Siberian Rhododendron
Note Profile
About
Berry-topped green oil from a Siberian alpine shrub. Lychee and wine over leaf and wood.
Scent Profile
Siberian rhododendron smells of berry and lychee on top, a fruity, almost wine-like brightness over a green, leafy body. A woody depth sits underneath the leaf, and a faint boozy, wine-like note runs through the whole thing. A light floral note shows from the flowers caught in the distillation.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Origin
Steam-distilled essential oil of Rhododendron adamsii Rehder, a different species from the published rhododendron note (Rhododendron anthopogon, Nepal). It grows wild in the Sayan Mountains of southern Siberia and northern Mongolia, at 5,000 to 6,500 feet, and near Lake Baikal. Eden Botanicals says 'leaves and young stems are manually harvested and carried down from the mountains for distillation'. A second Siberian producer, Ecosibir, gives the charge as 'flowers and twigs with leaves', so the plant part is not settled across suppliers. The berry character has a named chemical cause: the oil 'contains 4-phenyl-2-butanone, the structure of which is similar to that of the so-called raspberry ketone'. The species is rare, vulnerable and under regional protection.
Usage in Perfumery
A natural-perfumery material rather than a commodity oil. Eden Botanicals says the fruity top note 'is prized by natural perfumers' and frames it as what sets R. adamsii apart from the common Himalayan rhododendron oil. Two small specialist suppliers sell it. No large house lists it. Attested in 8 Fragrantica perfumes and no Parfumo entries.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Siberian Rhododendron
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Siberian Rhododendron appears prominently.
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