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Ornithogalum

Q: Is Ornithogalum natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No extraction exists. Ornithogalum flowers produce negligible volatile compounds. The note is an entirely synthetic fantasy accord..

FLOWERS / floral · fresh · green

Ornithogalum

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · fresh · green
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Ornithogalum spp.
Appearance	No standard commercial essential oil; headspace-derived floral accord
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe
Pyramid	Heart

Subtle, green-white floral with a papery delicacy. Star-of-Bethlehem carries almost no scent -- its perfumery note is a fantasy of purity and translucence.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Clean, white, near-transparent. A whispered floral: less sweet than lily of the valley, less green than freesia, with a papery, almost invisible delicacy. The impression is of white petals on white linen -- purity expressed as near-absence of scent.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Clean, transparent, barely-there white-floral

After a few hours

Soft musky warmth, dewy, quiet

After a few days

Near-absent clean skin musk

The Full Story

Ornithogalum (star-of-Bethlehem) comprises about 200 species of bulbous perennials in the Asparagaceae family. The white, star-shaped flowers are visually striking but carry minimal fragrance. Most species are effectively scentless to the human nose.

In perfumery, ornithogalum is a fantasy note translating the flower's visual purity and star-shaped simplicity into olfactory terms. The accord is typically clean, white-floral, papery-transparent: a whisper rather than a statement. Construction uses hedione (for radiant transparency), muguet-type materials (for dewy white-floral freshness), and clean musks for skin-like softness.

Functionally, ornithogalum works as a light, transparent modifier in the heart zone. It provides white-floral purity without the weight of jasmine or the narcotic depth of tuberose. The note works in clean, minimalist, and bridal compositions.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Several Ornithogalum species are toxic -- the bulbs contain cardiac glycosides similar to those in foxglove. The common name 'star-of-Bethlehem' may derive from its star-shaped white flowers, but medieval herbalists also called it 'dove's dung,' a name whose origin is genuinely lost to history.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No extraction exists. Ornithogalum flowers produce negligible volatile compounds. The note is an entirely synthetic fantasy accord.

Molecular Formula	N/A — no commercial essential oil
CAS Number	N/A — ornamental flower, no commercial essential oil
Botanical Name	Ornithogalum spp.
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	No standard commercial essential oil; headspace-derived floral accord

In Perfumery

Ornithogalum is a clean, transparent fantasy floral for the heart zone. Since the actual flower carries negligible fragrance, the accord translates visual purity into scent: hedione (radiant transparency), muguet materials (dewy white-floral), and clean musks (skin-like softness). Works in clean, minimalist, and bridal compositions as a near-invisible white-floral modifier.