Osmanthus

Until a few years ago, I had never seen this lovely flower, much less smelled it. Long ignored by perfumers, there’s now a trend toward its subtle and intricate beauty. Since my first encounter, I’ve daydreamed about making a perfume out of these irresistible blooms.

At first sniff, osmanthus absolute smells sweet like peaches—almost cloyingly so--but after a small fraction of a second the fruitiness becomes infused with leather, shaded slightly with saffron. The aromas play off each other and exalt each other without either being loud or too overtly floral.

Working on the peach complex, I started out with the oldest compound first, aldehyde C-14. C-14 isn’t really an aldehyde, but rather, a lactone. Lactones are typically soft and creamy. To round out this aroma, I’ve been experimenting with seven recently released compounds—Nectaryl, Nectarate, Fructalate, Frutonile, Fructone, Apritone, and Aprifloren--each with its own shading, to give complexity and, if so desired, greater realism to the peach component.

To address the leather, I’ve started with hexanol, but it doesn’t last long and it’s harsh. I’ve included suederal, which, true to its name, accentuates the leather aspects. Oud is indispensable here. It contributes its leather notes and also lends a vibrancy to the whole perfume. It’s so strong that it’s more economical than one might imagine. I’ve included other ingredients such as labienoxime which has a leather component of its own, and dihydro ionone beta which links woody elements (Koavone, Okoumal) with the heart of the perfume. Tomato leaf absolute reinforces the leather. Burley tobacco rounds the whole thing off.

Now I have to make it last—it needs fixation—and round out the rough edges. I want to experiment with a little frankincense resinoid and some musks.