Reference
Materials index
The ten materials that carry the most weight in the cabinet, described plainly. The full organ runs to forty-one; ask at a sitting and the perfumer will read the whole list aloud.
Iris root (orris)
Aged three to five years before distillation. Powdery, cold, faintly of earth and carrot. The most expensive material in the house.
Vetiver
A grass grown for its roots. Wet earth and smoke. Haitian for brightness, Javanese for depth.
Tuberose absolute
A white flower with a voice like brass. Used in ratios, not drops, at midnight, when the nose is tired of it.
Labdanum
Resin from rockrose. Amber, leather, and a hint of animal warmth. The backbone of Amber Vigil.
Galbanum
A green resin that smells like stems snapped. One grain too many and the perfume becomes a lawn.
Immortelle
A yellow flower that never wilts. Maple, hay, and burnt sugar. Keeps citrus honest.
Bergamot
A bitter small citrus from the press house. The click of a light switch at the top of a perfume.
Oakmoss
A lichen with the smell of the forest floor after rain. The IFRA ledger has trimmed it over the decades; we use what the ledger allows.
Saffron
Spice, leather, and a metallic shimmer. Sold by the gram, used by the tenth of a gram.
Benzoin
A balsamic resin, vanilla-adjacent without vanilla's sweetness. The kind word at the end of an argument.