SMELLBOOK REFERENCE · SB-0048
Peppermint
Permanent ID: smellbook: · updated 2026-10-14, revision 4
Character EDITORIAL
Peppermint smells very cool, sharp and fresh, with a piercing, almost icy brightness that clears the nose quickly.
Words: minty, cool, sharp, fresh. Families: Temperature and texture, Fresh and clean.
Met in: Garden.
Evidence
Scientific evidence
- Menthol and isomenthone in peppermint oil (CLM-PEPPERMINT-001). Imaël Henri Nestor Bassolé et al., Composition and Antimicrobial Activities of Lippia multiflora Moldenke, Mentha x piperita L. and Ocimum basilicum L. Essential Oils and Their Major Monoterpene Alcohols Alone and in Combination, Molecules, 2010.
- How five mint species differ in aroma (CLM-MINT-002). Jiguang Zhang et al., Comparative investigation on aroma profiles of five different mint (Mentha) species using a combined sensory, spectroscopic and chemometric study, Food Chemistry, 2022.
- Potent odorants of peppermint oil (CLM-PEPPERMINT-002). Elena Gabetti et al., Chemical fingerprinting strategies based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry to capture the unique signature of Piemonte peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita var Italo-Mitcham), Journal of Chromatography A, 2021.
Molecules named in these claims: menthol, 1,8-cineole, menthone. A molecule listed here is named in a VERIFIED claim about this smell. It is not presented as the cause of the smell; each claim says what its source supports.
Cite
SmellBook. (2026). Peppermint (revision 4, 2026-10-14). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:peppermint. https://smellbook.com/smells/peppermint
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