Iris (orris)
Iris pallida, Iris germanica
It is not the flower that smells, but the root. Powdery, cool and slightly earthy – the perfumery of luxury and cosmetics.
The note’s label
- Family
- floral note; among fragrance families, floral
- Position
- heart to base note
- Impression
- Pairs with
- Evokes
- lipstick · face powder · cool skin · carrot root
- Raw material
- rhizome, dried and aged for years
- Natural or synthetic
- Natural orris butter is one of the most expensive materials. More often the iris effect is created with ionones and irones.
Why the root
The iris flower is no use to perfumery. The raw material is the rhizome of the pale and German iris, which is dug up, dried and left to age for several years. During ageing, irones form – odorants with a violet-like, powdery tone.
Distillation produces a waxy mass called orris butter (beurre d’iris).
In perfume
Iris feels cool and elegant, often with an impression of lipstick and cosmetic powder. It pairs with rose, violet, musk and woods.
On the label
The violet–iris impression is often carried by alpha-isomethyl ionone, one of the original 26 allergens of Directive 2003/15/EC.
In the fragrance archive
- Kenzo Kenzo pour Homme (1991)
- Calvin Klein CK One (1994)
The archive is for reading only. Nothing in it is for sale.