Floral · Accord · Top notes, Heart notes
Freesia
Freesia is a flower from southern Africa, and the freesia note in perfume is an accord because the flower's scent cannot be extracted. It smells light, clean and slightly peppery, with a thin floral sweetness. In perfume, freesia usually sits in the heart notes and gives a fresh floral feel.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does freesia smell like?
Freesia smells like freshly cut flower stems: fresh, clean, slightly green, with a faint peppery edge. Its sweetness is light, far from dense white flowers such as jasmine or tuberose. Many people describe freesia as smelling like soft soap.
On skin, freesia is strongest at the start of the heart, then softens into a slightly powdery sweetness. Freesia is brighter than lily of the valley and greener than rose, so it often appears in light floral perfumes.
Why is freesia always recreated?
Freesia belongs to the iris family, Iridaceae, and comes from eastern and southern Africa, with most species in the Cape Provinces of South Africa. The freesias sold by florists are usually hybrids of several fragrant species.
The scent of freesia cannot be extracted with solvents, and no freesia oil is made commercially. Perfumers therefore rebuild it. The main material is linalool, which dominates the scent of the living flower, with green notes and a little ionone for a violet-like side.
Freesia in a perfume
Freesia usually sits in the heart notes. It makes the middle of a perfume feel bright and clean, and often links a fruity opening to heavier flowers. Because it is light, freesia is rarely the lead note, yet it appears often in floral and fruity perfumes.
Good partners for freesia are pear and other fruit in the opening, rose, jasmine and lily of the valley in the heart, then musk in the base. Light as it is, freesia rarely lasts on its own, so the musk in the base carries its clean feel further, with results that differ from skin to skin.
When to wear a freesia perfume
Freesia suits daytime, work and hot weather, because it is light and only gently sweet. A freesia perfume also fits casual plans or closed rooms where a polite scent is best. For evenings, choose freesia with musk or woods for more warmth.
