Corsican Mint

Mentha requienii takes its name from the 19th-century botanist and chemist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, who formally classified the species in honor of his colleague Esprit Requien. The plant has deep roots in Corsican folk tradition, where locals used it to flavor liqueurs and herbal teas long before it caught the attention of professional perfumers. Corsican perfumers began incorporating the oil in the mid-20th century as a natural way to introduce bright, green mint top notes without relying on synthetic menthol. The island's rugged interior, where humidity collects between granite boulders, provides the exact microclimate this delicate species requires to thrive. Today, the plant remains a marker of Corsican botanical identity, featured in only a handful of luxury fragrances each year.