Scent Journal - Iris
Taking note of the scents that inspire us
Iris. One of the most elegant and sought after perfumery ingredients just growing wild, purpling the Tuscan hillsides as if not knowing its true worth. Although the precious fragrance ingredient, “orris”, made from iris root, is stuff of perfumers’ dreams when looking to add an element of powdery, floralcy, more must be said of the magnificent blooms.
Irises are often overlooked as common, not because their form and colors aren’t exquisite, but perhaps because we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing them in stitched motifs, clip art logos, or bored by the lesser varietals sold in grocery store racks. Like so many commercially bought flowers, much of the scent has been hybridised out of them. Even in the garden varietals. Personally, I can’t recall irises with anything more than a faint, powdery scent.
Until now.
What a difference a new perspective makes! Not just because of an intensified interest in scents for work, but because the wild purple irises (Iris germanica, or “bearded” iris), emblematic of Tuscany (it’s even the symbol of Florence) are a whole different thing.
For some flowers you need to really concentrate and breathe up into the top of your nasal passage to get the full effect. Not these. Intense musky notes with an earthy talc and seductive layer of pollen sweetness fill your nose without much effort at all. Freshly cut stems in a vase will easily scent a room with these heady notes. It strikes an emotional chord that is wonderfully exhilarating even as they pass their “prime”. Like wine whose fragrance layers reveal themselves with a little time to oxygenate, irises are florals that emit an even richer scent as they move past their visual peak. Faint woody and bitter green notes build upon the flowers’ powdery character.
Next time your come across a patch of wild irises, take the time to stop and breathe in. It just may open up a whole new appreciation for what a natural masterpiece these beauties are and why they are revered for their intoxicating complexity in the world of perfumery.
We included an iris note when creating our aétai eau de parfum. Although sharing the stage with other beautiful florals, iris’s sophisticated, powdery floralcy is a key note.