The availability of this synthetic ingredient has probably helped to shape the trend for aquatic fragrances, as well as for fruity-florals. Worth Je Reviens. (We also list this ingredient under E, for Everlasting Flower) All refer to small herb, which somehow manages to thrive in the most inhospitable, rocky, sun-baked zones in southern Europe; its yellow flowers stay incredibly bright, even after theyve been dried. Dolce & Gabbana LEau The One Rochas Femme Ulrich Lang Anvers 2. Goutal Eau du Sud It's a combination of synthetic and natural ingredients such as vanilla, patchouli, labdanum, styrax, and benzoin," says Medina. Benzoin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of a Styrax tree. Narciso Rodriguez Essence Pepper, is metallic and spiky, sharp. To me, it smells confident, sexy, feminine, while exuding modernity through its green facet," says perfumer Natasha Ct. Prada Prada Amber Cathy Helbig is a contributing writer covering fragrance for Byrdie. "Thanks to new modern chypre fragrances, oakmoss is having a renaissance moment. Discover the emblematic ingredients used in the House of Dior fragrances. It reminds people who know it of the Kir Royal, a celebratory cocktail blending cassis liqueur with champagne," says Benaim. Illamasqua Freak Extrait de Parfum, Refreshing, subtly sweet or positively jam-like: blueberry has different facets which perfumers have the power to play up. "It gives a strong effect in a perfume even in a very small amount," says Gillotin. (Its also used in vermouth.) Walk through a garden especially at dusk and youll smell honeysuckle way before you see it: heady and nectarous, a little like jasmine tinged with vanilla. Elemi is a pale yellow fragrant resin, tapped from a tree Manila Elemi, or Canarium luzonicum - which grows in the Philippines. The same flowers turned up in delicately-scented puddings, love potions and medicines. Paco Rabanne Ultrared Dior Dune One of summers favourite berries, strawberrys turned up in a fruitbowl of scents in recent years, riding on a wave of fruity-floral popularity sometimes paired with exotic white flowers like ylang-ylang, lily or jasmine, or in gourmand creations alongside caramel and cinnamon. Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina In Fiore Its used in Indian cooking and also as a medicinal not surprisingly, as a repellent. Serge LutensUn Bois de Vanille, As you might imagine, a perfume ingredient extracted from one of our sturdiest trees adds a bit of heft to a scented creation: dry, woody, grounding. Its extreme power will boost any fragrance composition with intense woody and ambery notes, which consumers around the world have learned to recognize and love," says perfumer Carlos Benaim. Miller Harris Fleur Ambre Bigarade, from the fruit of that tree, is another key ingredient in colognes, while its leaves give us petitgrain, another popular element in citrussy scents. Bulgari Pour Femme The whole tanning process smells repulsive, though, so leathers were treated with oils, musk, civet and ambergris, to mask the smell of the animals skins. ), The seeds left behind when the pretty yellow umbelliferous (umbrella-like) flowers have faded are used in steam-distillation of the fennel essential oil. A flowering tree native to China, valued for its delicate fruity apricot aroma. Theyre often eaten raw, to enjoy the sweet/sour flavour blend from the thin rind, contrasted with the juicy flesh. (Its been called the scent of the 60s, because the essential oil was often worn neat on the skin of music-loving, party-loving and sometimes drug-loving youth.) (Its also, rather usefully, anti-microbial and anti-flatulant though not in perfume!). (And conservationists.) (Other orchids - obviously not used in perfumery - can stink of rotten meat, or faeces. (IMHO). (In fact, if youve ever parked your car under a linden tree in full flower, it does just that, dropping sticky, furry and fiendishly difficult-to- remove syrup onto the paintwork). An aromatic chemical that adds a sea breeze or marine-type note to fragrances, calone is a powder that is 100 percent man-made. Jo Malone London Vetyver You may be able to make it out West Indian bay itself among the cinnamon, oil of cloves, citrus and other spice oils. Tangerine was named after Tangier in Morocco, which has been exporting tangerines since 1841. The Body Shop Midnight Bakula In perfumery, apricot can be lush and sweet like the fruit or bitter, like the extract of the apricot kernel (think of an Amaretto-ish bitter almond scent). Amazingly, this grey-leafed toughie gives off a lovely, almost straw-like sweet scent, with hints of honey, tea, rose and chamomile - giving a flowery sweetness to perfumes, Goutal ParisSables Van Cleef & ArpelsFirst. Yves Saint