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Smell of iris in fragrances

post #1 of 39
2/24/13 at 5:00am
Thread Starter 
Does iris smell like lipstick? This is the impression I get whenever I smell a fragrance that contains this note.
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post #2 of 39
2/24/13 at 5:11am
Yes, it's often said that iris has a lipstick-y makeup smell. It's particularly noticeable in scents like Dior Homme and DHI.
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post #3 of 39
2/24/13 at 6:26am
Yes, because lipstick and other cosmetic products have traditionally scented with iris. The iris in question is the root of the plant, by the way, not the flower.
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post #4 of 39
2/24/13 at 6:39am
Ahhh, the grey area of iris. It comes up a few times a year.

Questions I have yet to see answered.

Is the flower used or the root?

Iris Silver Mist, perfume with the highest iris dosage, smells nothing like lipstick.
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post #5 of 39
2/24/13 at 6:46am
Not all iris-centered fragrances smell of lipstick and/or cosmethics...Iris Silver Mist is a great example. Other ragrances that seems to skip this aspect being Iris Bleu Gris and Iris 39.
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post #6 of 39
2/24/13 at 7:02am
I don't equate iris with the smell of lipstick at all.
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post #7 of 39
2/24/13 at 7:03am
I would have said violet smells more lipstick-ish perhaps with some rose and vanilla.

Lipstick Rose by FM is a good example of this sort of combo.

Iris or orris smells more powdery than lipstick to me.
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post #8 of 39
2/24/13 at 7:56am
Iris pallida often lends a powdery aspect to a fragrance, as mumsy said. Perhaps that is what you are picking up on. Iris florentina, by contrast, can have more of an earthy or carroty character. I find it sweeter, too.
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post #9 of 39
2/24/13 at 8:16am
Powdery in some instances, yes but the lipstick thing is usually in combination with rose, violet etc. Lipstick Rose is a terrific, fun one in that vein, obviously, along with Moulin Rouge, and Dior Homme certainly leans in that powdery, almost pancake / make-up / lipstick direction.

Another one to add to those mentioned by hedonist and alfarom would be Bois d'Iris from The Different Company which has, as the name suggests, a woodier emphasis. Iris can also be sort of 'carroty'.
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post #10 of 39
2/24/13 at 8:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

Not all iris-centered fragrances smell of lipstick and/or cosmethics...Iris Silver Mist is a great example. Other ragrances that seems to skip this aspect being Iris Bleu Gris and Iris 39.

I guess everyone has different perceptions - When I first tested ISM, I stuck my wrist in front of my SO and his first response was "That smells just like a face cream or makeup my mum used to wear!" At that point I hadn't even made the association between iris and cosmetics.
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post #11 of 39
2/24/13 at 8:58am
As others have said, this is not the main facet. Iris smells rooty, slightly powdery, sometimes even with a bready note.

cacio
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post #12 of 39
2/24/13 at 9:26am
I don't think all the iris fragrances smell about cosmetics or lipsticks, try the wonderful Iris 39, Iris de Nuit Heeley or the surprising Impossible Iris Monegal for instance, but i know many different iris scents in my opinion far from the toiletry feel.
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post #13 of 39
2/24/13 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

Iris pallida often lends a powdery aspect to a fragrance, as mumsy said. Perhaps that is what you are picking up on. Iris florentina, by contrast, can have more of an earthy or carroty character. I find it sweeter, too.


I never tried iris as single note, but in my head i created 2 types of iris, just like Gandhajala mentioned,

one is powdery like in: insolence, Chanel no 22, cuir de russie, 1932, infusion by prada.....shalimar initial...so many frags use that powdery iris, it can be found everywhere and i think they mix it a lot with synthetic notes so whenever i smell something powdery i don't go crazy about it:-)

On the other hand there is this vegetable type of iris , most prominent in la pausa 28, where is much more natural then in Iris silver mist, which is more kind of perfumed up....and then iris nobile where its also perfumed up....those are the one i really like, its like finding a flower that doesnt smell of flower at all:-)

Oh impossible iris is so little of iris more of raspbbery? powdery note in the end , only the beginning smells a bit of real iris
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post #14 of 39
2/24/13 at 2:30pm
The iris in Dzongkha is absolutely different from the iris in DHI, for instance. There's the rooty-carroty iris and the powdery-floral iris, as stated above. I wonder if it's due to a different type of iris in each case, or of the notes they are combined with...
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post #15 of 39
2/24/13 at 3:24pm
Iris is a notable note in Chanel's Cuir de Russie, 31 Rue Cambon, and 21 La Pausa. Also notable are Dzongkha, Odalisque, and Shalimar; there are many others.
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post #16 of 39
2/24/13 at 7:11pm
I guess asking the following question is a moot point. What with the usage of aromachemicals and whatnot.

Is the scent of iris based on the root or the flower?
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post #17 of 39
2/24/13 at 7:40pm
Iris is a note that I've just recently come around to and have learned to appreciate. I find it a very intriguing and quite of a note. At first I couldn't stand it but now enjoy it; scents like Dior Homme which I first thought was feminine and not my cup of tea at all has now become a fragrance I really enjoy. The different facets of iris makes me interested to keep exploring iris based fragrances and try scents like Iris Silver Mist which take iris and give it its own twist. I find it especially good when it's in a supporting role or is in women's fragrances like Shalimar.
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post #18 of 39
2/24/13 at 9:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

I guess asking the following question is a moot point. What with the usage of aromachemicals and whatnot.

Is the scent of iris based on the root or the flower?

