To the 19th-century ear, Extrait de Gaulthéria would have evoked the allure of the exotic New World—wild, untamed landscapes of evergreen forests, snow, and crisp mountain air. The very sound of the name—soft, lyrical, and faintly botanical—carries a sense of freshness and purity. At a time when travel and global exploration were romantic ideals, Guerlain’s choice of a North American plant spoke to the fascination with faraway natural wonders. The oil of wintergreen, rich in methyl salicylate, was treasured for its sharp, minty-sweet aroma, reminiscent of crushed leaves, cool air, and polished wood. In perfumery, this note would have conveyed clarity and vitality—an invigorating freshness quite distinct from the heavy, musky compositions that often dominated early 19th-century perfumery.
When Guerlain introduced Extrait de Gaulthéria, France was in the midst of the July Monarchy (1830–1848)—an era of urban elegance and growing prosperity among the bourgeoisie. Parisian women of fashion were embracing lighter fabrics, high-waisted gowns, and bonnets adorned with ribbons and feathers. Personal grooming and scent had become essential elements of refinement; perfumed waters, vinegars, and extracts were as vital as jewelry or gloves. To such women, Extrait de Gaulthéria would have felt delightfully modern—crisp, hygienic, and a touch daring, given its herbal character and unusual origin. Its cooling, refreshing nature also suited the Victorian fascination with health and purity, ideals mirrored in Guerlain’s early “toilet waters” and functional fragrances designed to soothe, invigorate, or cleanse.
In scent, Extrait de Gaulthéria would have opened with an unmistakable brightness—an aromatic chill like the first breath of winter. The dominant note, wintergreen, blends a medicinal sharpness with a sweet balsamic undertone, both cooling and comforting at once. Beneath this invigorating top note, hints of soft floral and oriental elements likely unfolded—perhaps a bouquet of delicate white flowers sweetened with vanilla or benzoin, lending warmth to balance the crisp herbal edge. This duality—fresh yet sensuous—captured Guerlain’s emerging genius for contrast, a balance between refinement and sensual pleasure that would define his later masterpieces.
In the context of its time, Extrait de Gaulthéria stood at the intersection of fashion and function. Many perfumers of the 1840s created wintergreen-based preparations—often as scented waters, liniments, or aromatic extracts—but Guerlain’s interpretation elevated it to the realm of art. Where others offered simple medicinal or hygienic products, Guerlain transformed the raw material into a refined floral oriental fragrance, suitable for a lady’s dressing table as much as her toilette. It reflected his ability to blend practicality with poetry—turning a familiar botanical essence into an object of beauty, luxury, and emotion.
To wear Extrait de Gaulthéria in 1843 would have been to surround oneself with the scent of polished freshness, as though nature’s own clarity had been distilled into a bottle. It was both a whisper of the forests of the New World and a reflection of the new sophistication of modern Paris—a fragrance that embodied Guerlain’s earliest understanding of what perfume could be: a bridge between the natural and the sublime.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? Extrait de Gaultheria is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women.
Extrait de Gaulthéria opens with a sensation as bracing and clear as breathing in the mountain air after a snowfall. The first impression is dominated by wintergreen, distilled from Gaultheria procumbens—a small evergreen shrub native to the cool forests of North America. Its essential oil, rich in methyl salicylate, imparts a penetrating, minty sweetness that immediately awakens the senses. The note is cool yet comforting, like crushed leaves underfoot on a crisp morning. There is a faint medicinal edge to its freshness—clean, camphorous, and alive—balanced by a subtle sweetness that softens the austerity of its bite. This is not merely freshness for its own sake; it carries a silken depth, the green echo of the forest’s heart, enlivening the composition with both purity and character.
Intertwined with this cooling note comes cassie, the golden blossom of Acacia farnesiana, often sourced from the south of France. Its scent—powdery, honeyed, and softly animalic—wraps around the sharpness of wintergreen like sunlight filtering through frost. The presence of benzyl alcohol and anisic aldehyde within cassie gives it its distinctive warmth and gentle spiciness, bridging the green sharpness of the opening to the floral heart that follows. Alongside, a thread of lavender unfurls—an aromatic breath from Provence, crisp and herbaceous, its linalool and linalyl acetate molecules adding a round, soapy elegance. Together, these top notes form a vivid contrast: wintergreen’s crystalline chill tempered by the tender warmth of cassie and lavender’s aromatic poise.
As the fragrance settles, the heart blooms with grace and sensuality. A velvety rose note emerges—perhaps the lush centifolia from Grasse or the damask rose from Bulgaria—rich in citronellol and geraniol, both of which lend their natural sweetness and faint lemony glow. The rose seems to pulse with life, its dewy freshness melding with a powdery warmth that speaks of timeless femininity. Orange blossom, distilled from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, brings a luminous radiance to the blend. Originating from Tunisia or Morocco, this ingredient adds a creamy floralcy laced with linalool and nerolidol, molecules that lend transparency and a soft green sparkle. A trace of synthetic enhancement—perhaps a whisper of aldehydic orange blossom or modern musks—would subtly lift these natural florals, ensuring their radiance lingers far longer than nature alone could allow.
