White Champaca

Note Profile

Botanical

About

The lighter, tea-like champaca from Michelia alba

Scent Profile

White_floral is the centre, and every source leads with it, but all four also qualify it as restrained rather than narcotic. Premiere Peau calls the material 'less indolic, more transparent' than golden champaca and 'closer to magnolia'. Floral is that magnolia and freesia side, the part that is simply flower rather than heady white flower. Green is the tea character three of the four sources name: 'green-tea elegance', 'tea like undertone', 'soft green shadows'. Creamy_woody comes from Stillpoint Aromatics, who describe the aroma as 'creamy, almost buttery', and Rising Sun Botanicals, who call it velvety; the same buttery reading also sets lactonic. Fruity is the 'fruity notes' Rising Sun names and the banana blossom Stillpoint names, softer than the ripe banana and apricot of golden champaca. Below the line, tropical sits for the Southeast Asian blossom character, powdery for the ionone undertone the champaca glossary attributes to the genus, honeyed for 'sweet tea' and orange blossom, and animalic at only because the sources say less indolic, not indole-free.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~7h lasting

Family Floral

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

Origin

White champaca is the flower of Michelia alba, also written Magnolia x alba, a magnolia-family tree grown across South and Southeast Asia. It is a different tree from the golden or red champaca (Michelia champaca) that the published Champaca note covers. Solvent extraction of the fresh white blossoms gives a concrete and then an absolute. Premiere Peau records the absolute as pale yellow and lighter in scent than golden champaca absolute. One retailer sells a steam-distilled oil under the same name, so commercial preparations differ and their strength differs with them.

Usage in Perfumery

A heart note. Trade sources place it where golden champaca would be too heavy: tea-floral accords, clean white-floral work and Asian-inspired compositions. Rising Sun Botanicals says it is useful in jasmine accords and was traditionally co-distilled with sandalwood to make an attar. The absolute exists but is uncommon, so most modern use of the name is a reconstruction rather than the natural.