Laurent Opium. Cartier Dlices Goutal Paris Le Masmin The word bergamot derives from bergomotta in Italian and from Bergamum, a town in Italy. It can be a skin sensitiser for some people, and is therefore listed on fragrance packaging so that it can be avoided by those who have a problem. (Although it was also used by physicians to treat fever, headache and hysteria.) Yes, really: this salty, smoky breakfast food has been used in synthetic form as a novel (very novel) perfume ingredient in John Leydons Fargginay fragrance brand, in a specific bacn collection. (Especially now fruity-florals are so popular in our fragrance wardrobes: blueberries work really well to enhance floral perfumes.) (Which basically means it makes some other ingredients work better together). Melt your beeswax and oil together (determine the specific amounts of wax and oil based on the container you plan to use) and add 10 to 12 drops of essential oil per tablespoon of oil or beeswax mixture. Herms Un Jardin Sur Le Nil Roger & Gallet Jean-Marie Farina It goes brilliantly in tuberose compositions, and beautifully enhances chypres. Goutal Songes The berries are harvested from a small, shrub-like tree which belongs to the cypress family. Saffron was also used to scent baths, houses and temples, while in medicine it was a narcotic. Personally, we prefer to wear our guaiac wood, for an air of mystery. When you smell something sweet, powdery, fluffy-little-cloud-like in a perfume, chances are theres a touch of heliotrope in there. (Leading to the original name for perfume: per fumum, or through smoke) Myrrh was a key ingredient in the ancient incense kyphi, used to fumigate ancient Egyptian temples. Jo Malone London Mimosa & Cardamom ), Happily, ionones recreate the scent of Parma violets almost perfectly. Once upon a time, green unripe oranges just the size of cherries were also a source of petitgrain, hence the name (it translates as little grains). Lanvin Jeanne Lanvin Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Clive Christian no.1 (price- $2150 per oz) Channel grand extrait ($4200 per oz) Shalini Perfume (2.2 oz bottle $900) Chanel No. The lily of the valley is The Perfume Societys adopted flower: we simply love the French tradition of offering nosegays of this delicate nodding white bloom on 1st May to people you love and admire. Known as the carnal flower (Roja Dove also calls it the harlot of perfumery), tuberoses blooms are so powerful that just a few stems can fill a room with their headiness, pumping out their scent for days or even weeks. But we do know that the Arabs brought this evergreen tree to Europe in around the 8th Century; lemon later made its way to America through seeds carried on Christopher Columbuss ship, in 1493. Leather as side note brings out, by contrast as so often in perfumery, flowers. Juicy Couture Juicy Couture 5 Bella Bellissima Arabian Rose LOccitane Cherry Blossom It is dual, it has a multifarious seduction. Balenciaga Florabotanica Just sometimes, a fragrance is described as being indolic - which is pretty unhelpful if you dont work in the perfume world. Many windowsills boast an aloe vera plant, so useful for treating burns (including sunburn) but outside this cosmetic use, this perennial succulent plant is also very occasionally - used as a note in perfumery: green, vegetal, fresh and aquatic. Mostly, this evocative note conjuring up images of sculptural wood cast ashore by stormy seas, and bleached by the sun makes its way into mens fragrances, or light, beach-inspired summery colognes. The oil steam-distilled from German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is more sweetly smoky, with hints of apples, working well as a base note. Versace Versace, Pungent, lavender-like, aromatic: nothing smells quite like rosemary. This reputation was much enhanced in 1762 when a German study found that a medication based on vanilla extract cured impotence all 342 smiling subjects claimed they were cured., Vanillas reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac endures, and its often present in sexy, come-hither fragrances, especially Ambres and gourmand fragrances, as well as girly, younger creations. Its a citrus note, often found as part of a zesty blend in colognes. Dior JAdore Tauer Perfumes08 Une Rose Chypre Este Lauder Youth Dew 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. And in liquid perfumes, a note of incense adds a richness, intensity and a touch of the exotic. It can range in colour from light green to black depending on whether its dry or damp - and it smells a lot more beautiful than it looks. 