Smilax
Note Profile
About
Smilax in perfumery is the florist's bridal vine: long strands of small glossy green leaves. Parfumo files the note under Green notes and that is the only category any source gives it. The material sold to florists as smilax is usually Asparagus asparagoides rather than a true Smilax, so the name points at a look, not at a species.
Scent Profile
Smilax smells green, the plain scent of small, glossy leaves rather than anything crushed or sappy. It reads as a leaf on a vine, described mainly for how it drapes rather than for any strong character, with no sharp, bitter or sappy edge to it. Beyond that green note, little else stands out.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Origin
No supplier sells a smilax oil or absolute. The name reaches perfumery from the cut-flower trade, where smilax means the fine trailing green line used in garlands, table runners and arches. Parfumo records 32 perfumes with the note. The true Smilax genus is a separate matter: Smilax ornata root is sarsaparilla, already published here as its own note, and Smilax aspera is valued for flowers with a heavy sweet perfume. Neither is what a florist means by smilax.
Usage in Perfumery
It is used as a green top accent. Molinard's Îles d'Or pairs it with honeysuckle and mimosa, a green-floral opening with no rooty material near it. Havenhollow's Eiverwold does the opposite and lists it beside sassafras, wintergreen, sweet birch and tolu balm, which is a root-beer set. Perfumers are not using one referent.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Smilax
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Smilax appears prominently.
No perfumes featuring this note have been reviewed yet. Check back soon.