It's the root. Here's some info, particularly from reviews of Iris Pallida: http://www.osmoz.com/encyclopedia/ra...ris-florentina
http://www.aromascope.com/wp/2007/08...san-parfumeur/
http://boisdejasmin.com/2011/05/lart...me-review.html
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post #19 of 39
2/24/13 at 9:58pm
I don't know if it's the root or flower, but my favourites are:

MPG Iris Bleu Gris
Le Labo Iris 39
L'Occitane Iris EDP
Caron Tabac Blond
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post #20 of 39
2/24/13 at 10:17pm
They don't all have that lipstick note, but the best iris ever has that note.... Xerjoff Irisss!!
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post #21 of 39
2/24/13 at 10:31pm
no, iris does not smell like lipstick

the lipstick is being made to smell like iris
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post #22 of 39
2/25/13 at 12:38am
Iris in itself does not smell like any lipstick I know of. Xerjoff's Irisss is in my view the purest iris found in fragrances, followed closely by Iris Silver Mist. Smell those and decide for yourself.

To my nose, Dior Homme smells like cosmetics in general, and while it is an OK fragrance, it just doesn't compare to the two pure, earthy, powdery, carroty and dusty irises.
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post #23 of 39
2/25/13 at 7:14am
I just received a sample of Iris Silver Mist. After the massive raw carrot blast of the opening (I'd read the reviews but wasn't quite ready for just how carroty it actually is) it has settled down through an extremely green and earthy period into something rather delightful: a touch of incense, a cool, sweet note, and yes, every now and again a whiff of lipstick. Once every few minutes or so, I get that cosmetics note, then it's gone.

It's a funny one, this: starts out like a marathon gardening session (nothing light: digging, dividing and transplanting great tangles of aromatic roots) and dies down to the smell of the bottom of a very sophisticated lady's handbag. I don't understand it, but I like it.
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post #24 of 39
2/25/13 at 7:14am
Now I'm interested to compare ISM to the iris in Dzongkha. No carrots at all in Dzongkha, I don't think...
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post #25 of 39
2/25/13 at 7:23am
If people missed it, check out this post on November's Perfume Lovers London meetup which had iris as its theme.
Lila Das Gupta did an incredible job assembling a huge array of iris perfumes for the evening, as well as some raw materials.
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post #26 of 39
2/25/13 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDDP View Post

no, iris does not smell like lipstick

the lipstick is being made to smell like iris

Brilliant thank you.
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post #27 of 39
2/25/13 at 8:14am
Yes Hedonist, It's the root.

They must be harvested, and let sit for between 3-5 years for the Irones to develop in the roots. then they must be hand peeled, then chopped and then processed. The Yield is very low, and the time and labor involved for the task is a lot. It is one of the most expensive natural materials available. Which is one reason why most fragrance companies don't even think of using the real thing, and accomplish the goal with other duplications.
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post #28 of 39
2/25/13 at 8:37am
Nor do I.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

I don't equate iris with the smell of lipstick at all.
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post #29 of 39
2/25/13 at 9:13am
I get a waxy carrot smell from iris. I really like it.
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post #30 of 39
2/25/13 at 9:28am
It's 'orris' -- the root of the plant. Once rare -- now cheap as chips using aromachemicals. Often sweet, but quite vegetal. Dior Homme is drenched in musk giving the lipstick vibe.
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post #31 of 39
2/25/13 at 10:18am
Kaern, I don't think iris is sweet at all. It's powdery, rich, deep, earthy and vegetal, but not sweet. Also, would love to know which iris frags contain any relevant amount of the real thing. I'd gues Irisss and ISM atleast.
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post #32 of 39
2/25/13 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny_Ludlow View Post

.... Also, would love to know which iris frags contain any relevant amount of the real thing. I'd gues Irisss and ISM atleast.

Naïvely, I took those Chanel promo vids in which the camera slowly pans over fields of iris in Grasse at face value. Then I heard Chanel keep them just so they have something to show journalists. Not to say the house doesn't use any real orris butter, but...
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post #33 of 39
2/25/13 at 3:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

I don't equate iris with the smell of lipstick at all.

Same here.
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post #34 of 39
2/25/13 at 3:37pm
"Iris," the vague description of the note that is typically represented by various synthetic ionones and/or blends, is a tough one to pin, but is almost always earthy, powdery, and redolent of violets.

Real iris isolate, though, smells exactly like day-old puff pastry to me.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by tonghpafu View Post

I get a waxy carrot smell from iris. I really like it.

That might actually be carrot seed EO, which is often used alongside the genuine article as a topnote.
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post #35 of 39
2/26/13 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny_Ludlow View Post

Kaern, I don't think iris is sweet at all. It's powdery, rich, deep, earthy and vegetal, but not sweet. Also, would love to know which iris frags contain any relevant amount of the real thing. I'd gues Irisss and ISM atleast.

Check -- I meant powdery
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post #36 of 39
2/26/13 at 7:04am
dubble ^^
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post #37 of 39
2/26/13 at 5:28pm
Odori Iris does not have the lipstick smell. Its a dry earthy light powder smelling scent.
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post #38 of 39
2/26/13 at 5:43pm
Fun to read this today as I'm wearing Cartier Declaration again (I've really fallen for this somewhat-underappreciated classic), and this time I'm really noticing its beautiful, softening iris/orris notes. Everyone talks about the cardamom in this one, but today at least, the iris has stood out even more.
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post #39 of 39
2/26/13 at 8:04pm
My favorite is Dzonghka, but Iris Bleu Gris is excellent as well. I've never really noticed any iris in Declaration, I'll have to pay attention the next time I wear it.
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