As the perfume deepens, the base unfolds with quiet opulence. The presence of ambergris—that rare, ocean-born treasure—introduces a salty, animalic warmth that softens the sharper edges of the top and heart. Its natural compound ambroxan, replicated synthetically in modern perfumery, extends its radiance, diffusing the scent like soft light through silk. Vetiver, likely from Haiti, adds its distinctive earthy-woody tone—rooty, slightly smoky, with hints of damp soil and green freshness. Its molecular components—vetiverol, vetiveryl acetate, and khusimol—create a dry, sensual foundation that balances the sweetness above. Finally, vanilla completes the perfume’s transformation. Whether derived from Madagascar pods or tinctured in alcohol as was traditional in the 19th century, it lends a smooth, balsamic warmth, rich in vanillin and coumarinic undertones. Its soft sweetness wraps around the other ingredients like velvet, ensuring the perfume finishes not with sharpness, but with a lingering, gentle caress.
In its full evolution, Extrait de Gaulthéria moves from the cool clarity of forest air to the warmth of skin and sun—a journey from brightness to intimacy. It is both invigorating and comforting, alive with contrast: the chill of mint and the heat of spice, the innocence of flowers and the sensuality of amber and vanilla. Smelling it feels like stepping from the wintry woods into the welcoming glow of a fireside salon, a reflection of 19th-century elegance itself—poised between nature and refinement, science and romance.
- Top notes: wintergreen, cassie, lavender
- Middle notes: rose, orange blossom
- Base notes: ambergris, vetiver, vanilla
Scent Profile:
Extrait de Gaulthéria opens with a sensation as bracing and clear as breathing in the mountain air after a snowfall. The first impression is dominated by wintergreen, distilled from Gaultheria procumbens—a small evergreen shrub native to the cool forests of North America. Its essential oil, rich in methyl salicylate, imparts a penetrating, minty sweetness that immediately awakens the senses. The note is cool yet comforting, like crushed leaves underfoot on a crisp morning. There is a faint medicinal edge to its freshness—clean, camphorous, and alive—balanced by a subtle sweetness that softens the austerity of its bite. This is not merely freshness for its own sake; it carries a silken depth, the green echo of the forest’s heart, enlivening the composition with both purity and character.
Intertwined with this cooling note comes cassie, the golden blossom of Acacia farnesiana, often sourced from the south of France. Its scent—powdery, honeyed, and softly animalic—wraps around the sharpness of wintergreen like sunlight filtering through frost. The presence of benzyl alcohol and anisic aldehyde within cassie gives it its distinctive warmth and gentle spiciness, bridging the green sharpness of the opening to the floral heart that follows. Alongside, a thread of lavender unfurls—an aromatic breath from Provence, crisp and herbaceous, its linalool and linalyl acetate molecules adding a round, soapy elegance. Together, these top notes form a vivid contrast: wintergreen’s crystalline chill tempered by the tender warmth of cassie and lavender’s aromatic poise.
As the fragrance settles, the heart blooms with grace and sensuality. A velvety rose note emerges—perhaps the lush centifolia from Grasse or the damask rose from Bulgaria—rich in citronellol and geraniol, both of which lend their natural sweetness and faint lemony glow. The rose seems to pulse with life, its dewy freshness melding with a powdery warmth that speaks of timeless femininity. Orange blossom, distilled from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, brings a luminous radiance to the blend. Originating from Tunisia or Morocco, this ingredient adds a creamy floralcy laced with linalool and nerolidol, molecules that lend transparency and a soft green sparkle. A trace of synthetic enhancement—perhaps a whisper of aldehydic orange blossom or modern musks—would subtly lift these natural florals, ensuring their radiance lingers far longer than nature alone could allow.
As the perfume deepens, the base unfolds with quiet opulence. The presence of ambergris—that rare, ocean-born treasure—introduces a salty, animalic warmth that softens the sharper edges of the top and heart. Its natural compound ambroxan, replicated synthetically in modern perfumery, extends its radiance, diffusing the scent like soft light through silk. Vetiver, likely from Haiti, adds its distinctive earthy-woody tone—rooty, slightly smoky, with hints of damp soil and green freshness. Its molecular components—vetiverol, vetiveryl acetate, and khusimol—create a dry, sensual foundation that balances the sweetness above. Finally, vanilla completes the perfume’s transformation. Whether derived from Madagascar pods or tinctured in alcohol as was traditional in the 19th century, it lends a smooth, balsamic warmth, rich in vanillin and coumarinic undertones. Its soft sweetness wraps around the other ingredients like velvet, ensuring the perfume finishes not with sharpness, but with a lingering, gentle caress.
In its full evolution, Extrait de Gaulthéria moves from the cool clarity of forest air to the warmth of skin and sun—a journey from brightness to intimacy. It is both invigorating and comforting, alive with contrast: the chill of mint and the heat of spice, the innocence of flowers and the sensuality of amber and vanilla. Smelling it feels like stepping from the wintry woods into the welcoming glow of a fireside salon, a reflection of 19th-century elegance itself—poised between nature and refinement, science and romance.
Bottles:
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown.
