Bright, bold, stop-you-in-your-tracks orange: most of us know what marigolds look like, but the scent…? Mix bitter herbs, ripe apples and green leaves.
Marigolds – the name comes from the phrase ‘Mary’s gold’, and refers to the Virgin Mary – are members of the sunflower family, grown throughout the world. There are actually two types, which share the same ‘marigold’ umbrella name: Calendula officinalis, and Tagetes Glandulifera (the French marigold, a.k.a. Indian Carnation). Calendula blossoms, with their musky pungency, are used to produce essential oil through steam distillation; tagetes oil comes from the seeds of that plant – though in terms of what they deliver to a perfume composition, they’re pretty interchangeable.
Although marigold is more widely used in ‘men’s perfumery’, a handful of well-known feminine fragrances do feature flashes of this unusual note, for an intriguing twist…
Smell marigold in:
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue
Balmain Ivoire
Boucheron Boucheron
Calvin Klein Escape
