Is Moss Flox natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Fully synthetic..

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Moss Flox

FLOWERS / floral · earthy · sweet

Moss Flox

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · earthy · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Phlox subulata (Moss Phlox / Creeping Phlox)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	North America
Pyramid	Heart

A synthetic oakmoss building block. Earthy, damp, forest-floor -- chypre structure without the allergens.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Earthy, damp, and softly phenolic. The scent is of forest floor after rain -- decomposing leaves, wet bark, the mineral smell of lichen-covered rock. Less aggressively phenolic than Evernyl, less woody than Clearwood. A quiet, grounding earthiness.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Damp earthy moss, slightly phenolic

After a few hours

Deep forest-floor warmth, wet bark

After a few days

Persistent earthy grounding, soft and low

The Full Story

Moss Flox is a synthetic ingredient designed to replicate or extend the character of natural oakmoss (Evernia prunastri), which has been severely restricted by IFRA and EU regulations due to the allergenic compounds atranol and chloroatranol found in the natural extract.

The moss-oakmoss character is essential to two of perfumery's foundational families: the chypre and the fougere. Without a mossy base, these structures collapse. Synthetic moss materials like Moss Flox, Evernyl, and Clearwood allow perfumers to maintain these architectural forms while complying with modern safety regulations.

Moss Flox contributes an earthy, damp, slightly phenolic character that carries the forest floor -- fallen leaves, wet bark, lichen-covered stone. It is less powerful than Evernyl but offers complementary qualities for building multi-layered moss accords.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

The IFRA restriction on oakmoss absolute forced the reformulation of hundreds of classic fragrances. Perfumers now reconstruct the 'oakmoss' impression using combinations of 3-5 synthetic materials -- a jigsaw puzzle that still cannot perfectly replicate the original natural extract.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fully synthetic.

Molecular Formula	N/A — no standardized commercial extract
CAS Number	N/A — Phlox subulata does not yield a commercial oil with a registered CAS
Botanical Name	Phlox subulata (Moss Phlox / Creeping Phlox)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	PHLOX SUBULATA · CREEPING PHLOX · MOSS PHLOX
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid

In Perfumery

Moss Flox functions as a moss-building block in chypre, fougere, and woody-mossy compositions. Used alongside other synthetic moss materials (Evernyl, Clearwood) to reconstruct the oakmoss character that natural extracts can no longer legally provide at traditional concentrations. Provides earthy grounding in the base.