Floral Fragrances: How Does Botany Inspire Fragrance Designers?

Even if you wouldn’t call yourself a fan of floral fragrances, chances are you have worn a fragrance that has a floral note. Because most flowers smell very good, they make an excellent addition to a wide variety of perfumes. Whether you prefer lily, rose, or ylang-ylang, adding a slight floral aroma can do wonders to improve your mood and brighten your day. Because of the flower’s great importance to the perfume industry, we are going to be taking a look at the ways that botany has inspired hundreds of years of fragrances.

The History

Even as far back as the Egyptian era, flowers played a key part in the creation of fragrances. In fact, many of the flowers used long ago, are the same ingredients we use today. The Egyptians would mix together many different flowers, along with other sweet smelling herbs to create a concoction that would be burned for spiritual rituals. In addition, many Egyptian women would wear these mixtures in an effort to enhance their natural scent. Flowers were utilized in other ancient civilizations as well. For example, the Greeks and Romans would crush flowers and rub their leaves over their bodies so that they would be enveloped in a floral scent.

Floral Fragrances Today

We continue to use floral notes in the fragrances of modern society. For example, fashion designer, Marc Jacobs, has devoted an entire perfume line to daisies. Each fragrance in the Daisy line takes a slightly different look at the aroma of the sweet smelling daisy flower. With lids that resemble a bouquet of daisies, even the bottles are inspired by flowers! While Marc Jacobs chose to focus his line on one particular flower, other fragrances have taken to mixing the scents of many flowers together.

The fragrance Flowerbomb, as its name suggests, is composed of a great many flowers that come together to create a flower explosion. These days, floral notes are even sometimes used in men’s fragrances. For example, Tom Ford Noir takes notes of violet and mixes them with leather to create a slightly sweet scent; the result of which is undeniably sexy.

If you are interested in learning more about the many ways that flowers have inspired various fragrances and their designers, check out The Fragrance Outlet. After searching for your favorite fragrance, you’ll be able to see which notes make up its composition.