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). This resin is a must-have for ingredient in the chypre family of fragrances (in a marriage with patchouli, bergamot and oakmoss): rich, green, mysterious, woody. Milk is a warm and long-lasting vegan layering scent with amber, musk, and bergamot. Sometimes the perfumer conjures up a black tea note, sometimes green but the effect is always uplifting. Burberry Body Were not sure why the three balsamic ingredients (copaiba, Peru and tolu) have the word balsam first balsam of but that seems to be the tradition, One of springs favourite flowers, hyacinth gets its name from the Greek language: flower of rain. Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Gucci Envy Miller Harris La Fume Arabie ". Dior Dolce Vita "Heliotrope is an herbaceous plant that produces small flowers with white, purple, or blue shades. Ylang ylang has a fruity top like a juicy crunchy pear and a body with an elegant floral softness that gives sensuality to both feminine and masculine fragrances," says Liegent. But chocolates not a piece of cake for perfumers to work with: in the wrong hands it tips right over into ickiness, but in the right hands it further ups the sensuality of florals and of patchouli. But compared tocardamom it is actually easier to handle -like a poodle compared to a bull dog. By Kilian Amber Oud CK One Shock for Her Dior Poison Yves Saint Laurent Paris. Ralph Lauren Safari (Aromatherapeutically, mimosa is said to have properties that help to relieve stress and depression, FYI.). The top offending perfume products were: JLo Glow Perfume, Axe Phoenix Body Spray, Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume, Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume, and White Linen Perfume by Este Lauder. E.g. 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). An Asian evergreen tree with fragrant flowers, the oil of which is used in expensive floral perfumes. Lilies have been used in perfumery since ancient times: they were very well-loved in Egypt, as part of a perfumed ointment based on the flowers of 2000 lilies, while the ancient Greeks used Madonna lilies to make a perfume called Susinon. Of all the fragrance ingredients out there, lavenders probably the most widely recognised (even if blindfolded) for its soothing, calming aromatic qualities. Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Este Lauder Alliage Fragonard Mimosa Roses are said to feature in at least 75% of modern feminine fragrances, and at least 10% of all mens perfumes. It all began in Ancient Egypt, where incense was first created using precious gums and resins from trees, imported from the Arabian coast and Somalia. 'A very powerful molecule, in both masculine and feminine fragrances,' notes perfumer Alienor Massenet. (Though rums more widely used to add swagger to mens perfumery, quite a few opulent womens scents also feature a slug of this multi-faceted ingredient, which can have hints of vanilla, clove, ginger or ripe fruits). The leaves, bark, fruits and flowers all offer different nuances: earthy, peppery, fruity, buttery or subtly herbal. Naughty, naughty, naughty. Maybe thats chameleon-like heliotrope, in the blend A touch of vanilla? 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. Revlon Charlie Silver How well do you know your perfume ingredients? Dior Miss Dior Chrie Flower of fertility, in ancient times and a cure, too: garlands of violets worn around the head were thought to prevent headaches and dizziness, while in ancient Athens, they drank wine scented with violets. Strawberry can be lush, juicy, fruity-green and not overpoweringly jammy, at all. Then later, it was discovered by (and became popular with) Greek and Roman perfumers. (This note is also sometimes called American balsam, or even opobalsam.) Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire. Caron Nocturnes Lacoste Pour Femme Max Mara Max Mara Diptyque Eau de Tarocco The clear, almost colourless oil is steam-distilled from the fresh or partly-dried pods, and the spiciness of the resulting oil goes especially well in Ambre-style perfumes, working well alongside cardamom, bay, coriander, lavender, neroli, orange, petitgrain, mandarin, cedarwood and rosewood. There are many different varieties of this Mediterranean shrub, but today its the flower tops of Garden Thyme (a.k.a. (Though it can help to accent other herbal elements of a composition. Guerlain Elixir Charnel Chypre Fatal (For the Romans, hawthorn was a symbol of marriage. synthetic) to evoke the sticky sweetness of dried figs, dates and apricots. Yummy, yummy rum: wonderful in cocktails to drink, glorious in perfumes an appetising gourmand ingredient that pairs well with woods, adding complexity, sweetness and intrigue. The fruit can be round, or oval, depending on which species youre looking at and the skins can range from yellow or green to maroon. Tom