Fern

Name and origin

The English term fougère comes from the French word for fern and was first used to refer to perfume in 1882. The French term was inherited from Old French fulgiere, which in turn originates from the Vulgar Latin filicaria and Classical Latin filix.

The fougère accord

Oakmoss (Evernia prunastri) is a species of lichen. The use of oakmoss in perfumes is now highly restricted by International Fragrance Association regulations.

Coumarin is an aromatic organic chemical compound with the formula C₉H₆O₂. It belongs to the benzopyrone chemical class and is considered a lactone. Coumarin was first isolated from tonka beans in 1820, and it is found naturally in many plants.

Aromatic fougère, a derivative of this class, contains additional notes of herbs, spice and/or wood. Many modern fougère perfumes have various citrus, herbaceous, green, floral and animalic notes included.

History

The fougère genre was established in 1882 with the creation of Fougère Royale, composed by the perfumer Paul Parquet. Fougère Royale is considered one of the first modern perfumes for its usage of synthetic aromachemicals. A key component of Fougère Royale was coumarin, which the English chemist William Henry Perkin had first synthesized in 1868.

Fougère Royale was initially formulated as a women's fragrance, like most perfumes of the time, but it quickly gained popularity among male consumers, particularly dandies and refined urban men, who were drawn to its familiar barbershop notes of woods and lavender.

Fougère Royale was discontinued in the 1950s, but its central accord of oakmoss, coumarin and lavender was re-used and adapted into many other fragrances. The 1898 creation of Trèfle Incarnat introduced isoamyl salicylate to the fougère skeleton.

Ferns as plants

The group of ferns includes over 10,500 extant species. Ferns differ from seed plants in their reproduction by spore dispersal and lack of flowers and seeds. Ferns are found in moist, shady forests, in crevices in rock faces, in acid wetlands and on tropical trees.

Volatiles of ferns

In the rustyback fern (Asplenium ceterach), headspace analysis of the volatiles emitted during rehydration shows a profile mainly composed of fatty acid derivatives. These include isomeric heptadienals (over 25%) and decadienals (over 20%), as well as other linear aldehydes, alcohols and related compounds.

The aerial parts of this fern markedly lack green-odor C6 compounds, as well as monoterpene-type, sesquiterpene-type and diterpene-type hydrocarbons and/or corresponding terpenoids. Among the compounds found are (2E)-heptenal, with an intense green fatty odor, and 1-octen-3-ol, with a sweet, mushroom-like odor.

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