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Laurissilva Forest

Q: Is Laurissilva Forest natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No specific laurissilva extraction exists. Component materials individually available: laurel leaf oil, oakmoss alternatives, fern extracts. The accord is assembled to recreate the atmospheric character..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / green · aromatic · earthy

Laurissilva Forest

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	green · aromatic · earthy
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — olfactory accord evoking Laurel forest (Lauraceae family)
Appearance	N/A — olfactory concept in perfumery
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Portugal
Pyramid	Heart

Humid, green, mossy-ancient. Laurissilva is the subtropical laurel forest of Macaronesia — a living fossil ecosystem that smells like the Tertiary period: ferns, moss, wet bark, and deep green shade.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Humid, mossy-green, camphoraceous, ancient. Like entering a forest that has existed since before humans evolved — damp bark, hanging moss, fern fronds, misty air thick with terpenes. More humid than any temperate forest, more green than tropical rainforest. Cool, shaded, profoundly vegetal.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Humid green-mossy, camphoraceous, fern-damp

After a few hours

Deeper, more earthy-mossy, less camphor, cool shade

After a few days

Persistent mossy-earthy base, humid, ancient

The Full Story

Laurissilva (laurel forest) is a type of subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in the Macaronesian islands (Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores) and vestigially in parts of the Mediterranean and North Africa. These forests are relics of the Tertiary period (2-20 million years ago) — the last remnants of forests that once covered southern Europe.

The aromatic character of laurissilva is uniquely humid, green, and ancient-feeling: dominant laurel species (Laurus novocanariensis, Ocotea foetens, Persea indica) contribute camphoraceous-green-balsamic notes; abundant mosses and ferns add earthy, damp, green-mineral character; constant mist and humidity amplify all volatiles.

Madeira's laurissilva is a UNESCO World Heritage site — one of the largest surviving areas of this forest type. Walking through it is a olfactorily intense forest experiences available.

In perfumery, laurissilva provides a complete forest atmosphere — humid, green, mossy, primeval.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Madeira's laurissilva forest is estimated to be approximately 15 million years old — making it significantly older than the Amazon rainforest. The forest survived the Ice Ages because Madeira's oceanic climate buffered it from continental temperature swings.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No specific laurissilva extraction exists. Component materials individually available: laurel leaf oil, oakmoss alternatives, fern extracts. The accord is assembled to recreate the atmospheric character.

Molecular Formula	N/A — olfactory accord
CAS Number	N/A — olfactory accord
Botanical Name	N/A — olfactory accord evoking Laurel forest (Lauraceae family)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	laurel forest
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	N/A — olfactory concept in perfumery

In Perfumery

Laurissilva is a concept atmospheric note built from mossy materials (oakmoss alternatives, Evernyl), camphoraceous-laurel notes (1,8-cineole, linalool), fern-type greens, and humid-earthy modifiers. Functions as a forest-atmosphere accord in naturalistic, ancient-forest, and Macaronesian-terroir compositions.