Is Lava natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Lava

AccordPOPULAR & WEIRDearthy · warm · amber

BasePyramid

3/5Strength

>200hTenacity

1Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

N/A — mineral/abstract perfumery accord

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

Mineral, metallic, and searingly hot. The imagined smell of molten rock -- sulfur, hot stone, iron, and the particular emptiness of extreme heat.

EARTHY SMOKY SWEET AMBER WARM COOL FRESH MINERAL

volcanic accord, magma note

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Smoky woods
Cluster: Smoky woods
Source: fantasy accord (no natural source)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

>200hours · 8 days

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

Producing countries

N/A — abstract fragrance accord

Scent

Mineral, metallic, faintly sulfurous, and abstract. Like standing at the rim of a volcanic crater -- the air shimmers with heat, sulfur stings the nostrils, the rock underfoot is hot and metallic, and there is a vast, empty, elemental quality. Not a pleasant smell. A powerful one.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

Lava is a fantasy accord in perfumery, attempting to translate an extreme geological phenomenon into scent. Actual lava and volcanic environments produce: sulfur dioxide (sharp, acrid, burnt-match smell), hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs at low concentrations), mineral-metallic notes from heated rock, and an ozonic quality from ionized air.

Perfumers reconstruct this using mineral-metallic accords, sulfurous traces at micro-levels, ozonic materials for the ionized-air quality, and warm, smoky base elements. The challenge is suggesting extreme heat through scent -- heat itself has no smell, but the materials it transforms do.

The lava note is inherently abstract. It works best in avant-garde, mineral, and elemental compositions where the goal is to carries geological forces rather than any conventional perfumery category.

The note functions across the composition, from sharp mineral top notes to warm, smoky bases.

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Related: Akigalawood · Ambrocenide · Asphalt · Burnt Match · Charred Wood · Cigarette · Coal · Cuban Cigar

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Fantasy accord. No extraction. Reconstructed from mineral, metallic, sulfurous, and smoky synthetics.

Formula: N/A — fragrance accord
CAS: N/A — abstract mineral accord
Botanical: N/A — mineral/abstract perfumery accord
Appearance: Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: > 200 hours
Synonyms: volcanic accord, magma note

IFRA status

See note

Not applicable: accord or concept, not a single material

Physical properties

Note: Lava: volcanic mineral accord. Smoky, metallic, earthy notes reconstructed using cade oil, birch tar, and mineral musks.

In Perfumery

Accent note in mineral, avant-garde, and elemental compositions. Functions as an extreme-heat and geological-force element. Built from mineral-metallic accords, micro-level sulfurous traces, ozonic materials, and smoky bases.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02modifier

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

fragrance accord