Pennyroyal EO

Latin name :

Mentha pulegium

Botanical profile :

Mint is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and the genus Mentha.

Geographic origin :

Native to Europe, Northern Africa and temperate Asia, this plant is still cultivated there for perfumery.

Chemotypes :

There are more than 30 varieties of mint, all of which grow in the temperate and subtropical regions of the globe.
In perfumery, it is possible to find several of these varieties that can be grouped according to their major components:
The Carvone mints: Spearmint EO (Mentha spicata), horse mint EO (Mentha longifolia).
The Menthol mints: Peppermint EO (Mentha piperita), Corn Mint EO (Mentha arvensis).
The Pulegone mints: Pennyroyal EO (Mentha pulegium).
The Linalool mints: Bergamot Mint EO (Mentha citrata), also called ''Eau de cologne mint ''.

Pennyroyal has two major chemotypes: one contains 75 to 95% Pulegone, the other contains 50% Pulegone and 45% Menthone®. Pennyroyal has a very fresh and sulfuric smell, due to the presence of Pulégone in its composition. It has olfactory similarities with Buchu EO, which is less camphorated. Mint is one of the easiest plants to hybridize: you only need to plant two mint plants side by side to see a new variety appear.

Extraction process :

Mint gets its essential oil from its leaves. The mint fields contain thousands of plants, which can also be experimented with, by crossing two species of mint to easily obtain a new one. Before cultivation, strong drainage is necessary, under sunny weather. During cultivation, it is usually possible to harvest two crops from each plant. The plants are mowed just before flowering and then dried for 2 to 4 hours. The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation for about 2 hours. It is recovered at the outlet of the condenser by decanting in a florentine flask.

Major Components :

Pulegone (55-95%)
Menthone® (1,5-30%)
Isomenthone (5-20%)
3-Octanol (≈2%)