- Family
- Orchid family (Orchidaceae)
- Origin
- the scent is created in the laboratory
- Parts used
- no material is obtained from the flowers
- Raw materials
- floral accords (often with vanilla)
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- floral
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- floral bases, vanillin, heliotropin
Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants on Earth, and most of them barely smell. So “orchid” in perfume is a fantasy floral accord that conveys the image of an exotic, luxurious flower.
How it smells: depending on the idea: from fresh, transparent and slightly green to dark, creamy and sweet, with vanilla and powdery shades. “Orchid” sounds mysterious and elegant.
The best-known fragrant orchid is vanilla: its pods give one of the most important scents in perfumery. That is why a vanilla-powdery side is often heard in orchid accords.
What it pairs with: with vanilla — a warm sweet orchid, with jasmine and tuberose — exotic white-floral bouquets, with patchouli — a dark “night” orchid, with fruit — modern fruity florals, with musk — soft skin scents.
Good to know: some orchids attract insects not with sweet nectar but by “deception” — a scent resembling that of a female pollinator insect.
