Ingredient Guide
The flower known in Japanese as kiku is called chrysanthemum in English, a name that means “golden flower” in Greek (chrysos = gold + anthemon = flower). In Japan, it symbolizes autumn and is grown not only for ornamental purposes but also for food. Although chrysanthemums apparently grew wild there, they are said to have been introduced from China around the Heian period.
As a fragrance material, chrysanthemum is relatively uncommon in perfume, and its scent is generally created by combining several aromas. Chrysanthemum has a herbal, camphoraceous, green scent with spicy aspects as well.
An early perfume using chrysanthemum was Estée Lauder’s Private Collection (1973, Vincent Marcello). More recent examples include Chrysanthemum (Demeter, 2011), Myths Woman (Amouage, 2016), De profundis (Serge Lutens, 2011, Christopher Sheldrake), and Tian Di (Frassaï, 2017, Olivier Gillotin). (See more examples here.)
What Does It Smell Like in Perfume?
Chrysanthemum’s scent has green and herbal freshness reminiscent of green stems and leaves, layered with subtle camphor, dry spices, and restrained floral sweetness. In perfume, it adds a bittersweet outline and a poised tension to florals, giving an elegant floral scent depth. The balance of these aspects varies by species and cultivar. Natural extracts such as essential oils and concretes may be used, while a chrysanthemum impression can also be created by combining several fragrance materials.
Choosing Chrysanthemum Fragrances
Your choice may depend on whether you love the flower itself, the greenness of its leaves or the bitterness of chrysanthemum tea. If it is the tea, there are fragrances with chamomile and honeyed sweetness too. Anyone expecting only a sweet floral scent may find the herbal side surprising.
Fragrances to Explore
RAIN TEA (Chasing Scents)
The brand uses materials it extracts in-house from chrysanthemum and chamomile flowers, layered with white tea, barley, honey, longan and other notes. Alongside the fragrances mentioned above, this is a way to enjoy chrysanthemum as a tea scent.
Find Your Next Fragrance
To explore more fragrances through the notes you enjoy, open our Fragrance Finder. Choose “Favorite fragrances & notes”, then search under “Favorite notes”. Select from the suggestions shown and press “Next”. You can start with notes even if you do not have a favorite fragrance.
