Green

Lily of the Valley

Note Profile

Botanical 2,522 perfumes

Also Known As

Muguet (Lily of the Valley), Nympheal™

About

Fresh, green floral

Scent Profile

Cool, green and waxy - a shaded garden path in early May. A white-floral bell sits at the centre, dewy and soft, with a metallic shimmer underneath and an almost watery transparency. The green stem is always there, vegetal and slightly bitter, like snapped celery. It stays light and airy rather than narcotic, and the drydown is soapy and clean, close to laundered cotton.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~6h lasting

Family Floral, Green & Aromatic, Waxy & Fatty

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

What this is made of

Lily of the Valley names no single substance

Reconstructed

Muguet yields no extract at all - the flower cannot be distilled - so every lily-of-the-valley note is a reconstruction.

How the layers join

Origin

Natural extraction from Convallaria majalis is not feasible due to the low yield and instability of its aromatic compounds. In perfumery, the scent is recreated using a blend of synthetic molecules such as hydroxycitronellal, lilial, and lyral to mimic the natural flower's aroma. These synthetics are carefully combined to achieve the characteristic green-floral profile.

Usage in Perfumery

Lily of the Valley is typically used as a heart note, imparting freshness and a sense of purity to floral bouquets and green compositions. It blends well with other florals like rose and jasmine, as well as green notes and light woods. Perfumers use it to add brightness and a clean, uplifting quality to both feminine and unisex fragrances.