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. Is this true? Why rose yes and lily of the valley no?
7 comments
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 the cover version.
/Ingrid
kasia.berlin
Thank you, Ingrid. So the man at the market was right, and the soap in the shops is a cover too.
jess.in.philly
That explains why the lily of the valley hand soap at my office smells nothing like the plant in my aunt's yard. I just figured it was cheap soap.
mags.lavender
We had alot of it down the side of the house when I was a girl. Lovely, but the page Ingrid linked says every part of the plant is poisonous, berries included, so keep it away from dogs and little ones.
shona.whin
Mademoiselle Bulle made the same point about cosmetics in a piece on natural beauty: natural doesn't mean safe, and essential oils can irritate.
nell.wattle
For flowers that won't give up an oil, perfumers can capture the air around a living bloom and analyse it. It's called headspace, and the magnolia page has a bit on it.
kasia.berlin
Headspace, a new word for me. I will read the magnolia page tonight. Thank you all.