- Latin name
- Lathyrus odoratus
- Family
- Legume family (Fabaceae)
- Origin
- the scent is created in the laboratory
- Parts used
- flowers (as the reference for the scent)
- Raw materials
- floral accords
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- floral
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- floral bases, linalool, benzyl acetate
Sweet pea is a climbing garden plant with butterfly-like flowers in delicate shades of pink, lilac and white. Its flowers smell strong and sweet, but no material is obtained from them, so the scent is recreated as an accord.
How it smells: tender, sweet and fresh: floral sweetness, a light honeyed and fruity shade, a faintly green freshness of the stems. Sweet pea sounds romantic, playful and light as spring.
The scent of sweet pea recalls hyacinth, rose and orange blossom all at once, so the perfumer builds it from several floral molecules. Different varieties smell different, and the most fragrant are the old-fashioned ones.
What it pairs with: with rose and peony — tender spring bouquets, with hyacinth — fresh floral greenery, with raspberry and lychee — fruity florals, with lily of the valley — transparent flowers, with musk — a tender skin-like base.
Good to know: sweet pea was the favourite flower of Edwardian England — it was grown for shows, and hundreds of varieties were bred.
