Clove

What it is

Clove is the dried aromatic unopened flower bud of Syzygium aromaticum. Kew records the species as native to the Maluku Islands and notes its long importance in the spice trade.

Several parts of the tree are aromatic, but bud, leaf and stem oils are not identical perfumery materials.

What to notice

Clove can suggest:

• hot sweet spice
• medicinal warmth
• dark wood
• dry fruit
• phenolic sharpness
• a slightly smoky or leathery depth

Kew identifies eugenol as the most significant volatile oil constituent of clove and notes that it can form a very large proportion of the oil.

Bud oil versus leaf oil

Clove bud oil, leaf oil and stem oil differ in composition and balance. Bud oil is the most intuitive reference for the familiar culinary clove smell.

When the source identifies which clove oil is being used, that detail should be retained.

Eugenol is broader than clove

Eugenol also occurs in other aromatic plants. A fragrance with an eugenol-rich spicy effect can therefore smell clove-like without containing clove bud oil itself.