Lily of the valley, a spring flower
Origin of lily of the valley
Lily of the valley is native to China and has been known in France since the Middle Ages. For a long time, it has been associated with renewal and then became a symbol of happiness.
It is also called Parnassus grass. According to a legend, it was created by Apollo, god of Mount Parnassus, so that the nine muses who surrounded him could walk on this pretty green carpet without hurting their delicate feet.
The first sales of lily of the valley in France began in 1936, at the time of the Popular Front and paid holidays.
The 1st of May is still celebrated today in France, the Labour Day. On this day, many vendors offer their products on the sly in the streets. It is also found in florists' shops.
Lily of the valley flower has always been very prominent with Christian Dior who made it his lucky charm.
Lily of the valley description sheet
Botanical name of the lily of the valley: Convallaria Majalis
Botanical family of the lily of the valley: Liliaceae
Lily of the valley originates from countries with a temperate climate. With its bell-shaped flowers and delicate scent, lily of the valley has been and still is a commercial success.
It is a typical spring plant, a perennial herb that can also be found in the wild. It is a flower that can be poisonous if put in the mouth.
Processing and manufacturing of the lily of the valley raw material
Lily of the valley is a flower that is called a mute flower, meaning that it does not give off its fragrance, neither in essence nor in absolute, like lilac, honeysuckle, violet, seringa, hyacinth or sweet pea. All these flowers are considered fresh and spring flowers in perfumery (cf. Flowers).
The fragrance of lily of the valley cannot be extracted from the flower. We are therefore obliged to recreate its scent through a combination of natural and synthetic raw materials. This accord can be called reproduction or reconstitution. It is also possible to use the headspace, which will be a reproduction of the scent of the flower but more focused on its top notes.
Olfactive description of lily of the valley
The scent of lily of the valley is fresh, spring-like, light, watery, slightly jasmine, floral, crisp green.
Use of lily of the valley in perfumery
Lily of the valley is associated with fresh floral fragrances. It is sometimes used in soliflores. Lily of the valley brings freshness, innocence, or naturalness to the fragrance.
Lily of the valley is sometimes found in the top notes of oriental fragrances, such as Ubar by Amouage.
Main components of lily of the valley
Phenylacetaldehyde oxime and dihydrofarnesal.
Molecules that help build the scent of lily of the valley: linalool, hydroxycitronal (limited) lilial and lyral (now banned). Aldehyde cyclamen, mayol, florol, nymphéal and many other molecules have helped to reconstitute lily of the valley over time.
Here is the general formula of a lily of the valley composition, each perfumer has his own way of transcribing and interpreting it. In descending order, the list of components most present to those found in trace amounts in the composition:
- Florol (transparent floral note)
- Jasmonal (transparent floral note)
- Phenyl ethyl alcohol (molecule contained in the rose)
- Citronnellol (molecule contained in rose)
- Bulgarian rose essence
- Jasmine absolute
- Indole (animal component contained in jasmine)
Perfumes containing lily of the valley
The very first perfumes with lily of the valley notes:
- Muguet des Bois by Coty
- Muguet by Caron
- Muguet by Guerlain
Nowadays we can mention following perfumes:
- Muguet by Guerlain (every year it comes in a new perfume bottle)
- Diorissimo by Dior
- Pleasures by Estée Lauder
- Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel
- Beige by Chanel
- Lily of the Valley by Penhaligon's
- Bluebell by Penhaligon's
- Muguet Porcelaine by Hermès
- Miu Miu by Miu Miu
- Lily of the Valley by Annick Goutal
- Muguet Blanc by Van Cleef & Arpels
- Velvet Mughetto by Dolce & Gabbana
- Nivea cream fragrance
Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes
Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.