Thierry Mugler Alien Liqueur de Parfum. Ah, sweet violets. Ambrette seeds are probably one of my preferred ingredients because of their soft animalic character, and warm nutty milk undertones. Herms 24 Faubourg The hairy-skinned green or red fruit add a tart, prettily fruity edge to fragrances mostly fruity-florals. After those rhizomes have aged, theyre powdered and then steam-distilled, producing orris oil, which solidifies into something known as orris butter (or orris concrete), because of its oily, yellow texture and appearance. It is the most natural musk sensuality," says perfumer Pascal Gaurin. ), The supposed Greek legend linked with the flower is well-known: Narcissus was a handsome youth who fell in love with his own reflection, on seeing it in a pool. Beeswax also works brilliantly as a fixative, helping to anchor will-o-the-wisp, volatile notes. Different ionones have subtly different characters, though, ranging from soft violets in full bloom through the iris/earthy/woodsiness of an ionone variation by the name of methyl ionone. Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial (Though it was probably LArtisan Parfumeur Vanilia in which caramel made its sugary debut.) Guerlain Elixir Charnel Gourmand Coquin "Oud or agarwood has been revered in Asian, Arabic, and North African cultures for millennia," says Illolahia. Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl. Ylang ylang famously clambers round the heart of some of the most beloved fragrances in the world, including the best-known of all: Chanel No. Its long been considered to have aphrodisiac properties, when eaten though if spicy scents turn you on, maybe when dabbed onto pulse-points, too. Vera Wang Princess Night. Do you love licorice? Come Tudor times, quilted jackets and caps were stuffed with lavender. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumire Noire Pour Femme 'The happiness of that afternoon was already fixed in her mind, and always would the scent of freesia return it to her mental sight, for among the roses and violets and lilies and wall-lowers, the smell of freesia penetrated, as a melody stands out from its accompaniment, and gave her the most pleasure.' Christian Dior Miss DiorCherie LEau Armani Acqua di Gio C13? Were generally not so familiar with the flowers which arent any help to perfumers at all but arent they gorgeous? Belladonna gets its name from the Italian, belle donna (beautiful woman): when consumed in small quantities, it opens the pupils, enhancing a womans attractiveness, and it has a long tradition of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and recreational hallucinogen (in small doses). (This note is also sometimes called American balsam, or even opobalsam.) Katy Perry Meow Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood That could be heliotrope, too. Gucci Envy Me Serge Lutens Daim Blonde At one bacchanale, the Emperor Nero, clearly no tightwad, had silver pipes installed so guests could be spritzed with rosewater between courses. Givenchy Amarige Lemons and flowers are a perfect marriage, in perfumery. Pepper, is metallic and spiky, sharp. Intensely green green as spring itself the smell of hyacinth develops as the flower blooms. (Other orchids - obviously not used in perfumery - can stink of rotten meat, or faeces. (Those seeds are also chewed, in countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, to freshen the breath.). Miller Harris La Pluie (Not to be confused, incidentally, with the type of verbena grown in Britain, which has no value in perfumery. Thierry Mugler Angel, There are good pine smells, and horrid pine smells and if youve ever sat in the back of a taxi with one of those Christmas tree-scented cards dangling from the rear-view mirror, youll probably get where were coming from. Taylor Swift Wonderstruck. All refer to small herb, which somehow manages to thrive in the most inhospitable, rocky, sun-baked zones in southern Europe. Labdanum comes from the resin of the twigs and branches of a Mediterranean shrub widely found in the south of France, Spain, and North Africa. Goutal Paris Rose Absolue Thus, it can be combined with all sorts of other notes: Think flowers, roses. (And thatll surely open up your air passages.) (Close your eyes, bite a blueberry open and inhale before popping one in your mouth, next time. Derived froma plant native to Brazil, tonka bean has an aroma of vanilla, but with strong hints of cinnamon, cloves, and almonds. (And we just love the way that perfumers rise to challenges like this), PS Oakmoss has a near-relation, known as tree moss - Evernia Furfuracea - which grows on pine trees, has a turpentine-y scent before its blended, and is also very highly-prized among perfumers. Byredo Pulp Or do you get a whiff of almond? LArtisan ParfumeurPremier Figuier According to the Australian Orchid Society, "Old Totonac lore has it that Xanat, the young daughter of the Mexican fertility goddess, loved a Totonac youth. Woods of Windsor Lily of the Valley Thats because the orris from the rhizomes, or bulbs of the iris plant are odourless when harvested, and take three or four years to mature. Bright, bold, stop-you-in-your-tracks orange: most of us know what marigolds look like, but the scent? The scent can also be extracted from the so-pretty bunched variety Narcissus tazetta is native to southern Europe and now also grown widely across Asia, the Middle East, north Africa, northern India, China and Japan. Grossmith Phul-Nana "It has a light green aroma. Often, only the