Scent Journal - Wild Cyclamens
Taking note of the scents that inspire us
Visit the Tuscan coast in early spring and you may come upon a covering of these wild cyclamen (Cyclamen hederiflium) dotting the forest floor of the pineta (pine forest). An unexpected burst of penetrating aldehydic floral notes (green, metallic, and talcy) gives the sense of the most wonderful fresh linens. It’s a shame that many of the cyclamens you find today in homes and gardens have no scent at all—victim to hybridisers’ quest for long lasting blooms and leaves instead of cultivating this beautiful scent. It’s a real treat, therefore, to experience such a fragrant contrast to what many of us have grown accustomed to.
The visual of these saturated magenta blooms is no less impactful against the dark forest floor, either. The tall, twisting marittime pines canopy the blooms allowing them to thrive in pockets of sunshine and nutrient-rich earth of pine mulch. The dark browns and greens become a desaturated backdrop with such vivid color in their same space.
In this magical setting a fragrance formula almost writes itself.
Base notes of moist earth and last season’s dried, brittle pine needles and flaky bark mulch, briny notes from sea spray and beach kelp, then, finally, heady notes of the wild cyclamens at the heart of it all bursting with layers of fresh, metallic floral, talcy goodness!
We’ve been working on our new perfume fragrance which will feature aldehydic notes like those found in wild cyclamens. Stay tuned!