Ironwood
Note Profile
About
A dense, dry woody note built as an accord rather than distilled from one tree. It reads as hard, mineral heartwood with a tarry smoke edge and almost no sweetness.
Scent Profile
Dry_woody is the note and the only source that describes it says so three ways: 'dense, resinous, and mineral', 'architectural dryness with minimal sweetness', and heavier than cedarwood, less sweet than sandalwood, more structured than patchouli. Mineral comes from the same 'dense, resinous, and mineral' phrase and from 'old workshop wood impregnated with decades of varnish and dust' - dust and stone, not sap. Amber_resinous is the resinous half of that phrase plus the woody-amber molecules named in the accord. Smoky is the ash and wood-fire half of the 'tarry-smoky undertones', and phenolic is the other half - the tar and the varnish, which no source says was ever burned. Both are held below guaiac wood on purpose: the same source separates the two by saying guaiac carries a 'pronounced smoky-phenolic character' while ironwood stays architectural. Earthy is the vetiver in the accord. Leather is inference from use, not from smell - the source says it anchors leather compositions, and the guaiac in the accord is described elsewhere as soft-leathery. Creamy_woody and sweet_vanillic sit because the source denies them outright, not because nobody mentioned them.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
Origin
Ironwood is a trade name, not a species. Premiere Peau lists at least three unrelated trees that carry it: Eusideroxylon zwageri (Borneo ironwood), Guaiacum species (lignum vitae) and Olneya tesota (desert ironwood). All are named for extremely dense heartwood, not for a shared smell. No manufacturer data sheet for a material called Ironwood was found. Premiere Peau says the perfumery note is a constructed accord of guaiac wood, cedryl acetate, vetiver and woody-amber molecules, which is consistent with the absence of any traded oil under the name.
Usage in Perfumery
A base note used for structure. Premiere Peau says it anchors heavy woody, leather and incense compositions and gives a backbone without the creamy sweetness sandalwood brings or the green root character vetiver brings. It appears in 6 Parfumo entries across 4 brands and 3 Fragrantica entries.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Ironwood
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Ironwood appears prominently.
No perfumes featuring this note have been reviewed yet. Check back soon.