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Ingredient Spotlight: Muguet
Muguet—also known as lily of the valley—is one of the most iconic floral notes in perfumery. Its scent is fresh, delicate, uplifting, and immediately recognizable. But despite its popularity, the flower itself cannot be extracted. Every muguet note in fragrance is a perfumer-created reconstitution, crafted from other aromatic materials that mimic the real bloom.
Why Lily of the Valley Cannot Be Extracted
The natural flower’s aroma is extremely fragile. It contains volatile molecules that disappear instantly once picked, and the plant produces no extractable essential oil. Because of this, all lily of the valley in modern perfumery is built entirely through composition—not extraction.
This makes muguet one of the best examples of perfumery as an art and a science: creativity, chemistry, and raw materials must work together to recreate the scent of a flower that cannot be captured naturally.
How Perfumers Recreate Muguet (Reconstitution)
A muguet “reco” (industry slang for reconstitution) blends several fragrance families to build the illusion of the flower. While formulas vary by perfumer and brand, most muguet accords include three structural elements:
- White floral notes — the main luminous, petal-like floral character
- Green notes — fresh, dewy accents that give lift and natural transparency
- Rose notes — subtle depth that rounds out the floral structure
The art is in the balance. Changing the quality or proportion of each piece creates a different style of lily of the valley—cleaner, greener, softer, or more radiant. This is why muguet varies so widely among fragrances, even though the flower itself has only one natural scent profile.
What Muguet Smells Like
Olfactive Profile: white floral with fresh green accents
Muguet is known for being:
- Delicate and airy
- Optimistic and uplifting
- Clean, bright, and dewy
- Light rather than dense (unlike tuberose or gardenia)
It’s one of the most versatile florals in perfumery—easy to blend into modern fragrances for home, body, hair, and fine fragrance.
Where You’ll Find Muguet in Our Collection
Muguet appears as a supporting floral note in many of our professionally designed fragrance oils:
You’ll also find it at the heart of classic soliflore perfumes like Diorissimo (1956), one of the most famous muguet fragrances ever created.
Explore Related Floral Fragrance Collections
- Floral Fragrance Oils
- Fresh & Clean Fragrance Oils
- Green Fragrance Oils
- Spring & Summer Fragrances
- 100% Plant-Based (ISO 9235) Oils
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lily of the valley ever natural in fragrance?
No. The flower cannot be extracted. Every muguet note is built from other natural or synthetic materials through an accord.
Do different muguet accords smell different?
Yes. Depending on which white floral, green, and rose materials are used—and their quality—muguet can smell cleaner, greener, softer, or more radiant.
Is muguet used only in perfumes?
Not at all. Muguet is one of the most flexible florals and appears in fragrance oils for skincare, haircare, home fragrance, laundry, and personal care.
Can you develop custom muguet accords?
Yes. Our Fragrance Design Services team creates custom floral accords—including muguet-forward compositions—for brands of all sizes.
Have questions about muguet or floral formulation? Contact us—we’re happy to help.
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