Magnolia
17 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Floral, Fresh, Fruity floral, White floral
- Latin name
- Magnolia grandiflora, Michelia alba (white champaca)
- Family
- Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae)
- Origin
- China (Michelia alba flower oil); most magnolia notes are accords
- Parts used
- flowers and leaves
- Raw materials
- flower and leaf essential oil; floral accords
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- floral (fresh white flowers)
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- linalool, methyl dihydrojasmonate (Hedione), citrus-floral bases
The magnolia is a tree with large waxy flowers that smell so strongly their scent carries several metres. Yet obtaining much material from them is difficult, so in perfume magnolia is most often recreated as an accord, while natural oil comes from related Chinese magnolias (Michelia alba).
How it smells: fresh, creamy and lemony: delicate white flowers, a light citrus shade, a little tea and greenery. Magnolia sounds lighter and cleaner than tuberose or ylang-ylang, with the feel of a spring garden.
In perfumery magnolia is an “airy” flower: it adds light and transparency to a composition, so it often appears in fresh floral, citrus and tea fragrances and softens oriental ones.
What it pairs with: with jasmine and lily of the valley — transparent white bouquets, with bergamot and lemon — fresh spring scents, with tea — clean and calming ones, with musk — tender skin scents, with vanilla and sandalwood — creamy warm compositions.
Good to know: magnolias are among the oldest flowering plants on Earth: they existed before bees appeared and were pollinated by beetles.
Fragrances with Magnolia
