In perfumery, there are six main olfactory families used to classify fragrances (citrus, floral, amber/oriental, chypre, woody, and aromatic). The feminine floral family is undoubtedly the richest and most extensive of them all. Floral perfumes are also among the most appreciated and popular worldwide.
Floral notes — whether figurative or abstract — are numerous and highly diverse. It is rare to love every floral family, but many people feel drawn to a particular type of flower, as their scents are incredibly varied and distinct.
In perfumery, we also distinguish between soliflores — evoking a single flower — and floral bouquets, which are more complex. These floral notes can be paired with any other olfactory family and are usually found in the heart notes of a fragrance composition.
Here are the main categories of flowers in floral fragrances:
- Green, spring-like or vegetal flowers
- White, sensual or solar flowers
- Powdery flowers
- Spicy flowers
- Roses
- Unusual flowers
Spring Flowers in the Floral Family
Synonymous with freshness, spontaneity, and joy, spring flowers bring green and vegetal notes to floral fragrances. However, many cannot be used in their natural form: several are mute flowers, whose scent must be recreated using natural raw materials and synthetic molecules.
Here are the main spring flowers used in perfumery, often referred to as flowers of renewal.
Narcissus
Native to Central Europe, North Africa and Asia, narcissus can be naturally extracted for perfumery. Today, the largest production area is in the Auvergne region of France. Highly prized by perfumers, it is found in high-end fragrances, especially floral and chypre compositions.
Its scent is green (see green facet), with earthy and animalic nuances — making it a challenging ingredient to work with. It appears in the fragrance Mont de Narcisse by L’Artisan Parfumeur.
Jonquil
Jonquil is extracted using volatile solvents, a technique that captures its unique olfactory signature. It evokes springtime freshness and has an instantly recognizable scent personality.
Jonquil appears in several floral fragrances, including:
- Vol de Nuit – Guerlain
- Velvet Orchid – Tom Ford
- Eau de Printemps – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Dolce Rosa – Dolce & Gabbana
White Flowers in the Floral Family
Also known as “narcotic flowers” or “sensual flowers,” white flowers share a common molecule: indole. This component gives them a naturally animalic, captivating and carnal facet.
Jasmine
Two types of jasmine are used in perfumery: Jasminum grandiflorum, which offers a delicate and balanced fragrance with animalic or fruity facets depending on origin; and Jasminum sambac, native to India, known for its warmer, more orangey and sensual scent. A cornerstone of floral perfumes, jasmine is found in:
- J’adore – Dior
- Jasmin des Anges – Dior
- Splendida Jasmin Noir – Bulgari
- Shalimar – Guerlain
- Souffle de Parfum – Guerlain
- À la Nuit – Serge Lutens
- Le Parfum – Elie Saab
- Jasmin Rouge – Tom Ford
- Eau des Sens – Diptyque
- La Chasse aux Papillons – L’Artisan Parfumeur
Tuberose
Once called the “Indian hyacinth”, tuberose is one of the most fragrant flowers, now extracted via volatile solvents. Its scent evolves from medicinal to milky, solar and coconut-like — deeply exotic and sensual. Notable fragrances include:
- Tubéreuse Criminelle – Serge Lutens
- Fracas – Piguet
- Le Premier Parfum – Chloé
- Poison – Dior
- Nuit de Tubéreuse – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Jardins de Bagatelle – Guerlain
- Parfum Terracotta – Guerlain
- Carnal Flower – Frédéric Malle
- Do Son – Diptyque
- Gabrielle – Chanel
Ylang-Ylang
Dubbed the “flower of flowers” in Indonesia, ylang-ylang exudes a radiant scent blending jasmine, monoï, and tuberose. This voluptuous and exotic note appears in:
- Cruel Gardenia – Guerlain
- Terracotta – Guerlain
- Samsara – Guerlain
- Songes – Annick Goutal
- Eau de Mohéli – Diptyque
- Organza – Givenchy
- Amarige – Givenchy
- N°5 – Chanel
- Infusion d’Ylang – Prada
- Ylang Nosy Be – Perris
- SunKissed Goddess – By Kilian
- Soleil Blanc – Tom Ford
- Gucci Bloom – Gucci
- Beach Walk – Margiela
Frangipani Flower
Delicate and sacred, the frangipani flower does not yield its scent naturally — it must be recreated in the lab. Its fragrance is soft, solar, and evocative of tropical islands.
