Aromatic perfumes

What is an aromatic perfume?

“Aromatic” means having the nature, smell and taste of an aroma. In perfumery it is the family built on aromatic herbs, fresh or dried: lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, tarragon, mint and geranium. Many of these plants, such as lavender, sage, rosemary, thyme, mint and basil, belong to the same botanical family, the mint family, and produce fragrant substances rich in terpenes. It is a family with a clear, bright character that gives a perfume freshness, cleanness and elegance.

Many herb oils are obtained by steam distillation of the flowering tops: this is how aromatic, floral French fine lavender oil and aromatic, camphorous, resinous rosemary oil are made. Lavender also gives an absolute, extracted with a volatile solvent: warmer, sweeter and more hay-like than the essential oil.

What is fougère?

“Fougère” is French for “fern”, but the name does not describe the smell of the plant: fougère is an accord invented by perfumers. Its pillars are bergamot, lavender, geranium, oakmoss and coumarin or tonka bean; coumarin is the molecule with a sweet scent of hay. The name comes from the first perfume of the family, created in 1882 by Paul Parquet, and lavender is one of its traditional ingredients.

In the 20th century fougère became the men's style par excellence, tied to the ritual of shaving and to the idea of cleanness. In the French classification it is a family of its own, and in Michael Edwards' fragrance wheel it long sat at the centre. Many classifications now place it within the aromatic family, as one of its subfamilies.

Aromatic, fougère or fresh aromatic?

Three words you will come across often: here is what sets them apart.

In short, for many of today's classifications every fougère is an aromatic, but not every aromatic is a fougère: it is precisely this variety that makes the family so rich.

From coumarin to today's fougères

Aromatic perfumes are the family in which modern perfumery took its first steps: a synthetic molecule, coumarin, gave birth to fougère, and from there came some of the best-loved perfumes of the 20th century. The main milestones:

1. 1868William Henry Perkin synthesises coumarin for the first time, the molecule with a sweet scent of hay.
2. 1882Fougère Royale by Houbigant, created by Paul Parquet: the first fougère, which gives its name to the whole family. It was among the first perfumes to use coumarin, synthesised a few years earlier, and is considered one of the first modern perfumes.
3. 1889Jicky by Guerlain, created by Aimé Guerlain with the molecules vanillin and coumarin: the house describes its fougère accord of bergamot, lavender and rosemary.
4. 1973Paco Rabanne pour Homme, created by Jean Martel: the house presents it as a pioneer of aromatic fougères, with lavender and tarragon, geranium and clove, woods and a tobacco-honey accord.
5. 1981With the decree of 14 December, Haute-Provence lavender essential oil is granted its controlled designation of origin.
6. 1981Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, created by Pierre Bourdon, the nose who a few years later would also create Cool Water.
7. 1982Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche, created by Pierre Wargnye: an aromatic fougère.
8. 1984The first “Classification des parfums” is published, based on the work of the Technical Commission of the Société Française des Parfumeurs: the French classification in which fougère is, to this day, a family of its own.
9. 1988Cool Water by Davidoff, created by Pierre Bourdon: a fresh aromatic with mint, marine and green notes, geranium, cedar and oakmoss.
10. 2010Michael Edwards revises his fragrance wheel: fougère, which until then had sat at its centre, is merged into the new Aromatic subfamily. That same year Fougère Royale returns, reworked by perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux.

Today niche perfumery takes aromatic herbs in every direction: fresh, green, woody, spicy and amber.

The raw materials of aromatic perfumes

freshfloralherbaceous

This is fine lavender, or true lavender, the queen of aromatic perfumes. In Haute-Provence its essential oil has a PDO, recognised as an AOC in 1981: the specification requires plants grown from local seed, normally cultivated at an altitude of at least 800 metres. According to dsm-firmenich, France is one of the main producers of fine-fragrance-quality lavender. Lavandin is a different plant: a sterile hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender, richer in camphor, with a sharper, more camphorous scent.

Aromatic perfumes with lavender

herbaceousambertobacco-like

The aerial part is used: its steam-distilled essential oil is dominated by linalyl acetate and linalool, the same main molecules as lavender. The concrete is very rich in sclareol, which forms mainly in the flower calyces: it is the natural molecule from which, in the 1950s, Ambrox was made by semi-synthesis, the amber ingredient that took the place of ambergris. It should not be confused with common sage, which is dominated instead by thujone and camphor.