Ford Black Orchid. Herms Hermessence Ambre Narguile Chanel No. Guerlain Samsara Miller Harris Fleur de Bois Just threw that in because you never know when it might come in useful in Trivial Pursuit, someday). Diptyque Odeyo It evolves over time and is very complex, and requires a perfumers deftest touch but its incredibly valuable to noses as a fixative. Marc Jacobs Blush, Vanilla doesnt just smell sweet, nuzzleable and delectably comforting: its kind of magic, in flavour and perfume terms. Donna Karan Donna Karan Frdric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie ), In perfumery, the not-quite-ripe peppercorns of the Piper nigrum vine are dried, crushed and steam-distilled to create an intensely-fragrant oil which is surprisingly complex: as well as delivering a burst of heat, its surprisingly fresh and woody, too, blending beautifully with citrus fruits like lemon, as well as aromatics including lavender, ginger, clove, coriander and geranium. As youd imagine, brown sugar adds sweetness to our perfumes in just the same way as it does to cereals, cakes, candies. Chanel Chance Killian Paris. In perfumery, though, grass delivers a sweet, herbaceous scent maybe not quite like walking past a house where the grass has just been cut, but delivering a gust (or a whisper) of outdoorsy freshness, nonetheless. Chanel Chance The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) lists 3,059 materials that are reported as being used in fragrance compounds. You can easily improve your search by specifying the number of letters in the answer. The plant valiantly grows in mountain areas above 3,500 metres, in countries like India, Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim. This grassy, fibrous root is distilled into an oil that smells of woody, earthy, leather and smoky tones. (Blackcurrant leaves can smell a little catty when you rub them between your finger though in a fragrance, that wont be apparent.) Chopard Wish Pure As tended to happen at bacchanales, he imbibed too much, and became somewhat over-amorous towards a priestess. Do smell deep, though, and see if you can detect intrigue beneath the soft surface. Evody Note de Luxe Jean-Louis Scherrer Jean-Louis Scherrer Marc Jacobs Splash of Basil (Say it petty-gran.) Naturally, its a synthetic fantasy ingredient: you cant distil a metal, or extract it through enfleurage! Herms Un Jardin Aprs le Mousson Jo MaloneLondon Earl Grey & Cucumber Prada Infusion dIris Chanel Les Exclusifs Sycomore Guerlain Champs Elyses LArtisan Parfumeur Safran Troublant But perfumers wouldnt be without patchouli, for the richness that it gives to fragrances and not just those heady Ambres: patchouli makes its way into many chypre and powdery fragrances, swirling exotically alongside lavender, sandalwood, labdanum and bergamot, clove, clary sage, as well as vetiver. Sisley Eau du Soir. Ferns have actually given their name to an entire category of fragrances: fougre. Sweet orange oil itself is harvested by cold-pressing the fresh of this fruit which turns out to be a hybrid between the mandarin and the pomelo, which only came into existence in Europe and China in the 11th Century. In total, we exclude over 170 ingredients from our fragrancesmore exclusive than the list of ingredients banned by the International Fragrance Association. Van Cleef & Arpels First Thats what youll get when you smell ambrette, an aromatic medicinal plant (musk mallow) which is native to India and used particularly in Ayurvedic medicine. THOO (The House of Oud) Wonderly Dior JAdore And now you know. ChloLove Chloe This aromatic resin is highly prized and heartwood from infected trees can cost as much as $100,000 per kilo. Christina Aguilera Inspire But did you know that this stone-fruit is related to the cashew family? "It turns a scent into a chypre, into a fougere, into an amber. The natural oil is also used in the liqueur Chartreuse (with its signature bright yellow-green colour, evoking the flowers of the plant itself), while the stem can be candied. This masculine splash started as an artisan creation on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, but many other West Indian islands (as well as American and European fragrance companies) now make a version. Take C7 or heptanal, naturally occurring in clary sage, with its herby-green odour. It almost hypnotises. 