Tomato Leaf - Solanum lycopersicum
Inspired by wild herbs and the vegetables grown in gardens, Jean-Claude Ellena’s first year as a perfumer debuted with a bang by introducing the Tomato Leaf to fine fragrance with Eau de Champagne in 1976. A fragrance and note that would go on to later influence his Jardin collection. But what took so long? Well, for that, there’s a lot to unpack.
Early indigenous peoples from modern-day Mexico to South America started harvesting tomatoes around 7,000 years ago. When Spanish conquistadors first landed on the shores of Mesoamerica, they relied heavily on their sense of smell to help identify poisonous flora. When one brushes against the foliage of tomato vines, the tiny hairs on the leaves, stems, and green fruit (called glandular trichomes) burst, releasing their strong odor. To a 16th-century buccaneer, this “fetid odour” signaled poison and was blamed for “bringing about eye diseases and headaches.” They sure did like the fruit though. So they brought it back to Europe, and where would spaghetti be without it?
The shift in its scent sapience occurred in the late 19th century as the Yankees of New York City found new access through commercial canning and farming, pioneered by a little soup company called Campbell’s. The aroma quickly faded from an association with poisonous tropical plants to that of greenhouses and gardens. Then, in 1971, 2-Isobutylthiazole was identified as the key aroma molecule in its scent. Detectable as low as 2 parts per billion, it’s one of the most distinguishable “green” notes in nature.
This is when perfumery changed forever.
The essence of tomato leaf cannot be safely extracted through standard processes, as the compounds are too delicate, and unwanted byproducts are too common. So the synthesis of 2-Isobutylthiazole was a huge leap for the perfume and flavor industry. And while Ellena used it to great success in Eau de Champagne, and others like Paris Rebel Rouge et Or tried it, it wasn’t until almost 50 years later that the ‘Tomato-girl-summer’ hit in 2023. Tomato leaf candles started the campaign, followed by fine fragrances such as In The Garden and Pluck!
You can now find perfumers’ takes on the accord everywhere in green garden compositions. Here’s the blueprint nature made for it.
