WORMWOOD

Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, brings a pronounced herbal-green character to perfumery. Its scent can feel sharp and bitter, with warmer herbal sweetness and a dry woody aspect underneath. That contrast distinguishes it from a simple fresh-leaf impression: it has a more insistent, aromatic edge. Despite its English name, wormwood is a herb rather than a perfumery wood.

An essential oil is obtained by distilling the plant, although a listed wormwood note does not prove that this natural oil appears in the finished fragrance. It can sharpen an aromatic composition or cut across sweeter notes. The plant is associated with absinthe, but the note need not reproduce the complete drink or its anise-led character. How bitter, sweet or prominent it feels depends on the material and the surrounding formula.