Iris
42 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Floral, Powdery, Iris, Suede
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- Latin name
- Iris pallida, Iris germanica
- Family
- Iris family (Iridaceae)
- Origin
- Tuscany (Italy), Morocco, China
- Parts used
- rhizomes (not the flower), dried and aged for about three years (sometimes up to five)
- Raw materials
- orris butter (concrete), absolute
- Extraction
- steam distillation of crushed rhizomes
- Olfactory group
- powdery floral
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- irones, methyl ionones (ionones)
The great secret of iris: in perfumery it is not the flower that smells but the root. The rhizomes are dug up, cleaned and dried, then aged for about three years (sometimes up to five) — only then do irones form in them, the molecules with the characteristic scent. A tonne of roots yields just 1–2 kilograms of orris butter, which makes it one of the most expensive materials in perfumery.
How it smells: powdery, cosmetic and cool, with shades of violet, butter and a faintly earthy carrot. Iris makes a fragrance elegant and expensive, adding a feel of suede and clean skin.
The most prized iris is Florentine (Iris pallida from Tuscany). Because of the price, natural material is often supplemented with synthetic irones and ionones — they give the same powderiness, while the natural butter adds depth.
What it pairs with: iris often sits next to violet and mimosa (powdery flowers), carrot seed (warm earthiness), suede, musk and sandalwood (the feel of soft skin), and with bergamot and lavender it gives a restrained “masculine” iris. It rarely shouts — more often it makes a composition more refined and quieter.
Good to know: dried orris root was long used as powder for wigs and linen, and in Tuscany iris fields are still worked by hand — about three years pass from planting to harvesting the rhizomes, and the root then “matures” in storage for as long again.
Fragrances with Iris
