Bunch-Flowered Narcissus

Note Profile

Botanical

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About

Bunch-flowered narcissus is Narcissus tazetta, the paperwhite. It is a different species from N. poeticus, the source of the published narcissus note. The note is a sweet, slightly indolic white floral with a green, herbaceous opening. Its animal side is wet and faecal, not hay-like.

Scent Profile

Bunch-flowered narcissus is a sweet white floral, slightly indolic like jasmine. It opens green and herbaceous, with a faintly phenolic, tea-like edge. An animal note follows. It is wet rather than dry, close to a horse stable or a damp, swampy pond. Underneath sit a plain floral body, a powdery hint of violet and heliotrope, and a buttery creaminess like stiff whipped cream. It stays cool and wet rather than musky.

ScentWheel

Breadthbroad

EnvelopeHeart · ~5h lasting

Family Floral, Green & Aromatic, Amber · Musk · Leather

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

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Materials That Can Make This Note

Perfumers can build Bunch-Flowered Narcissus from materials such as:

(e)-beta-ocimene herbal · sweet
Benzyl acetate jasmine · lily · floral

Smell words come from published sources.

Allergens perfumes with this note can list: Linalool

A given perfume with this note may use some of these, or something else, and may or may not contain the allergens above.

Origin

The flower of Narcissus tazetta, a daffodil with many small-cupped flowers on each stem. It grows wild around the Mediterranean. Common names include paperwhite, polyanthus narcissus and Chinese sacred lily. Around Grasse it was grown for perfumery as 'narcisse des plaines'. Its absolute is orange and less powerful than the poeticus absolute. Today most narcissus absolute comes from N. poeticus. Small producers still make tazetta extracts, for example an extrait by cold enfleurage.

Usage in Perfumery

A heart note. It gives an indolic white floral where narcissus is wanted with a wet, animal edge instead of hay and tobacco. It appears in few perfumes. It pairs with narcissus absolute to build a fuller narcissus accord. A dilute enfleurage extrait of it lasts about an hour on skin.