Iris

Powdery, cool and elegant, with a hint of violet and earth.

The iris scent does not come from the flower but from the rhizome of the iris plant. The finest quality traditionally comes from Iris pallida grown in Tuscany around Florence; Iris germanica is cultivated today mainly in Morocco and China.

After two to three years in the field, the rhizomes are dug up, peeled and dried. They are then stored for several years – only during this time do the fragrant irones form through slow oxidation. Finally they are ground and steam-distilled. The yield is just 0.1 to 0.2 %: one tonne of dried roots gives 1 to 2 kg of orris butter.

Iris lends a perfume a cool, powdery elegance – velvety like cosmetic powder, with a hint of violet and damp earth. In our range it sits at the heart of 148 out of 184 fragrances: it bridges flowers and woods and makes a scent feel calmer, more refined and more grown-up.

Floral-powdery, with an earthy, slightly woody depth.

Harvested after two to three years in the field. Several more years then pass before the rhizomes become orris butter.

In our fragrances, it often appears alongside Vanilla, bergamot, jasmine, sandalwood, violet, ambergris accord, lime.

Orris root is one of Europe's oldest fragrance materials: Pliny the Elder already wrote about the iris from Illyria on the Adriatic coast. Later Florence became the centre of iris cultivation – the stylised lily in the city's coat of arms is in fact considered an iris.

• One tonne of dried iris roots yields only around one to two kilograms of orris butter.
• The stylised “lily” in the coat of arms of Florence is in fact considered an iris.
• Orris butter gets its name from being solid at room temperature – just like real butter.

The roots are stored for several years before distillation – only during this time do the fragrant irones form.