What does Strawberry smell like?
Depending on the accord, strawberry can smell of freshly picked fruit with a green facet of leaf and stem, or of jam and sweets. There is a caramelised sweetness, a light tartness and sometimes a creamy nuance. Placed in the top, it bursts cheerfully, then fades to leave a sugary veil that blends with musks, patchouli or vanilla, softening the darker notes that follow.
Origin and production
The fruit yields no usable essence through distillation. Perfumers therefore rebuild strawberry from molecules such as furaneol, with its caramel and cooked-strawberry accents, and ethyl methylphenylglycidate, known as aldehyde C-16 even though it is not an aldehyde, plus various fruity esters. Long associated with children's cosmetics, the note entered fine fragrance with the rise of fruity florals in the 2000s and has stayed popular since.
How perfumers use it
Strawberry sits in the top, sometimes the heart. It pairs with other red berries, rose, peony, jasmine, patchouli and musks. Yves Saint Laurent's Mon Paris opens it with raspberry and pear, Burberry's Her builds a bouquet of red fruits around it, and Marc Jacobs's Daisy pairs it with violet leaf and blood grapefruit for a fresher, greener take on the fruit.
How to wear it
Spring and summer, during the day. It suits lovers of gourmand, joyful, fruity scents.
