Mango blossom, too, is sometimes used in perfumery: as sweetly floral as youd imagine these soft white flowers to be, with a breath of lily of the valley about them. Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely It is an extremely rich, warm, and voluptuous rose odor with a hint of honey. Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia The resin produces a scent similar to that of balsam or lavender. Caron Infini Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet Thierry Mugler Angel Half-way between a berry and a rose, wed say this note is. (The ever-extravagant Romans even strewed it over the floors of public places, to scent the air on special occasions). Chanel No. "Typically musks add texture to fragrances and give them depth," says Illolahia. Then the leaves are either CO2-extracted, or steam-distilled. Thus, it can be combined with all sorts of other notes: Think flowers, roses. Your memory isnt deceiving you: if youve ever buried your nose in a bunch of these beautiful, delicate blue (or sometimes white or pink) flowers hoping for a whiff of something equally gorgeous, youll have been disappointed: theyve almost no scent at all. As you might suspect, theres a touch of damp forest floor to this material, too. Its pricy the third-costliest spice in the world (after vanilla and saffron) but so aromatic that only a touch is needed of the essential oil thats steam-distilled from the seeds of the Elletaria cardomomum plant. Fresh Love Ancient Arab perfumers were seduced by sandalwoods sweet magic long, long ago: in pulverised or sawdust form, it formed the base of solid perfumes and incense. Patchouli is a magical ingredient. Weve been known to stand there, sniffing, for the sheer pleasure of it. "Ambergris develops a more pleasant aroma the longer it is cured by natures elements in the sea. A mighty tree, a mighty base note: this giant redwood member of the cypress family, which grows for thousands of years, is becoming popular in mens fragrances and a handful of womens, for its dry earthiness. Plenty of people seem to find tobacco almost as addictive in perfumery as cigarettes or cigars but its a healthier way to indulge, for sure. It also cured snakebite, increased fertility and was a cornerstone of Four Thieves Vinegar, a blend of herbs alleged to ward off the plague. Vivienne Westwood Libertine. Penhaligon's Bluebell. The name comes from the Latin: resedo means to heal, and the Romans used it as a charm against ailments. Because the Sequoia sempervirens tree is endangered, however through loss of habit and over-logging chances are its a fantasy sequoia. Goutal Eau de Camille Vera Wang Lovestruck, Zing! Guerlain Chant DArome As well as occurring naturally, though, benzyl alcohol may also be chemically produced from petrochemical sources. The word bergamot derives from bergomotta in Italian and from Bergamum, a town in Italy. By Kilian Incense Oud (Do please completely ignore the word rose in its name.). The more one studies its character that of natural musk tincture, the more contrasting, vibrant and oscillating it becomes: repulsive-attractive, chemical-warm, sweaty-balmy, acrid-waxy, earthy-powdery, fatty-chocolate-like, pungent-leathery, fig-like, dry, nutty and woody, to give just some impressions. PradaNo9 Benjoin Goutal Eau du Sud 5, making it one of the first synthetics in fragrance. But theres one snag with this exquisite material: its been blacklisted by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) as a potential irritant, its use restricted by European regulation to 0.1% in perfume compositions that are applied to the skin a restriction which has sent noses into tailspins in labs across the world, as they were forced to remove or reduce this lynchpin ingredient in their often very famous formulations. Steam distillations used to extract the essential oil. The rise (and rise) of fruity scents has given a new lease of life to this fruit, once reserved for the pudding course and jam-making. Altogether pretty, airy, feminine rather than va-va-voom sexy. 5. It also has the rosy notes of tea leaves," says perfumer Jacques Huclier. Guerlain Myrre et Dlires With its slightly musky, woody, aromatic, earthy, warm and sensual scent, jatamansi also featured in body oils and unguents, in Roman times. Ralph Lauren Safari ), and in pomanders to protect against infection. The