Lilies of the Field

Designers and advertisers in both fashion and beauty are going green, and now the trend is spreading to fragrance, too. Not just in fragrances’ color, but also in their names: Cristalle Eau Verte (Chanel), Aqua Verde (Azzaro), Nu Green (Honoré des Prés)… and even in the essences themselves: scents of freshly mowed lawn, boxwood, hyacinth, basil, galbanum and more…

Fashion house Chloé is featuring an imaginary nasturtium note. In terms of color, the juice is indeed green. In olfactory terms, it will put you in mind a languid nap stretched out on the grass in the countryside: wildflowers and tall grasses, which perfumer Louise Turner has softened with sweet, musky notes. If you’re someone who finds inhaling the scent of flowers relaxing, Clarins presents a new beneficial eau: l’Eau des Jardins. This fresh, floral-fruity fragrance also uses plant buds and sprouts in its formula.
As for super-model Kate Moss, she seems to be more into prairie-therapy than garden-therapy. Her latest fragrance, Wild Meadow, is redolent of the Costwolds region in England, where she loves to go to get back to nature. Hillsides, small villages and green pastures inspired a gentle floral fragrance with sweet, fruity accents.

The wildflower trend even includes some unisex or men’s scents. Swedish brand Byredo, for instance, recently launched La Tulipe, a fresh and imaginary floral with green-fruity accents of rhubarb. As for Serge Lutens, Bas de Soie (“Silk stocking”) features hyacinth in a fragrance with intertwining green and powdery tonalities.
Another unisex scent for those who enjoy escaping to the countryside (“campagne” in French): Eau de Campagne de Sisley. This surprising fragrance has a dazzlingly untamed botanical opening.

(*) Limited edition of the perfume Kate, harder to find than the original scent