Buyer's Guide · Isovaleric Acid
Why Does Valerian Root Smell Like That?
Old socks, forgotten cheese, something behind the radiator. It is isovaleric acid — the same compound found in ripe cheese and foot odour — and the acid is actually named after the plant, not the other way round.
We cover why dried root smells worse than fresh, why a 20:1 extract smells sharper again, why your cat has opinions about it, and the one thing the smell genuinely tells you when you are buying.

