PLUM BLOSSOM

Plum blossom in perfume is a floral idea that can combine rosy softness, powdery texture and a trace of fruit. It is not simply a lighter version of a ripe-plum note. In his account of creating Zoologist Nightingale, perfumer Tomoo Inaba distinguishes the blossom’s complex scent from the fruit and explains that different fragrance houses have their own interpretations of the accord.

Nightingale presents a rosy, powdery and tart Japanese plum-blossom theme against woods, patchouli and moss. Montale takes another direction in Be My Plum, listing plum blossom separately from plum fruit and placing it with tuberose, tiare and ylang-ylang. These contrasting settings show why the note need not always be faint or airy. Its floral balance depends on the composition, and the label does not establish a natural blossom extract or one botanical species.