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Florentine Iris Absolute
Note Profile
About
Florentine Iris Absolute is the solvent extract of dried Iris florentina rhizome, the white-flowered orris species historically grown in Tuscany and on the coat of arms of Florence. It is powdery, dry and rooty like all orris, with a mineral, chalky facet and a warmer, less purely violet character than Iris pallida.
Also Known As
Florentine Iris
Scent Profile
Florentine Iris Absolute smells dry, chalky and powdery, closer to face powder than to a flower. A buttery, creamy woody texture sits under it, warm and sensual rather than sharp. An earthy rootiness runs through, the rhizome rather than soil, alongside a silvery, mineral edge. A soft floral violet note sits above all of that, present but less pure than in other iris.
ScentWheel
Breadthbroad
EnvelopeBase · ~30h lasting
Family
Floral
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Seen in
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Origin
From the rhizome, not the flower, and the rhizome must be dried for several years before the irones develop. Iris florentina is rich in cis-gamma-irone where Iris pallida leads with cis-alpha-irone. ScenTree records that florentina's use has declined since 1850 in favour of pallida, which yields better, but Hermitage Oils still lists florentina among the three species carrying bulk production alongside pallida and germanica.
Usage in Perfumery
A heart and base material in powdery, rooty and classical orris compositions, and a fixative. It is very expensive and used at low percentages. Where a formula wants orris with a fraction more warmth and less clean violet than Iris pallida gives, this is the reason to reach for it.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Florentine Iris Absolute
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Florentine Iris Absolute appears prominently.
