Perfumer's Palette Series- Orris

Deserving of it's reputaion , the nobile yet humble Iris , or Orris root , is one of the most expensive materials a perfumer can use . The root must be left to grow for three years before harvest , and then is harvested by hand , through back-breaking work with a special harvesting fork . Each root coaxed from the ground and divided, part to be returned to the ground and part to be dried .

Italy is famous for it's Iris production , and in 2008 I was fortunate to be able to visit the Pruneti Farm in Chianti near Florence , and see the harvest of Iris root first hand . In the picture at right , we are standing under the arbor , where for over 100 years the roots have been placed to dry immediately after digging . The roots are left to dry here for several weeks , trimmed and peeled , and then furthur dried in large sheds for at least two years . Only then do they begin to present their characteristic rooty , earthy aroma !
Historically , as early as 1508 when the Dominican Monks founded the Farmacia Santa Maria Novella in Florence italy , orris was used in face powders and toothpaste, much later in the 1800s to powder wigs .

Some sources say 1000 pounds of root will distill 8 oz. of concrete . Irones are the basic odor chemical in orris concrete , produced through steam distillation of the dried roots .

Often compared to Violets , Iris to my nose has a much earthier , cool metallic aroma . It is an unparalled fixative and pairs well with many other oils but it's cost has become prohibitive . In 1893 the chemist Tiemann successfully synthesized violet scent , termed Ionone , which is widely used today as a replacement for the much more expenive natural irones , or orris concrete .
Distillation can be difficult , the rhizomes are starchy and tend to foam in the still . They must be distilled slowly . The resulting concrete contains a high percentage of myrisic acid ( has no odor ), which can be separated with solvent extraction .

Think about this - five years to produce a few drops of scent from a small rhizome....

Today I am wearing my favorite iris , Odori Iris .

Other faves are :

Hermes Hiris

Dior Homme ( which contains Pruneti iris extract ! )

Miller Harris Terre d' Iris

Prada Iris parfum

Heeley Iris de Nuit

Guerlain Apres L'Ondee

Annick Goutal Heure Exquise

This weeks drawing will include an assortment of samples of Iris scents , and some of my favorite resinous scents . Monday's Perfumer's Palette Series - the balsams and resins .

Drawing Monday , so be sure to comment this week !