Floral perfumes

What is a floral perfume?

In perfumery, “floral” means a family built on flowers: a single flower, in a soliflore, or a bouquet of several. It is one of the most widespread families in perfumery. Its signature flowers are jasmine and rose, alongside ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, tuberose, iris and orange blossom.

Not all floral perfumes are alike. White flowers such as jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom and gardenia have a warm, slightly animalic heart, thanks to a molecule called indole. Iris and violet give a soft, powdery effect, reminiscent of face powder. Rose can be honeyed or spicy, depending on the variety and the origin.

Absolute, essential oil or accord?

A flower can reach the bottle in three different ways.

This is why a flower in a list of notes can be a precious absolute, a distilled essential oil or the perfumer's interpretation. Tuberose, for example, is not a mute flower: it yields an absolute, which perfumers often enrich with an accord.

From the fields of Grasse to modern chemistry

The scent of flowers is delicate and hard to capture. In Grasse, from the 18th century, the most fragile flowers such as jasmine and tuberose were processed by enfleurage: they were laid on glass plates spread with odourless fat and replaced every day, until the fat, the “pomade”, was saturated with scent. Washing the pomade with alcohol gave the absolute.

Over time enfleurage gave way to extraction with volatile solvents, which produces today's concretes and absolutes. At the end of the 19th century, chemistry gave perfumers new floral notes. From then on, the main milestones:

1. 1893Ferdinand Tiemann and Paul Krüger discover the ionones, molecules that smell of violet.
2. 1921Chanel N°5, created by Ernest Beaux: an aldehydic floral with Grasse jasmine and May rose.
3. 1948Fracas by Robert Piguet, created by Germaine Cellier, built on tuberose.
4. 1956Diorissimo by Dior, created by Edmond Roudnitska, built on lily of the valley, Christian Dior's lucky charm.
5. 1966Eau Sauvage by Dior is the first perfume to use Hedione, the Firmenich molecule born from research on jasmine.
6. 2005Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle, created by Dominique Ropion, built on tuberose absolute.
7. 2014Bulgarian rose oil becomes a Protected Geographical Indication of the European Union.
8. 2018The skills related to perfume in the Pays de Grasse are inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
9. 2020The geographical indication “Absolue Pays de Grasse” is created to protect absolutes from the Grasse area, such as rose, jasmine, tuberose and iris.
10. 2021In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel, “Floral Oriental” becomes “Floral Amber”.

Today niche perfumery takes flowers in every direction: soliflores and bouquets, white flowers, fruity, powdery and amber florals.

The raw materials of floral perfumes

The nuances of floral perfumes

In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel the floral family includes three subfamilies, Floral, Soft Floral and Floral Amber, and borders the fruity perfumes on one side and the ambers on the other. From the fruity side to the amber side:

In everyday language people also speak of fresh, white, sweet, woody, musky and aquatic florals. You will find them all in our collection: to see them, use “Find your floral” at the top of the page or the fragrance family filter.

When to wear a floral perfume

A floral can be worn all year round: it all depends on the flower and on what accompanies it. The fresher versions, with citrus, green notes, orange blossom or lily of the valley, are perfect by day and in warm weather. White flowers, powdery florals and amber florals, richer and more enveloping, suit the evening and the cooler months.

A floral's sillage comes from the interplay between the flowers and the base notes. In our collection the flowers often rest on musks, vanilla, amber and sandalwood, base notes that evaporate slowly and stay with them for a long time.

Frequently asked questions

What does “floral” mean in perfumery?
A floral perfume is built on flowers: a single flower, in a soliflore, or a bouquet of several. Jasmine and rose are the family's signature flowers, together with ylang-ylang, tuberose, iris, lily of the valley and orange blossom.

Are floral perfumes for women?
Traditionally the floral family is associated with femininity, but today flowers are worn by everyone. Niche perfumery has brought more and more flowers into men's and unisex perfumes. The best way to choose is to try them on your skin.

What are white flowers?
Flowers such as jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom and gardenia, which share indole, a molecule that gives them a warm, enveloping, slightly animalic heart. They are among the most frequent notes in our collection: jasmine is the most common heart note of our florals.

What is the difference between floral amber and floral oriental?
None in substance: it is the same nuance, in which flowers, often orange blossom, meet sweet spices and amber. In 2021 Michael Edwards replaced “Floral Oriental” with “Floral Amber” in his Fragrance Wheel. In our collection you will find them with the amber florals filter.

Can I try a floral 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 a floral on your skin before buying the bottle. If you are near Rome, you can try them in person at our boutique in Nettuno.

Are floral perfumes long-lasting?
Many are: longevity depends above all on the base notes, which evaporate slowly. In our florals the most frequent are musks, vanilla, amber and sandalwood, which stay with the flowers for a long time.