Blackcurrant bud: the green, bitter note of the cassis bush

Where does blackcurrant bud come from?

The blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, is a deciduous shrub native to temperate central and northern Europe and northern Asia, grown mostly for its berries. Its buds are the perfumer's part: back in the 1950s, buds covered in essence glands were already collected for an oil very rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons. As the botanical profile of the blackcurrant notes, the unopened buds are distilled for an essential oil used in perfumery. In France, the 'Noir de Bourgogne' variety is the one most grown for perfume buds, and Grasse perfumers took a close interest in them from the 1970s.

What does blackcurrant bud smell like?

The oil has a fruity, terpenic aroma, described in the same profile as "terpenic, nutmeg, neroli, basil, marjoram". French sources add a herbaceous, bitter note and a fixative effect that helps a perfume last on skin. Crush a blackcurrant leaf between your fingers and the resin glands under it release the familiar cassis smell straight away.

Why is blackcurrant an exception among fruits?

Most fruits disappoint perfumers. The overview of perfume materials explains that apples, strawberries or cherries rarely yield the expected odours when extracted, so fruit notes in a perfume are usually synthetic. Blackcurrant is one of the noted exceptions, through its leaf, and its buds give perfumers a second natural route to the scent of cassis.

What does blackcurrant bud do in a fragrance?

Blackcurrant bud is one of the notes of the florals family. It turns up in fresh colognes and in men's fragrances with a conifer feel, next to pine and fir, and its descriptors echo neroli and basil. The buds are an expensive material, kept mostly for luxury perfumery. The Class on how fragrance is extracted explains distillation.