Green notes
Coralie Frébourg
Green notes in perfumery:
Although quite common in perfumery (especially during the "Belle" Perfumery era), green notes are not part of the 6 original families (Floral, Hesperidia, Woody, Oriental, Fern, Chypre) according to the SFP (Société Française des Parfumeurs).
The green note is very characteristic in perfumery: either you love it or you hate it.
Some will say that it adds a natural, vegetal facet to a perfume, while others will say that the "leaves of..." effect is too pungent for the nose, too green.
The effects of these notes are quite interesting for energising a fragrance head, giving it a crisp, wet, green aspect. The smell of freshly cut grass, morning dew, the local florist. In short, everything green.
These are usually top/heart notes. Here are some raw materials. Natural notes are followed by an *:
- Grassy green:
Cis 3 hexenol: solar.carnation.fruity
Triplel: solar.carnation.fruity
Stemone: fig.mint.aniseed
- Fruity green:
Mastic Absolute: terpenic.woody.balmy
Styallyl acetate: rhubarb.metallic.hazelnut
Allyl Amyl Glycolate: pineapple.fat.plastic
Blackcurrant bud Absolu*: sulphurous.resinous.cat pee
Oxane: green.sulfur.blackcurrant
Undecavertol: violet.fruity.floral
Glycolierral: grapefruit.floral.pepper
- Watery green:
Leaves of Violet Absolute*: cucumber.seaweed.leather
Methyl carbonate octine: watery.violet.mushroom
Folione: fruity.plastic.violet
Nonadienal: cucumber.mimosa.aldehyde
Nonadienol: cucumber.purple.fat
- Green :
Galbanum Essence*: pepper.carrot.turpentine
Absolute Narcissus*: floral.hay.honey
Stemone: fig.mint.aniseed
Some emblematic perfumes:
"Night Flight" - Guerlain 1933 - Jacques Guerlain / Woody Green
"Green Wind" - Balmain 1947 - Germaine Cellier / Green Floral
"Miss Dior Original" - Dior 1947 - Jean Carles & Paul Vacher / Floral Chypre
"No. 19" - Chanel 1970 - Henri Robert / Floral Green
"Alloy" - Estée Lauder 1972 - Francis Camal & Bernard Chant / Green Floral Chypre
"Pleasures" - Estée Lauder 1995 - Alberto Morillas & Annie Buzantian / Green Floral
"Untitled" - Margiela 2010 - Daniela Andrier / Floral Woody Green
"Beautiful breathe" - Chanel 2016 - Jacques Polge / Floral Green
This list is not exhaustive because there are a lot of beautiful launches: some emblematic, some more commercial.