Aromatic perfumes with clary sage

herbaceouscamphorousresinous

Botanically, it is now a sage: a DNA study published in 2017 merged the genus Rosmarinus into Salvia, and the Royal Horticultural Society adopted the new name in 2019. Twigs and flowering tops are steam-distilled, and the ISO standard recognises two types: the Tunisia and Morocco type, rich in 1,8-cineole, and the Spanish type, rich in α-pinene, camphor and cineole. There is also a verbenone chemotype: every rosemary has its own signature.

Aromatic perfumes with rosemary

resinousfreshgin-like

Its “berries” are actually small cones, called galbuli: they ripen only in their second year, so unripe and ripe cones grow side by side on the same plant. The ripe berries are steam-distilled, and the oil, dominated by α-pinene followed by myrcene, sabinene and limonene, has the classic notes that instantly recall gin.

Aromatic perfumes with juniper

woodyfreshresinous

This is the Mediterranean cypress, native to the eastern Mediterranean and now at home throughout the Mediterranean basin. Its twigs give an essential oil with a fresh, woody scent, dominated by α-pinene and δ-3-carene. This character makes it an ideal ingredient in fougères and woody perfumes.

Aromatic perfumes with cypress

freshcamphorousfruity

According to Biolandes, armoise, or white wormwood, is harvested in Morocco's High Atlas under a state concession: during the season, villagers camp out in the desert for the harvest. Its oil, fresh and camphorous, is perfect in fougères and colognes. Davana, another artemisia, comes from southern India: it is cut by hand in full bloom and gives a fruity, liqueur-like scent. In Tamil it is called Davanam and is woven into garlands for temples dedicated to Shiva.

Aromatic perfumes with artemisia

tobaccoteahay

The dried leaves of the mate plant are used, traditionally dried with smoke. Volatile solvents give an absolute with green tea notes that turn to tobacco, with hay-like facets. Once gathered only from wild plants, it is now grown on a large scale in southern Brazil and Argentina. Its absolute is tenacious and pairs beautifully with cedar and fresh colognes.

Aromatic perfumes with mate

freshmintygreen

Perfumery uses two mints, both steam-distilled. In peppermint oil the main component is menthol, followed by menthone. Spearmint is distilled from the flowering tops and is dominated instead by carvone.

Aromatic perfumes with mint

greenaniseedherbaceous

Native to southern Asia, it belongs, like lavender, sage and rosemary, to the mint family. Leaves and flowering tops are steam-distilled, and raw material houses offer two types: methyl chavicol basil, green and aniseed-like, close to tarragon, and linalool basil. In the methyl chavicol type, distilled in India and Vietnam, estragole is the main component.

Aromatic perfumes with basil

The nuances of aromatic perfumes

From the freshest herbs to the warmest fougères, here are the family's main faces:

In our collection the most frequent second families are woody, citrus and marine: to explore every nuance, use the fragrance family or note filters.

When to wear an aromatic perfume

Fresh aromatic perfumes, with mint, basil, rosemary and green herbs, are perfect in spring and summer. In woody ones, dried herbs rest on cedar, vetiver or patchouli, while amber fougères turn warm and sweet: to find your moment, the best way is to try them on your skin.

Longevity depends above all on the base the herbs rest on: woods, musks, amber and coumarin give the perfume body and staying power. In our collection the most frequent base notes are patchouli, musk and amber; in the heart lavender leads, followed by clary sage.

Frequently asked questions

What does “aromatic perfume” mean?
It is a perfume built on aromatic herbs, such as lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil and mint, whose oils are obtained by steam distillation. It is the family of herbal freshness, with a clear, bright character.

What is a fougère perfume?
It is a perfume built on an invented accord, not on the smell of fern: bergamot, lavender, geranium, oakmoss and coumarin, or tonka bean. The name comes from Houbigant's Fougère Royale, the first perfume of the family, born in 1882.

What is the difference between aromatic and fougère?
Aromatic is the broader family, the family of herbs; fougère is a precise accord born within it. Many classifications now place fougère within the aromatic family: that is why every fougère is an aromatic, but not every aromatic is a fougère.

Are aromatic perfumes for men?
Not only. Over its history fougère was above all a style of men's perfumery, as the timeline above shows. The best way to choose, though, is simple: try them on your skin and let the herbs speak.

When should I wear an aromatic perfume?
Fresh aromatic perfumes, with mint, basil and green herbs, are perfect in spring and summer. For the warmer woody, spicy and amber versions, the best advice is to try them on your skin and choose the moment that feels most like you.

Can I try an aromatic perfume before buying it?
Yes. With every order over €100 you receive 10 free samples, and you choose 5 of them yourself: it is the easiest way to discover an aromatic perfume on your skin before buying the bottle. If you are near Rome, you can try them in person at our boutique in Nettuno.