Fragrance note guide

What Does Lily-of-the-Valley Smell Like in Perfume?

Lily-of-the-valley in perfume usually smells fresh, clean and green, with watery, dewy and softly sweet floral sides. It can suggest small white spring flowers, cool air and fresh leaves. The note is also called muguet. It is normally created as a perfume accord using fragrance molecules rather than produced as a widely used natural flower extract.

White lily-of-the-valley flowers with broad green leaves on a light misty aqua background

What Does Lily-of-the-Valley Smell Like?

A muguet accord can feel crisp, transparent and almost watery. Some versions are lightly citrusy or aldehydic, while others are smoother, creamier or more strongly green. Givaudan describes Nympheal as a muguet material with green, watery and linden-blossom facets. IFF’s Starfleur also has a fresh floral-green muguet character with transparent watery qualities.

Where Does Lily-of-the-Valley Come From?

The real lily-of-the-valley plant is Convallaria majalis, a rhizomatous perennial native from Europe to the Caucasus. In perfumery, its familiar smell is reconstructed with muguet fragrance molecules. Modern materials such as Nympheal and Lilybelle allow perfumers to create fresh lily-of-the-valley effects with different levels of greenness, wateriness, creaminess and diffusion.

How Lily-of-the-Valley Is Usually Described

  • Fresh
  • Clean
  • Green
  • Watery
  • Dewy
  • Softly sweet

How Is Lily-of-the-Valley Used in Perfume?

Lily-of-the-valley is normally used in the top or heart of floral, green, fresh, aquatic and fruity fragrances. It blends well with bergamot, lemon, pear, violet leaf, jasmine, rose, peony, cyclamen, musk and light woods. It can make a floral bouquet feel cleaner and more open or add a spring-like freshness to fruit and citrus notes.

Notes Commonly Paired With Lily-of-the-Valley

White jasmine flowers and green leaves against a soft blue green background
Fragrance note

Jasmine

Jasmine in perfume usually smells rich, sweet and floral. It can also seem creamy, green, fruity or slightly spicy, depending on the type of jasmine and the other...

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Fresh bergamot oranges with glossy green leaves
Fragrance note

Bergamot

Bergamot in perfume smells fresh, bright and citrusy, with a soft floral character and a slightly bitter green edge. It is less sharp than lemon and often feels...

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White black locust flower clusters with green leaves on a pale lavender-blue background
Fragrance note

Black Locust

Black locust in perfume usually smells sweet, floral and honeyed, with green, powdery and softly orange-blossom-like sides. The effect can suggest clusters of white spring flowers and light...

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Crushed leaves, snapped green stems, cut grass and a violet leaf representing green notes in perfumery
Fragrance note

Green Notes

Green notes in perfume usually smell like crushed leaves, cut grass, snapped stems and fresh plant sap. They can be crisp, watery, bitter, herbal or slightly metallic. Green...

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Cream and pale yellow honeysuckle flowers with green leaves on a dusty lilac background
Fragrance note

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle in perfume usually smells sweet, floral and nectar-like, with jasmine, honeyed, green and softly creamy sides. It can feel like warm evening flowers with a fresh leafy...

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Fresh lemons, curled lemon peel and green leaves on a pale lilac-grey background
Fragrance note

Lemon

Lemon in perfume usually smells bright, fresh and sharply citrusy, with a clean, zesty character that often suggests freshly cut peel. It may also have green, lightly floral...

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Sliced honeydew melon and cantaloupe with a green leaf and vine on a soft lavender-blue background
Fragrance note

Melon

Melon in perfume usually smells juicy, watery and softly sweet, with fresh green, fruity and sometimes cucumber-like sides. Some melon accords suggest ripe cantaloupe, while others feel paler,...

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Ambrette seed pods and white flowers representing soft musk notes
Fragrance note

Musk

Musk in perfume can smell soft, warm, clean and slightly powdery, often with a smooth quality that is compared with fresh skin or clean fabric. Some musk notes...

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Fresh green pears, one sliced in half, with glossy leaves on a light dusty pink background
Fragrance note

Pear

Pear in perfume usually smells juicy, fresh and softly sweet, with crisp green, watery and sometimes slightly floral sides. Some pear notes feel like a firm green pear,...

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Pale pink and white peony flowers with green leaves and stems on a light misty sage background
Fragrance note

Peony

Peony in perfume usually smells fresh, airy and softly rosy, with green, watery and lightly fruity sides. It is normally cleaner and more transparent than a rich rose...

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Fresh pink and cream roses with green leaves
Fragrance note

Rose

Rose in perfume usually smells floral, fresh and softly sweet, but it can also have green, fruity, honeyed or spicy sides. Some rose notes feel light and dewy,...

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Fresh violet leaves with water droplets and a small purple flower on a pale apricot-blue background
Fragrance note

Violet Leaf

Violet leaf in perfume usually smells green, watery and cool, with metallic, leafy, cucumber-like and earthy sides. It is very different from the sweet powdery smell associated with...

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Cedarwood, sandalwood and pale natural wood pieces on a light mist grey background
Fragrance note

Woody Notes

Woody notes in perfume can smell dry, warm, earthy, smoky, creamy or resinous. They do not describe one single ingredient because different woods and woody materials have very...

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Luxaro Perfumes With Lily-of-the-Valley as a Top Note

These fragrances introduce Lily-of-the-Valley near the opening of the scent.

Luxaro Perfumes With Lily-of-the-Valley as a Heart Note

These fragrances reveal Lily-of-the-Valley through the central body of the scent.

Related Fragrance Notes

Pale pink cyclamen flowers with patterned green leaves on a light aqua-grey background
Fragrance note

Cyclamen

Cyclamen in perfume usually smells fresh, watery and floral, with clean, green, airy and slightly marine sides. It often suggests cool petals, fresh air and clear water rather...

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White, yellow and pale lilac freesia flowers on a light sky grey background
Fragrance note

Freesia

Freesia in perfume usually smells fresh, airy and softly floral, with green, citrusy and slightly peppery sides. It is lighter and more transparent than rich white flowers such...

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Translucent petals, jasmine and lemon peel representing the airy floral character of Hedione
Fragrance note

Hedione

Hedione smells airy, transparent and floral, with jasmine-like, citrus and softly green qualities. It is a laboratory-created fragrance molecule rather than a flower or plant extract. Hedione may...

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Pale blue and purple hyacinth flowers with green leaves on a warm peach-grey background
Fragrance note

Hyacinth

Hyacinth in perfume usually smells fresh, green and floral, with watery, earthy, slightly spicy and dewy sides. It has more leafy sharpness than many soft spring flowers. Some...

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Pale purple and white lilac flowers with green leaves on a pale yellow-grey background
Fragrance note

Lilac

Lilac in perfume usually smells fresh, floral and powdery, with green, dewy, almond-like and softly sweet sides. It can suggest cool spring air and clusters of pale purple...

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Pale pink sacred lotus flower, closed bud and rounded green leaf on a warm blue-grey background
Fragrance note

Lotus

Lotus in perfume usually smells airy, watery and softly floral, with clean, green, herbal and lightly fruity sides. It is often used to suggest delicate petals floating above...

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Ivory magnolia flower and bud with deep green leaves on a pale pistachio-grey background
Fragrance note

Magnolia

Magnolia in perfume usually smells fresh, floral and softly creamy, with green, fruity, citrus-like and lightly spicy sides. It is often more transparent than tuberose and less indolic...

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