GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / green · earthy · fresh
Ivy
Category
GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory
green · earthy · fresh
Origin
Volatility
Heart Note
Botanical
Hedera helix
Appearance
dark green semi-solid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Asia, Europe
Pyramid
Heart
Green, waxy, and faintly musty. Ivy smells like the wall it climbs on as much as the plant itself: damp stone, dark green leaves, and the tenacious grip of aerial roots.
Green-waxy from the glossy leaves. Faintly musty-damp from the shade habit at. A mineral-stone undertone from wall-climbing growth. Less bright than grass, less herbal than herbs, more specifically persistent-shade. The impressi on is of a plant that has been growing in the same dark corner for decades.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Green-waxy, fresh crush
After a few hours
After a few hours
Damp-stone, musty shade
After a few days
After a few days
Persistent green-waxy, cool mineral
The Full Story
Ivy (Heder a helix) is an persistent climbing plant native to Europe and western Asia. The thick, glossy leaves have a particular waxy texture and produce a green-herbaceous scent when crushed, with a faint musty-earthy quality from the plant's preference for shade and damp walls.
The scent profile includes a dominant green-waxy quality from the leaf cuticle, a subtle herbaceous freshness, and a damp-stone-moss undertone from the plant's habitat. Ivy's aerial roots and its growth on stone walls mean its scent is always mixed with mineral-damp qualities. The overall impression is of a plant that is more environment than flower.
In perfumery, ivy is a natural note providing green-waxy, shade-garden character. It functions as a heart modifier in green, architectural, and shade-garden compositions. The note conveys permanence, shade, and the slow colonization of stone by vegetation.
This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Ivy has been used symbolically since ancient Greece, where it was sacred to Dionysus (god of wine and ecstasy). The plant's persistent nature represented immortality. Medieval English pubs hung ivy outside to advertise that they sold wine, which is the orig in of the pub name 'The Ivy.'
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Not commonly extracted for perfumery. The leaves can be tinctured or steam-distilled but this is not standard practice. The note is typically built from green-waxy materials, mossy accords, and damp-stone modifiers.
Molecular Formula
complex mixture (hederacoside C: C₅₉H₉₆O₂₆ as key saponin)
CAS Number
84082-54-2
Botanical Name
Hedera helix
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
English Ivy, Common Ivy
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
dark green semi-solid
Specific Gravity
0.930 to 0.960 @ 25 °C (est)
In Perfumery
Ivy is a natural heart modifier in green, shade-garden, and architectural compositions. It provides green-waxy character with damp-stone-moss undertones. The plant's wall-climbing hab it gives the note an architectural quality. Works alongside moss, fern, and stone-mineral materials in compositions evoking old gardens, covered walls, and persistent shade.
