What does Plum smell like?
Plum smells of ripe purple fruit, its slightly tart skin and sweet flesh, sometimes veering towards prunes and fruit brandy. Its texture is velvety, almost fleshy, with nuances of jam and liqueur. On skin it adds roundness and fruity depth that binds with spices, florals and resins. Darker than peach and less tart than black currant, it gives a grown-up, opulent character.
Origin and production
Plum yields no essential oil usable in perfumery. Its note is rebuilt through accords combining fruity lactones, peach notes, damascones and candied, jammy facets. A historic milestone is Rochas Femme, composed by Edmond Roudnitska and launched in 1944, which popularised this fruity facet within a chypre. Plum went on to shape many of the great orientals of the 1970s and 1980s.
How perfumers use it
Plum sits in the top or heart, rounding out a composition with a dark, fruity sweetness that makes florals feel riper and spices warmer. It pairs with rose, jasmine, oakmoss, spices, vanilla and woods. Rochas Femme pairs it with peach in a fruity chypre, Yves Saint Laurent Opium uses it up top with mandarin and clove, and Dior Poison combines it with coriander and anise.
How to wear it
Plum is best in autumn and winter evenings and appeals to lovers of opulent, fruity and sensual fragrances.
