OPIUM POPPY

Opium poppy is a perfume inspiration associated with Papaver somniferum, rather than the name of one standard floral accord. Interpretations can be more atmospheric than a straightforward bouquet. Wild Veil’s Poppy Tears, for example, surrounds the idea with damp earth and milky imagery, using a flower tincture alongside bushman candle. Those impressions describe that composition, not the universal smell of every poppy flower.

This example also shows why it is inaccurate to say that perfumery never uses extracts from the flowers. The note name itself does not reveal whether a fragrance uses a botanical preparation or a constructed accord. Nor should it be treated as a promise of a narcotic effect. Other notes are essential clues to whether a perfume explores flowers, earthiness or resinous warmth.