Absinthe / Artemesia / Wormwood

[Asha]

Compiled from the Note Identification Project thread:

Wormwood (artemisia absynthium), 1% dilution in carrier oil: this is the one I liked most. Sweet and complex, with facets of anise and licorice, a pinch of fir needles and whiffs of wood and florals in its drydown. A fascinating note with considerable depth...I love it. To my nose, the perfume which renders this note justice is Serge Lutens Douce Amère.

Wormwood 1% artemisia absinthium: herbal spiciness a bit old?

[jenson]

have you sampled Ungaro I Asha...? i guess this scent has used wormwood explicitly..i would however, love to hear more on this particular note...ant eg's of scents where it's used to derive a very prominent effect?

[Asha]

No, I haven't tried any Ungaro, Jenson. When I had a garden I planted artemesia -- it is woody and a bit dry, medicinal, diffuse, with faint licorice or anise tones. I reviewed several where I either smelled explicit artemesia notes, or an artemesia ghost note:

Nasomatto Absinth
Serge Lutens Douce Amere
L'Artisan Fou d'Absinthe
Sinfonia di Note Saveur d'Artichaut
Miller Harris Cuir d'Oranger
Divine l'Homme Sage

[tsmba]

What a difficult-to-describe scent! I've tried some of the M.Micallef "Black Sashka" this weekend.

[Griff]

What a difficult-to-describe scent! I've tried some of the M.Micallef "Black Sashka" this weekend.

The closest I've experienced to actual wormwood is Ava Luxe's Absinthe. It's the closest thing to wormwood essential oil I have ever smelled.

[Giustino]

Any views regarding By Kilian - A taste of Heaven? I don't know wich smell the Absynthe exactly is..

[Asha]

It has been a while since I smelled A Taste of Heaven, but I remember my impression of it being mainly about lavender and vanilla/tonka, quite like Caron Pour un Homme. However, it is true that most fougeres use a blend of herbal notes to create the "fern" impression. If AToH has Absinthe, it may not really be detectable as a single note.

[The Bark]

This is a difficult note for me. Most of the scents that are comprised of it don't do much for me. I did have a bottle of Slatkin's Black Fig and Absinthe at one point - the dry down well into the application was really quite nice, but the rest of it was sort of meh.

[Asha]

I'm not sure if this helps, but l always relate to my experience with actual artemesia plants rather than licorice notes. In fact, the association of artemesia with licorice has a lot to do with Absinthe the drink which contains anise flavoring as well as wormwood. The plant itself has a dusty, dry and medicinal herbal smell, and actually reminds me more of the smell of the desert rather than a special drink or black jelly beans.

[Twolf]

I tried the 20 per cent absolute, provided by SculptureofSoul as a part of Natural perfume sniffing.

Wormwood Absinthium -- golden yellow -- oily and raw, first goes on sharp but mellows to a camphorous woody note that would perform nicely if paired with luscious tropical florals. There is an uncunny resemblance to green tea in its drydown.

[PerfumeCollector]

the association of artemesia with licorice has a lot to do with Absinthe the drink which contains anise flavoring as well as wormwood. The plant itself has a dusty, dry and medicinal herbal smell, and actually reminds me more of the smell of the desert.

Exactly, artemisia does not smell like licorice or anise at all, it is a dry, bitter, kinda pungent smell and actually is one of my favorite notes.

It can be found in almost all the "powerhouse" fragrances of the 80's like Drakkar Noir, Lapidus pH, Sung Homme, Quorum, Tsar, Giorgio, Polo (green), Witness, Kouros, Aramis, Gucci pH, Jazz, etc, etc..., but in some modern perfumes too like Le Male.

[Hanz Medina]

Any good supplier for this??

[RHM]

Just be careful with this and other essential oils identified as hazardous. Google "wormwood cautions" & see what you find. Same with mugwort, wintergreen & others.

From www.drugs.com

"Contraindications
Avoid use with hypersensitivity to any of the components of wormwood, particularly the essential oil. It may be contraindicated in patients with an underlying defect with hepatic heme synthesis (thujone is a porphyrogenic terpenoid).
Pregnancy/Lactation
Documented abortifacient and emmenagogue effects. Avoid use.
Wormwood Interactions
None well documented.
Wormwood Adverse Reactions
Thujone produces a state of excitement and is a powerful convulsant. Ingestion of wormwood may result in absinthism, a syndrome characterized by digestive disorders, thirst, restlessness, vertigo, trembling of the limbs, numbness of the extremities, loss of intellect, delirium, paralysis, and death.
Toxicology
Wormwood is classified as an unsafe herb by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of the neurotoxic potential of thujone and its derivatives. The safety of wormwood is poorly documented despite its long history as a food additive. Convulsions, dermatitis, and renal failure have been documented."

[Chris Bartlett]

Exactly, artemisia does not smell like licorice or anise at all, it is a dry, bitter, kinda pungent smell and actually is one of my favorite notes.

It can be found in almost all the "powerhouse" fragrances of the 80's like Drakkar Noir, Lapidus pH, Sung Homme, Quorum, Tsar, Giorgio, Polo (green), Witness, Kouros, Aramis, Gucci pH, Jazz, etc, etc..., but in some modern perfumes too like Le Male.

I'm working on building a fragrance of my own around Artemisia absinthium, which I used to grow in my garden and recently obtained some of the essential oil to experiment with: the oil is a lovely turquoise blue colour and smells fantastic - certainly not anisic - it is rather like a heady, woody kind of chamomile and very dry. I love it but am a bit concerned the resulting fragrance might not be safe to wear whilst driving if I use much of it!

[Chris Bartlett]

Any good supplier for this??

I got mine from Hermitage Oils who ship worldwide.

[hednic]

This is a difficult note for me. Most of the scents that are comprised of it don't do much for me. I did have a bottle of Slatkin's Black Fig and Absinthe at one point - the dry down well into the application was really quite nice, but the rest of it was sort of meh.

Have you tried Absolument Abisinthe by Parfums Interdit