Tobacco

Tobacco is a product made from the dried leaves of common tobacco plants. Tobacco originated in Central America, and the habit of smoking this plant dates back at least 3,000 years. Tobacco was then called petum, and it was either chewed, snuffed (inhaled through the nose), or smoked using a pipe called the peace pipe. It was in 1492 that tobacco arrived in Europe, through Christopher Columbus. In perfumery, tobacco absolute is obtained by volatile solvent extraction from the different varieties of tobacco. Today, because of nicotine, the use of tobacco absolute is limited.

Tobacco, highly aromatic effluvia

Tobacco has rich and varied aromas. Tobacco currently enhances numerous perfumes. Aromatic strength is the main characteristic of tobacco notes, found in different olfactory families such as woody or fougère. Tobacco also offers other notes such as honey, almond, wax or even leather. Mainly present in men's perfumes, tobacco brings a certain elegance to compositions. It nonetheless enhances a few women's perfumes, to their great delight… To avoid using nicotine as in tobacco absolute, some perfumers have managed to recreate the same olfactory notes using coumarin or tonka bean. The use of tobacco in perfumery has produced some very beautiful perfumes, such as Belle d'Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, a thoroughly feminine oriental perfume of unsuspected elegance.

The pairing of tobacco with other olfactory families in perfumery

The aromatic strength of tobacco blends perfectly well with other fragrances. It integrates wonderfully into woody, fougère, chypre or oriental perfumes. It will therefore naturally be found in a woody men's perfume, such as Gucci by Gucci pour homme by Gucci. Here the modern man is adorned with fresh and floral notes. Leathery, woody and amber effluvia finally come to warm the sillage that the perfume leaves on skin. Full of surprises, tobacco makes its way into astonishing yet admirable compositions, such as Lueur d'Issey homme by Issey Miyake. Freshness and nature meet here in a blend of spices and aromatics. This gives a tonic, sensual perfume, as masculine as can be. Tobacco can also be found accompanied by flowers, wood or leather, as in the Yves Saint-Laurent perfume Noble leather...

Everyone knows tobacco. Its cultivation has existed for a very long time. In perfumery, tobacco absolute is used, but it is also possible to use notes such as coumarin or tonka bean. Tobacco offers compositions its particularly rich aromas. It also has an incomparable aromatic strength, which accounts for its presence in numerous men's perfumes. Thanks to its various facets, tobacco blends very easily with woody, chypre, oriental, floral, fruity, citrus or even aromatic notes. Tobacco turns out to be, in perfumery, a true Ali Baba's cave.