Lily of the valley: a flower perfumers must build from scratch
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a spring woodland plant whose small white bells have a sweet, penetrating scent. It gives too little to extract for perfumery, so lily-of-the-valley notes in perfume are built from synthetic molecules.
Where does lily of the valley come from?
Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, is native to Europe and to Western and Northern Asia, and flowers in late spring. Every part of the plant is poisonous, including its small orange-red berries. Its French name, muguet, often appears in the names of perfumes that imitate the flower.
Why is there no lily of the valley oil?
Lily of the valley gives too little to extract for perfumery. The botanical profile of lily of the valley states that no natural aromatic extract can be produced from it, so its scent must be recreated synthetically. That makes it one of the classic cases of a flower rebuilt by chemistry.
How do perfumers recreate lily of the valley?
The lily of the valley accord relies on a handful of molecules:
- hydroxycitronellal, described as sweet, floral, lily-like, green and waxy;
- lilial, whose (R) form smells of cyclamen or lily of the valley, used in many perfumes before 2022 as a synthetic substitute for the flower.
In 1956, Edmond Roudnitska composed Diorissimo for Dior around this flower. As the biography of Edmond Roudnitska explains, he got around the missing oil by using aroma chemicals like hydroxycitronellal. Diorissimo has since been reformulated to comply with IFRA standards, removing two components identified as potential allergens.
What should you know about lily of the valley?
Lily of the valley molecules are tightly regulated. Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1902 added lilial, listed as 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)propionaldehyde, to the substances banned in cosmetics from 1 March 2022, after it was found toxic for reproduction. Hydroxycitronellal is still allowed, but the EU Cosmetic Products Regulation requires it on the label above 0.001% in leave-on products. Lily of the valley belongs to the florals family; violet and magnolia are two other flowers perfumers rebuild. The Class on allergens and IFRA explains the labelling rules.
Often paired with
Further reading
- Lily of the valley en.wikipedia.org
- Edmond Roudnitska en.wikipedia.org
- Diorissimo en.wikipedia.org
- Hydroxycitronellal en.wikipedia.org
- Lilial en.wikipedia.org
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1902 of 29 October 2021 amending Annexes II, III and V to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards the use in cosmetic products of certain substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction eur-lex.europa.eu
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products eur-lex.europa.eu
Lily of the valley in the feed
kasia.berlinin Florals & Bouquets · Berlin ·
QuestionWhy nobody can sell real lily of the valley oil
At home in Poland my grandmother had lily of the valley under the kitchen window, and in spring the whole room smelled of it. I wanted a little oil of it for a cloth in my bike workshop. A man at the flea market told me there is no real one, only imitation.…
ingrid_berlin True: the flower gives too little to extract for perfumery, so every lily of the valley note is rebuilt from synthetic molecules . You only ever hear…
hamish_heatherin Florals & Bouquets · Edinburgh ·
ChallengeThree words, one flower: guess it
Aye, a wee game for a dreich weekend. I describe a flower in three words, you guess, and whoever gets it posts the next one. Folk who come into the shop play this with whisky and never loose interest. Mine: custard, rubber, sunshine.
dex_in_brooklyn custard and rubber is a weird combo but you're describing ylang-ylang, I'd bet my knives on it
kasia.berlinin Welcome to the Club · Berlin ·
Introduction
Bike mechanic in Berlin, chasing lily of the valley
Hi, I am Kasia, from Poland, and I fix bikes in Berlin. Chain oil all day, but in June the linden trees make the whole city sweet. My grandmother had lily of the valley under her window in spring and I still look for that smell everywhere. My one little…
mags.lavender Morning all, and welcome Kasia. Lily of the valley is one of my favourites too, and there's alot of us chasing it. Have a read of the lily of the…