lightest touch of orris is needed in fragrances but noses wouldnt be without it, for the world. (It helps to repel insects even though bees love it, on the plant.) Herms Osmanthe Yunnan Comme des Garons Odeur 53 it actually stops minor wounds bleeding.) Van Cleef & ArpelsFirst. "It was used for the first time in 1966 in iconic fragrance, Eau Sauvage by Parfums Christian Dior," says Huclier. Guerlain Eau de Lit Some hay fever sufferers, maybe but most of us just love the fresh, green scent of grass. The task of the rose-picker is to pick the dew-drenched blooms before 10 a.m. at the latest, when the sun evaporates their exquisite magic. That translates as having an overripe character. When you read the note incense in a fragrance, if often means frankincense. Yves Saint LaurentLa Collection Nu. It's okay if the answer is "not well at all." Asafoetida comes from the dried taproot of Ferula asafoetida note the word foetid in the name, because it really does honk: strong and sulphurous, its known variously as devils dung, stinking dung, or (charmingly) in French, merde de diable (devils poo). Geraniol Common in Lacoste Pour Femme Britney Spears Fantasy Dior Hypnotic Poison It has an animalic quality, and is warm, a little powdery and decidedly erotic. ), The seeds left behind when the pretty yellow umbelliferous (umbrella-like) flowers have faded are used in steam-distillation of the fennel essential oil. Carthusia Numero Uno (No surprise that in aromatherapy, bergamot is actually used to treat depression) For perfumers, its invaluable for helping to blend notes into a single bouquet, and fix them there. ChloEau de Parfum Once upon a time, jasmines scent was extracted through a process called enfleurage: the flowers were pressed into layers of fat, and gradually the scent migrated to the fat, from which it could be extracted. Sisley Eau de Campagne. Fragonard Mimosa It produces an essential oil thats reminiscent of jasmine, though a little woodier, a touch spicier and more herbal. Its been around for thousands of years: archaeologists found Roman licorice along Hadrians Wall, and it was also uncovered in the pyramids. Musk produced by a gland at the base of the African civet cat's tail, pure civet is said to have a strong, unpleasant odor, but in small quantities, it is often used to add depth and warmth to a fragrance. You can enjoy it in colognes, Ambres chypres, as well as petal-perfect florals. The dried leaves sweet-smelling, a touch earthy and hay-like are solvent extracted from the plant. Kiwi fruit themselves grow on woody vines which produce incredibly dull-looking fruit (greenish-brown, fuzzy) but slice them open and the luscious green flesh (with its corona of black, edible seeds) is revealed. And at the same time, a wide range of synthetic sandalwood-like ingredients are now used in place of this at-risk wood, to give that smooth milkiness. "Sandalwood is an extraordinary wood with a deliciously creamy, milky scent, almost buttery, with the strength of a vertical and dense wood," says Michalon-Bertier. A gum resin from a tree found in Arabia and Eastern Africa and also known as olibanum, frankincense is one of the oldest materials used for fragrance in recorded history. Guerlain Myrre et Dlires (Though it can help to accent other herbal elements of a composition. (Gloves and perfumery are inextricably linked, which you can read about in our Perfume History section, here.) ), Happily, ionones recreate the scent of Parma violets almost perfectly. Different basils have different fragrance qualities: it can be lemony, or tarragon-like, or well, just plain basil-y. Guerlain Samsara Cartier Dlices Just like daisies, the yellow flowers open at daybreak, and bed down for the night. It also gives hints of tea alongside the soft powderiness. 5 When the trees are infected with a type of fungus, a black resin is produced in the heartwood. ", A heavy, full-bodied, powdery, warm fragrance note, amber oil comes from the Baltic amber tree. Santalum album isnt actually a tree but a parasitic plant which grows by suckering itself to the roots of other trees, and slowly growing as high as 10 metres. Dolce & GabbanaThe One for Men Today, iris plants happily grow everywhere from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and north Africa. And now you know. Dior Dolce Vita Davidoff Cool Water Woman Jo Malone London Grapefruit Lady Gaga Fame Jo Malone London Vetyver Its very rarely used as a fragrance note more widely, for the brilliant skin-smoothing, nourishing properties of avocado oil, in body products and facial care. In reality, when you smell orchid as a fragrance note, today its more likely to be synthetic. Diptyque LAutre Marc Jacobs Splash of Basil From the striped heartwood of a small tree called Palo Santo (Bulnesia sarmienti) which translates as tree of life - its not as down-and-dirty as agarwood (oud), but is nevertheless used to give depth and intrigue to scents. Now who, exactly, first thought that an ingredient from the castor sac (a gland near the beavers reproductive organs) would be just fantastic when bottled and dabbed onto the pulse-points? Prada Les Infusions de Prada Iris Cdre Caudalie Zeste de Vigne Boucheron Jaipur Saphir But in the hands of a gifted perfumer? The Body Shop Midnight Bakula With its hints of plum and peach, and a touch of lush green, mangos often to be found alongside floral notes in the fruity-floral compositions which have become so popular in recent years. 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