What Does Rhubarb Smell Like in Perfume?
By Emmanuelle Moeglin, Founder & Perfumer
It is also a note no one can extract. Every rhubarb you smell in a fragrance has been rebuilt in the lab from molecules. Here is what rhubarb smells like, how perfumers recreate it, and why it is such a good partner for rose.
In this article
Rhubarb and a pale pink flower: the pairing behind Rose Rhubarb.
01
What does rhubarb smell like?
Snap a raw stalk in half and the first impression is sour: sharp, tangy, almost jaw-tightening. Right behind it comes green, the watery, crushed-stem freshness of the plant itself. Then a juicy fruitiness opens up, closer to red berries and blackcurrant than to anything sweet. Underneath there is a faint earthy, rooty side that keeps it grounded.
Perfumers often call rhubarb a pink note. Part of that is the colour of the stalks, which comes from anthocyanins, the same pigments that colour red berries. But it is also how it feels on the nose: bright, tart and playful rather than heavy or sugary.
Mellow · Essential
Rose Rhubarb
Moroccan rose absolute, rhubarb, blackcurrant leaf and peony.
02
Is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?
Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable. The part we eat is the leaf stalk of Rheum, a plant from the same family as sorrel and buckwheat. In the kitchen, though, it is treated as a fruit and baked into tarts, pies and crumbles for a touch of zing. Its sourness comes mainly from malic and oxalic acids. The large triangular leaves are never eaten: they are high in oxalic acid and poisonous, so only the stalk is used.
In Britain, rhubarb tastes of childhood, thanks to the much-loved rhubarb and custard sweets. In parts of Asia it is better known for its root, used for centuries in traditional medicine.
Forced rhubarb: slender stalks grown in the dark.
The pinkest stalks of all come from Yorkshire. In the Rhubarb Triangle, between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, rhubarb is forced in dark sheds from late January to March and picked by candlelight. Grown without light, the stalks come up slender, tender and vivid pink. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has held Protected Designation of Origin status since 2010.
03
Can you extract the scent of rhubarb?
No. Like most fruits and vegetables, rhubarb gives up no usable oil or absolute, so its scent cannot be extracted naturally. It is the same challenge perfumers face with almost every fruity note: the smell has to be reconstructed.
A perfumer has three routes. You can build a rhubarb accord from scratch, combining sour, green and fruity materials until the stalk appears. You can use a ready-made rhubarb base, a small composition designed by a fragrance house. Or you can work with the molecules that carry a rhubarb effect on their own, which most rhubarb notes rely on in some form.
Weighing materials by hand in our lab.
04
Which molecules smell like rhubarb?
A handful of materials give perfumers the rhubarb effect, each from a different angle:
Styrallyl acetate is green, fruity and floral, with a tart, rhubarb-like edge. Perfumers have long used it in gardenia accords too.
Rhubofix, from Firmenich (now dsm-firmenich), is woody and spicy with a zesty freshness and a green rhubarb effect. Chemically it is an oxirane, an epoxide.
Rhuboflor, also from Firmenich, is a rhubarb pyran: powerful, green, berry-fruity and herbal, with an earthy, rooty side.
Rhubafuran gives an intense, tangy rhubarb with a green, almost eucalyptus heart and a grapefruit-like brightness, which makes it a natural fit for citrus accords.
Cis-3-hexenol, the leaf alcohol, smells of freshly cut grass. A touch brings the snap of a broken stem, one of the core green notes in perfumery.
In practice, a convincing rhubarb combines two or three of these with a citrus top such as grapefruit and a hint of blackcurrant. Push the green and sour side and you get the raw stalk; push the fruit and you get stewed rhubarb, softer and rounder.
05
What does rhubarb pair well with in perfume?
Rhubarb is an underrated note, which is surprising, because it gets on with so much. Each partner pulls out a different facet. Florals bring out its fruitiness. Green notes heighten its verdant, stem-like side. Citrus brings out the tingly sharpness most people associate with it.
Its best match is rose. Rose already carries fruity, citrusy and spicy facets of its own, and rhubarb cuts through the honeyed, jammy depth of a rose absolute. The result is a rose that feels fresh, tart and modern rather than powdery.
Rosa damascena, rhubarb's best match.
06
Rose Rhubarb: rhubarb at Experimental Perfume Club
That contrast is the idea behind Rose Rhubarb, one of our Mellow Essentials. It opens on the sharp green sourness of snapped rhubarb and blackcurrant leaf. Then a generous dose of Moroccan rose absolute arrives, rich and jammy, with peony for dewy transparency. It wears bright and a little unruly, then softens on skin, rounder and warmer.
Rose Rhubarb is made for blending. Pair it with Fig Neroli for a greener, crisper garden, or with Sandalwood Musk to round its tartness into soft, skin-close warmth (our guide on how to blend a fragrance shows you how). To compose your own fresh, floral blend from scratch, start with Creation Set Garden.
Blend at home
Creation Set Garden
Fresh, floral materials to blend at home.
Three Essentials, one Blend
Blend · Cardamom Moss + Rose Rhubarb + Sandalwood Musk
Soleil d'Hiver
Cardamom, pink peppercorn, Moroccan rose and oolong tea.
Behind the formula
Rhubarb materials shout on a blotter and can turn harsh when overdosed, so I always judge a rhubarb accord on skin and over several hours, not only in the first minutes. What I want is the snap of the stalk at the top and a juicy, pink softness that stays once the sourness fades.
07
Rhubarb at a glance
| Facet | What you smell | How perfumers build it |
|---|---|---|
| Sour, tangy | The sharp snap of a raw stalk | Rhubafuran, Rhubofix, grapefruit |
| Green | Crushed stem and leaf | Cis-3-hexenol, styrallyl acetate |
| Fruity | Juicy red berry, blackcurrant | Rhuboflor, blackcurrant notes |
| Earthy, woody | A faint rooty depth | Rhuboflor, Rhubofix |
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Questions
Frequently asked questions about rhubarb in perfume
What does rhubarb smell like in perfume?
Tart, green and crisp, with a juicy, slightly sour fruitiness and a faint earthy depth. It feels bright and mouth-watering, which is why perfumers often describe it as a pink note.
Is rhubarb a natural ingredient in perfume?
No. Rhubarb cannot be extracted, so perfumers recreate it with molecules and accords.
Which molecules smell like rhubarb?
Styrallyl acetate, Rhubofix, Rhuboflor and Rhubafuran all carry a rhubarb effect, usually supported by green cis-3-hexenol and a citrus such as grapefruit.
What does rhubarb pair well with?
Rose above all, plus other florals, green notes, citrus and blackcurrant. Each partner brings out a different facet: fruit, green or sparkle.
Is rhubarb a top note?
Mostly. Its tart sparkle is strongest in the opening, then a softer green-fruity trace carries into the heart. Read more about top, middle and base notes.
Where can I smell rhubarb at EPC?
In our Rose Rhubarb Essential, worn alone or blended with other Essentials.
About the author
Emmanuelle Moeglin
Founder and perfumer of Experimental Perfume Club. Classically trained at ISIPCA, with 20 years in the fragrance industry, she is a member of the French Society of Perfumers, a multi-award-winning creator and a public speaker. She designs the house's blends and teaches perfumery from our central London lab.
The Art of Blending
Explore all nine Essentials, find out more about our Creation Sets, or learn to build accords like rhubarb in our Fundamentals of Perfume Creation online programme.
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