TULIP

Tulip in perfume can suggest a fresh, uncluttered floral impression, often with a green setting that recalls a spring garden. It need not have the creamy weight of tuberose or the sweetness of a candied flower. Byredo’s La Tulipe, for example, places tulip between bright floral and rhubarb notes and a woody vetiver background.

The living flowers do not all share one smell. Research on fragrant tulip cultivars has identified diverse citrus, green, fruity, herbal and other scent types. A perfumer’s tulip accord is therefore an interpretation, rather than a universal portrait of every variety. The name does not prove that tulip extract is present or identify a cultivar. It is most useful as a clue to the floral idea, considered alongside the other notes that shape the finished fragrance.