links are rooted in the tradition of the gantier parfumeurs, a guild of glove-makers in Paris who fashioned gloves for royalty and the aristocracy as far back as the 15th Century. LArtisan Parfumeur Jatamansi A fantasy note of salt can be used to add tang to marine, woody or even gourmand fragrances. Nez Nez Atelier dArtiste Long-lasting, come-hither, velvety: it really is complex and (virtually) a fragrance in its own right. Heres the science bit: 1,3-Benzodioxole-5-carbaldehyde, piperonyl aldehyde, 3,4-methylenedioxybenzaldehyde and piperonal are all names for heliotropin. Hey, presto: Mitsouko probably the most famous chypre in the world still available today is restored to its former glory. When the trees are infected with a type of fungus, a black resin is produced in the heartwood. Benzoin gives body to many perfumes (its especially widely-used in ambres) and is sweetly seductive. The aroma of natural oud is distinctively irresistible and attractive with bitter sweet and woody nuances: seriously earthy (and in small quantities, seriously sexy). A short-lived perennial with beautiful white flowers, edelweiss has long been valued as a medicinal plant but in fragrance, its not actually used very widely. Although linden - also known as tilleul in perfumery - can be extracted from the dried flowers, its usually recreated synthetically: beautifully sweet, exhilarating, bright as a summers day. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Yves Saint LaurentOpium. GoutalParis Grand Amour (Headspace technology is usually used to capture the scent: the air around the bloom is analysed, and the aroma compounds flawlessly recreated in the lab.). Lancme Hypnse Senses Tom Ford Caf Rose Memo Sundance (Sometimes, theyll turn to synthetic iris to create that cool, almost sterile effect), Andrea Maack Craft How cool is that? Bella Bellissima Royal Saffron By Kilian Sweet Redemption Mimosa has a long tradition in perfumery: it was first used in making incense, and symbolised resurrection and immortality: Egyptian mythology linked the acacia tree with the tree of life, described in the Myth of Osiris and Isis. Penhaligons La Violetta Cartier Dlices Saffron was also used to scent baths, houses and temples, while in medicine it was a narcotic. Chemist Gunther Ohloff once described ambergris as humid, earthy, faecal, marine, algoid, tobacco-like, sandalwood-like, sweet, animal, musky and radiant. Heaven knows how or why someone had the idea of using the soft, paste-like glandular secretion from underneath the swishy striped tails of civet cats, however, which they use to mark their territory: its extraordinarily powerful and even stomach-turningly obnoxious in its concentrated form. In reality, rosewater is the poor relation of the true rose scent, from the oil thats so essential a component of the perfumes which today send our senses into a delicious spin. Or click on a letter of the alphabet below and itll take you to a collage of all the ingredients that start with that letter. (Though we do also invite you to improve your sense of smell through one of our nationwide workshops for subscribers click here for details. But although cannabis has a famously strong, aromatic, herbal, sometimes nutty or grassy vibe (and occasionally skunky and animalic, even), its probably present in fragrances more for its shock/publicity factor than for any genuine narcotic quality it brings. Serge LutensArabie "It first became popular in the 1920s with the launch of Chanel No. Because Andy observes: 'My white lilac blooms early, due to an early spring in Zurich. Jo Malone London Rain and Angelica, Where would perfumery be, without orange? The quality of the oil can vary hugely. 5. 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. Different basils have different fragrance qualities: it can be lemony, or tarragon-like, or well, just plain basil-y. Very popular in contemporary perfumery tonkas sweetness goes beautifully in gourmand fragrances, as well as Ambres it was also used in the past for making pot pourri, to scent snuff, as well as beinglayered between clothes. Yves Saint Laurent Y. Aldehydes triggered a revolution in perfumery. Issey Miyake Pleats Please Laura Mercier Neroli Eau de Parfum In my perfumes, I love it - like a synthetic aldehyde - as it switches the light on, brings out the colours and contrasts. Comme des