Tiaré Flower
A symbol of Tahiti, the tiare flower can be extracted naturally, though its true scent is hard to capture. Reconstructed, it evokes exoticism and tropical sweetness. Examples include:
- Tiaré – Chantecaille
- Bronze Goddess – Estée Lauder
Gardenia
Mostly used as a reconstructed note, gardenia evokes a green white flower with a hint of rhubarb — thanks to the styrallyl acetate molecule. Found in:
- Cruel Gardenia – Guerlain
- Gardenia – Chanel
- Passion – Goutal
- Songes – Goutal
Lily
Majestic and symbolic, the lily exudes an intense, almost obsessive floral fragrance that is extremely difficult to replicate faithfully.
- Baiser Volé – Cartier
- Vanille Galante – Hermès
- Lys Méditerranée – Frédéric Malle
Magnolia
Native to East Asia, the magnolia (especially Michelia alba) offers citrusy, green and vanilla-like floral notes with a soft, solar elegance.
Orange Blossom
From the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium), this iconic flower is processed either as neroli (distillation) or absolute (solvent extraction). Used in floral, oriental, and chypre perfumes, it delivers solar, fruity or lavender-like aromas (see aromatic facet).
- Florentina – Delacourte Paris
- Osiris – Delacourte Paris
- Fleurs de Citronnier – Serge Lutens
- Fleur d’Oranger – Serge Lutens
- Histoire d’Oranger – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- La Chasse aux Papillons – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Néroli – Goutal
- Cologne – Mugler
- Mi Fa – Réminiscence
- Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger – Prada
- Bouquet de la Mariée – Guerlain
- L’Heure Bleue – Guerlain
- L’Heure de Nuit – Guerlain
- Néroli Outrenoir – Guerlain
- Grand Néroli – Atelier Cologne
- Escale à Portofino – Dior
- Néroli Originel – Givenchy
- Néroli Ispahan – Boucheron
- Séville à l’Aube – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Néroli Portofino – Tom Ford
- Acqua di Sicilia – Tom Ford
- Sole di Positano – Tom Ford
- Eau de Néroli Doré – Hermès
Rosy Notes in the Floral Family
Rose
Among all existing rose varieties, only two are commonly used in perfumery: May rose, or Centifolia (with its honeyed, rounded, warm and slightly candied scent) and Damask rose, or Damascena (available as essential oil or absolute, each with its own signature).
A staple of floral fragrances, rose can be fresh, oriental, fruity or more intense. It also blends perfectly with chypre accords, especially modern neo-chypres.
Some iconic rose-centered perfumes:
- N°5 – Chanel
- Jo – Patou
- Paris – YSL
- Nahéma – Guerlain
- Idylle – Guerlain
- Rose Barbare – Guerlain
- Drôle de Rose – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Voleur de Rose – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Lipstick Rose – Frédéric Malle
- Dovana – Delacourte Paris
- Chloé – Chloé
- Infusion Rose – Prada
- Romance – Ralph Lauren
- Isia – Sisley
Rose is one of the rare flowers that can be processed both by steam distillation and solvent extraction. Rose essential oil (from distillation) is among the most expensive raw materials—roughly four tons of petals are needed for just one kilo of essence. Rose absolute (from solvent extraction) is more affordable and offers a broader scent, typically used in the heart or base notes of floral perfumes.
Geranium Rosat
Rosat geranium, or pelargonium, originates from Africa and concentrates its fragrance in the stems and leaves. Its note recalls rose (they share about 30% of the same components), but it also has a green, aromatic facet with hints of mint, lychee or lemongrass. Often considered more masculine, it’s frequently used in fougère accords.
Geranium rosat features in many perfumes:
- Géranium Pour Monsieur – Frédéric Malle
- Wild Geranium – Aerin
- Rose de Chine – Tom Ford
- Rose Gold – Tiffany
- Eau de Minthe – Diptyque
- Équipage Géranium – Hermès
- N°18 – Chanel
- Vétiver Géranium – Creed
- White Flowers – Creed
- Velvet Pure – Dolce & Gabbana
- Rose de Russie – Tom Ford
Peony
A “mute” flower, peony does not release a natural extract. Its scent is reconstituted primarily using rose essence, phenylethyl alcohol, geraniol, fruity accents (like raspberry), and powdery notes (ionones, heliotropin). It lends a fresh, rosy, and delicate touch.
Spicy Flowers in the Floral Family
Carnation
Not to be confused with marigold (Tagetes), carnation’s scent is usually reconstituted through a blend of spices (clove, vanillin, heliotropin) and rose notes. Though natural extraction is possible, Egyptian carnation absolute is rarely used as it differs from the scent most associate with the flower.
Perfumes containing carnation include:
- L’Air du Temps – Nina Ricci
- Opium – YSL
- Bellodgia – Caron
- Tabu – Dana
- L’Oeillet – Prada
- Après l’Ondée – Guerlain
- L’Heure Bleue – Guerlain
- Lui – Guerlain
- Florentina – Delacourte Paris
Wallflower
Wallflower offers a musky and spicy scent with vanilla nuances. As a mute flower, it can only be recreated through synthetic accords.
