is mainly composed of menthol, responsible for the well-known icy freshness, but also of menthone, drier, more herbaceous, almost medicinal, and of neomenthol, softer and less sharp. Other molecules such as carvone dominate in spearmint (Mentha spicata), with a rounder, anise-like profile typical of “chlorophyll” gums.
Alongside these main compounds, other molecules such as l-carvyl acetate, eucalyptol (or 1,8-cineole) and borneol are also present in many natural raw materials : spearmint, eucalyptus, rosemary, bay leaf or camphor. Used isolated or recreated in perfumery, they allow the mentholated effect to be reproduced or diverted towards woodier, camphor or sweeter nuances. These facets often evoke familiar memories : a mint tea, a refreshing lozenge or even toothpaste, while maintaining a controlled freshness so as not to shock or freeze the nose.
Crystalized menthol
Mint in the Superfumista perfumes
In our collection, mint holds a special place, for a creation is fully dedicated to this note :
Minty Mint pays a full homage to it. This bespoke project, now one of the very first perfumes of the collection, recounts memories of freshly picked mint during a romantic stroll in a botanical garden on a summer afternoon.
Lemon Delight also born from a bespoke project, evokes the Italian lemon gourmandise Delizia al Limone, with its limoncello note and a hint of spearmint that brings an icy radiance, like a frosted zest on a summer dessert along the Amalfi coast.
