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Lily of the Valley Leaves | Première Peau

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES  /  fresh · green · floral
Lily-of-the-Valley Leaves
Lily-of-the-Valley Leaves perfume ingredient
CategoryGREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategoryfresh · green · floral
Origin
VolatilityHeart Note
BotanicalConvallaria majalis
AppearanceDark green semi-viscous liquid
Odor StrengthMedium
Producing CountriesAsia, Europe
PyramidHeart

Green, crisp, faintly aquatic. The leaves of muguet — greener, wetter, and less sweet than the flower's synthetic reconstruction. Vegetal freshness with a watery edge.

  1. Scent
  2. The Full Story
  3. Fun Fact
  4. Extraction & Chemistry
  5. In Perfumery
  6. See Also

Scent

Green, crisp, faintly aquatic-watery. The actual leaf — not the imagined flower. Vegetal, fresh, with the generic green-leaf character of crushed spring vegetation. Less sweet than muguet reconstruction, more honest — the plant as it actually smells rather than as we wish it did.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Immediately

After a few hours

After a few hours

After a few days

After a few days

The Full Story

Lily of the valley leaves (Convallaria majalis foliage) have a green, crisp, slightly aquatic-vegetal character distinct from the flower's imagined scent. Since the flower itself produces no commercial extract (all muguet scents are synthetic), the leaf offers a different entry point — real, green, botanical, rather than fantasized.

The leaves contain convallatoxin and other cardiac glycosides (making the entire plant toxic), along with green-type volatiles: cis-3-hexenol (leaf alcohol), various monoterpenes, and traces of the aldehydes that green-leaf damage produces.

In perfumery, lily of the valley leaves provide a realistic green note with the cultural association of muguet — a material that references the plant's actual botanical character rather than its perfumery fantasy.

Useful in green, naturalistic, and May-garden compositions.

Did You Know?

Did you know?
Every part of Convallaria majalis is toxic — even the water in a vase of lily of the valley can contain enough cardiac glycosides to be dangerous. Despite this, it remains France's traditional May Day gift flower (muguet du 1er mai).

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial extraction of Convallaria majalis leaves exists for perfumery. The plant is toxic (cardiac glycosides). The green-leaf character is reconstructed from cis-3-hexenol and related green synthetics.

Molecular Formulacomplex mixture (green leaf aldehydes, hydroxycitronellal note)
CAS NumberN/A — natural plant material (no standard essential oil)
Botanical NameConvallaria majalis
IFRA StatusNo known restrictions
SynonymsMAY LILY · CONVALLARIA
Physical Properties
Odor StrengthMedium
AppearanceDark green semi-viscous liquid
Specific Gravity0.900 to 0.950 @ 25 °C (est)

In Perfumery

Lily of the valley leaves provide a green, vegetal modifier associated with the muguet plant. Reconstructed from cis-3-hexenol (leaf alcohol), green terpenes, and watery-fresh modifiers. Functions as a realistic green note in spring, garden, and naturalistic compositions. Provides the plant's actual botanical character rather than the flower's synthetic fantasy.

See Also

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