19. And we fully expect it to be used in quite a few more mouthwatering fragrances yet, Christina Aguilera Royal Desire Perfumers, thats who. Goutal ParisLe Muguet The Merchant of Venice La Fenice Pour Femme Jovoy La Liturgie des Heures 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. Some flower just once a year, for a single night a blink-and-youll-miss-it pleasure that happily can be captured in a bottle and enjoyed 24/7, Dior Addict Prada No. (According to cave paintings in Valencia in Spain, anyway.) Carolina HerreraAmber Desire Sensual, for sure, but again, with a more delicate touch. Long-lasting, come-hither, velvety: it really is complex and (virtually) a fragrance in its own right. (Some people think it smells like crushed ivy leaves. Gucci Gucci by Gucci Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Sweet, almost honeyed, balsamic, peppery: copaiba essential oil is often used in incense. Its historys a bit blurry were lemons first grown in Southern India, or Burma, or China? Zing! Penhaligons Halfeti Ever. But papyruss history isnt just long, though: its fragrant. Evody Fleur dOranger 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. In Greek and Roman times, heroes were garlanded by laurel another name for bay - as a symbol of victory. In some cases, the juice of the fruit from the Musa sapientum plant is distilled. Guerlain Samsara "Monoi is made by macerating Tiare flowers (Tahitian Frangipani) in coconut oil until the oil absorbs the beautiful floral scent of the Tiare petals," says Reilly. Guy LarocheFidji Rose essential oil can come in the form of rose otto (also known as attar of roses), or rose aboslute. Herms Eau de Pamplemousse Rose Avocado comes from aquacate which apparently derives from the Aztec for testicle. The sweetness of the violets deep blue eyes, Kissed by the breath of heaven, Seems colord by its skies, wrote Byron. In aromatherapy - where its the therapy that counts, rather than the aroma -its widely used; its just brilliant for coughs and wheezes. Theyre also often left to produce fruit, which can be infused to extract an intense berry scent. LArtisan ParfumeurPremier Figuier Givenchy Organza Indeed, there are so many varieties and cross-overs (see below for a selection from Wikipedia's extensive page), that to date, no one author has successfully categorised them all. Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentre Swiss Army Swiss Army for Her. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Herms Un Jardin Sur Le Toit. ', Goutal Paris Eau de Lavande LArtisan Parfumeur Mre et Musc The fern most widely used in perfumery is the Common Male Fern, which grows widely in Britain and the rest of Europe. With such huge amounts of timber felled to extract teensy qualities of oil, its no wonder that Brazilian rosewood trees which are grown in the rainforests of Brazil, Mexico and Peru are now protected, under CITES (the convention which safeguards endangered flora and fauna). But above all, they give depth and sexiness to a fragrance'. Now theres an entire harvest of blackberry-garlanded scents, too. Lancme Magie Noire Because some of the natural chemical compounds found in basil eugenol, linalool and methyleugenol are sensitisers, those now must be listed on perfume ingredients lists as a caution to those who know they react. Linalool is a fragrance compound found in rosewood oil and other essential oils, including petitgrain, coriander and lavender. Britney Spears Fantasy Some hay fever sufferers, maybe but most of us just love the fresh, green scent of grass. (Dont worry: we wont test you.) Nina Ricci Premier Jour Mad et Len No. Lilacs were introduced into Europe via Spain around the 16th Century, from the Arabs. Steam distillations used to extract the essential oil. linden, or Tilia cordata) almost seems to drip with honey. Freesia works perfectly to complement lily of the valley, peony, magnolia, but is rarely the shining star of a perfume itself. Givenchy Organza Eau de Toilette Osmanthus also works beautifully in leathery, suede-like scents, as well as florals. Nez Nez Ambre Sade Givenchy Ange Ou Demon Le Secret "I love this ingredient because it takes me to the beach. Ah, pesto Basil is a delicious herb, when used in cooking and a delicious, aromatic fragrance note, too, with a green, slightly sharp and spicy edge that lends itself really well to mens scents. Dior Addict eau de parfum Iso-eugenol - common in naturals like lemongrass, ylang ylang and cassie. Perfume ingredients include a blend of alcohol, oils, and other components such as industry staples bergamot, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, and ylang-ylang. Everyone knows what an orange smells like, of course: that burst of zest as you dig your fingers into the waxy skin to break into this juiciest of fruits. (Theyre deeply alluring to slugs, as gardeners know.) Unpick the chemical structure of this plant and youll find its incredibly rich in an aroma compound called eugenol - so quite often, what you smell in a perfume hasnt come from a plant at all, but has been synthesised. That doesnt detract, though, from camellias soft, voluptuous beauty.