Garons 2 Este Lauder Sensuous Pepper, is metallic and spiky, sharp. Dermal sensitization. What better ingredient for fragrances suitable for brides, then? In a fragrance? Birch tar can be one of the ingredients going in there. Violet leaves smell quite different to the flower which emerges later. Tom Ford Black Orchid Roos & RoosMentha Religiosa 9 High Line Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan Gucci Flora WebAcetoin Agarwood Agave amica Alpha-isomethyl ionone Ambergris Ambrein Ambroxide Aroma compound Artemisia pallens B Balm of Gilead Balsam of Peru Bdellium Benzoin Les Couvent de Minimes Eau de Mtines This flowering shrub pulses out its potent scent very powerfully, in its native west Africa. Serge Lutens Jeu de Peau, A hay meadow in a bottle? For centuries, aside from perfumery, the mimosa tree has been used for many different purposes from medicinal to ornamental. And somewhat more heavy-handedly in home fragrance, loo cleaners and those taxi-cab car perfumes, Goutal Nuit Etoile Carita Carita Eau de Parfum Sometimes, though, both the violet leaf and the flower are used together, for a cool contemporary violet effect, taking the edge off violets slightly great-auntishly old-fashioned powderiness. The name? Frederick Malle Dans Tes Bras Dior Diorissimo Cartier Le Must de Cartier Later, the Arabic and Byzantine perfumers (including the famous Al-Kindi) perfected the art of capturing its aphrodisiac powers, and musks popularity spread along the silk and spice routes. Roses are said to feature in at least 75% of modern feminine fragrances, and at least 10% of all mens perfumes. Dior Poison Versace Versace. Clive Christian X for Women If you smell different concentrated absolutes (the oily liquids created through macerating the jasmine flowers), they have their own characters: some smell medicinal, some sweet, some musky, some green. Harvesting techniques have become somewhat more sophisticated since the time when labdanum was collected from the coats and beards of sheep and goats that grazed on these tough little shrubs! Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Carolina HerreraAmber Desire The Bacchanalians tore him apart. Find it mostly in chypre and fougre creations. Aldehyde C10 decanal powerfully conjures up orange rind. Look at the label on your perfume. In fact, in 1991 the EPA tested conventional, synthetic perfumes and found a long list of toxic chemical ingredients, including acetone, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, ethyl acetate, limonene, linalool, methylene chloride as well as phthalates, stearates, and parabens. It also blends beautifully with sweet pea and with tuberose. Sandalwoods creamy sweetness is used in the base of as many as 50% of feminine perfumes. Jean Patou Joy Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Its widely used in white florals, and scents seeking to capture springtime-in-a-bottle, but because real hyacinth oil produced by a process of extraction is heart-stoppingly expensive, cant-tell-it-from-real synthetic hyacinth notes are what perfumers turn to, nowadays. "Vetiver is proof that upcycling can give amazing products," says perfumer Claire Liegent. Prada LEau Ambre. Dior Hypnotic Poison When Cleopatra welcomed Mark Antony to her boudoir, her bed was strewn with these aphrodisiac blooms and the floor hidden under a foot and a half of fresh-picked petals. Cartier Le Baiser du Dragon Serge Lutens Datura Noir Escada Escada A plant collector (who went by the equally glorious German name Christian Friedrich Ecklon) honoured his friend by calling the flower (which originated in Africa) freesia. Juliette Has A Gun Mad Madame Quite aside from its uplifting qualities, yuzu is very useful to perfumers because it prolongs the life of other citrus notes, whose delicious freshness doesnt tend to linger for long. In aromatherapy, pomelos used for energizing which is exactly what it delivers in a perfume. Linum usitatissimum): it gives us both linen and linseed (highly nutritious, and also terrific as an oil applied to wooden furniture to keep the elements at bay). Boucheron Jaipur Saphir "It's a vgtal scent, hay like, which brings a musky sensuality to perfume," says Michalon-Bertier. Citron. Donna Karan Black Cashmere Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. 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