- Latin name
- Hedera helix
- Family
- Ivy family (Araliaceae)
- Origin
- the scent is created in the laboratory
- Parts used
- leaves (as the reference for the scent)
- Raw materials
- green accords
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- green
- Position in the pyramid
- top note and heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- cis-3-hexenol, leaf aldehydes, green bases
Ivy is an evergreen climbing plant with glossy lobed leaves that covers the walls of old houses and tree trunks. No natural material is obtained from ivy, so perfumers recreate its scent with a green accord.
How it smells: fresh, cool and slightly bitter: juicy green leaves, shady dampness, a light earthy and mineral shade of old stone. Ivy sounds restrained, elegant and a little English.
The key role in the leafy smell is played by cis-3-hexenol — the molecule of freshly cut grass and a broken leaf. Perfumers combine it with softer notes to convey precisely the dense, shady greenery of ivy.
What it pairs with: with violet leaves and galbanum — intense green compositions, with rose — a “rose in the garden”, with moss and vetiver — shady woodland fragrances, with citrus — fresh daytime fragrances, with musk — clean, cool greenery.
Good to know: in ancient Greece ivy was the plant of Dionysus, god of wine: ivy wreaths were worn at festivals in his honour.