Immortelle
Native to Corsica, Spain and France, immortelle (Helichrysum) is distilled to obtain an essence with spicy, honeyed, syrupy, and tobacco-like facets, and a touch reminiscent of curry. It’s a complex material that requires skill to use in perfumery.
It features in Sables by Annick Goutal.
Powdery Flowers in the Floral Family
The main powdery flowers are iris, mimosa, cassie, violet, and heliotrope.
Iris
Iris Pallida reveals a powdery scent blending violet, mimosa, subtle woody nuances (cf. The Woody Facet), and hints of raspberry or carrot. In perfumery, it is not the petals but the rhizomes—dried for several years—that are used. Extremely costly, iris is prized for its elegance, refinement, and soft vintage character.
Highly appreciated in powdery accords, iris also enhances oriental or woody compositions. Its quality depends on the percentage of irone, a precious molecule reminiscent of violet.
Some iconic iris-based fragrances:
-
- Infusion d’Iris – Prada
- Dior Homme l’Original – Dior
- Fleur de Peau – Diptyque
- Comète – Chanel
- Florentina – Delacourte Paris
- Iris Torréfié – Guerlain
Iris Poudré
- Iris de Chloé – Chloé
- Iris Bleu – Armani
Mimosa
A symbolic flower of southern France, mimosa is extracted using volatile solvents to obtain its absolute. Its scent blends violet-like accents, an almond-powdery facet, and a green note resulting from the simultaneous distillation of the leaves.
Some fragrances featuring mimosa:
- Mimosa pour Moi – L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Champs-Élysées – Guerlain
- Mimosa Pour Moi – Atelier Cologne
- Indigo – Atelier Cologne
- Les Infusions Mimosa – Prada
Cassie
Closely related to mimosa (they belong to the same botanical family, the acacias), cassie is reserved for fine perfumery. Its scent is powdery, spicy, woody, balsamic, with animalic accents reminiscent of ylang-ylang and subtle sulfuric and aldehydic nuances. It pairs beautifully with iris, mimosa, and violet.
Some fragrances containing cassie:
- Fleurs de Cassie – Frédéric Malle
- Après l’Ondée – Guerlain
Violet
Violet is a mute flower: it cannot be naturally extracted. Its scent is therefore recreated using ionones and methyl-ionones, molecules discovered at the end of the 19th century.
Some perfumes enhanced by violet:
- Insolence – Guerlain
- Misia – Chanel
- Florentina – Delacourte Paris
- Lipstick Rose – Frédéric Malle
- Blanche – Byredo
- Blanc Violette – Histoires de Parfums
- Tempo – Diptyque
- Flora Salvaggia – Guerlain
- Violette Volynka – Hermès
- Deep Viola – Byredo
- Black Violet – Tom Ford
Heliotrope
Heliotrope is also a mute flower. Its floral, almond-like scent—close to mimosa or lilac—is recreated either synthetically or using natural materials such as Tahitensis vanilla.
- Dovana – Delacourte Paris
- Heliotrope – Etro
- Après l’Ondée – Guerlain
Rare Flowers in the Floral Family
Reseda
This delicate flower gives off a honeyed scent reminiscent of lily of the valley and narcissus.
Champaca
A highly prized white flower, Michelia Champaca offers a warm ambered scent with nuances of hay, rosy and honeyed accents, and an impression similar to ylang-ylang—between heady jasmine and spicy-animal facets.
Some champaca-based creations:
- Champaca – Comme des Garçons
- Un Matin d’Orage – Annick Goutal
Broom (Genêt)
Its golden-yellow flowers release a fruity-bitter scent, somewhere between orange blossom, linden, honey (cf. Beeswax) and tobacco.
Pittosporum
A small tree with glossy evergreen foliage, pittosporum bears white-greenish flowers with a scent between jasmine and orange blossom. However, it cannot be extracted naturally: only reconstitutions are possible.
Mahonia
Native to America and Asia, this shrub offers a honeyed scent reminiscent of lily of the valley and narcissus, and exists only as a reconstituted note.
Karo Karoundé
A rare and powerful flower, karo karoundé delivers a very green, spicy scent with an animal-leathery effect. It can be used in its natural form.
Mock Orange (Syringa)
This flower, with facets of jasmine and orange blossom, brings freshness and brightness. As a mute flower, it must be fully reconstructed for use in perfumery.
The floral family also includes many other emblematic flowers: hyacinth—featured in Chamade by Guerlain—and lily of the valley, found in Porcelaine by Hermès, Diorissimo by Dior, Muguet by Guerlain, Le Muguet by Goutal, and Lily of the Valley by Yardley.
