It is not very common for a perfume to touch me on such an emotional level. The first time this happened was with Vega. I felt completely stripped, down to my very core. But that is another story.
This is about Il Giglio di Firenze, which strikes at the deepest part of my mother’s heart.
My boundless love for the iris scent began with Shem el Nessim. Since then, I have tested countless iris perfumes, loved many, and purchased a few. I am still on a journey of discovery.
As versatile as the iris (-root) is used, one thing remains constant. It always presents itself as very noble, elevated, yet grounding, natural, and somehow belonging to one.
Some time ago, I delved deeply into the fragrances of Abdessalaam Attar (La via del profumo). A natural perfume brand from Italy, run by Abdesalaam aka Dominique Dubrana, a French Sufi, creating and residing in Italy. After extensive reading on the very comprehensive and diverse website (webshop, blog, and more), I was more than impressed. In addition to perfume psychology and perfume therapy, one can learn a lot of new things. You also get an impression of Abdessalaam as a person and his philosophy on perfume and life, which is more than impressive.
Abdessalaam’s opinion is that our love, as well as aversion to certain scent notes, is shaped by our past/childhood. Which is actually somewhat logical. Just like so many other things that we are and how we are, are also shaped in our earliest years of life.
So I looked up my favorite scent notes, which can be found on the website in the perfume therapy section, and the iris is described as a scent that babies produce on their heads in the first days of their lives, which promotes the bond between mother and infant. (Grenouille, from Süskind’s “Perfume,” did not possess this scent, which is why his mother abandoned him, and he spent his life searching for it.)
And yes, it actually seemed completely right to me. The iris scent smells like a baby. I had not noticed this before. However, I had never particularly questioned where my strong affinity for iris came from.
I was curious about Abdessalaam's interpretation of iris and ordered a mini bottle of Il Giglio di Firenze. The heart notes here are: iris absolute, iris concrete. Amber, frangipani, and mimosa play along but never challenge the iris. According to the statement on the website.
Now the mini bottle arrived, and within seconds of the first application, I was blown away. I had to sit down. So many emotions, a flashback of images and feelings unfolded in just a few moments.
This was it, the scent of unconditional love, the greatest moments of happiness in my life. The smell of life and love. Human closeness, tenderness, and security on a completely new and unique level. The time when I had my daughter, the greatest and most beautiful gift in my life, which changed everything. Beautified everything. Assigned me the most beautiful role in my life. The role of a mother. Mother of a wonderful human child.
Now to the scent. The very first thing you smell is as if you are sticking your nose into a glass of cognac, as someone described on the profumo website. The same cognac note can be found in Prada’s Infusion d’Iris Absolue, but much stricter and present for much longer.
After just a few moments, however, a buttery note expands, and that is the buttery baby note, the scent experience. More iris is not possible! Here the scent is at its most intense. All the mentioned feelings come at me like an explosion. This impression lingers for quite a while. Then the mimosa comes in and adds just a floral hint, which for me represents absolute tenderness. The moment when you lie in bed next to your baby and gaze at it for hours, inhaling it and loving it even more.
I cannot distinguish amber and frangipani individually. Just that a slight minty note, very subtle, keeps appearing in between.
I perceive Il Giglio di Firenze more as a scent than as a perfume. A scent that I need entirely for myself. For moments of the most beautiful memories and bliss.
This is also how I imagine the pure scent of the iris root. Unfortunately, I have not yet smelled it pure.
Despite the full load of iris, the scent remains very close to the skin. So close that after a few minutes I have to bring my wrists to my nose to fully experience the scent.
The longevity is very low. After two to three hours, I can only smell a hint on my wrists. Iris is a strong scent carrier, and even with a hundred percent natural perfume, I had hoped for more sillage and longevity.
As a bonus, I received a leather/gourmand scent (which is not listed here) that was worlds stronger.
Nevertheless, I recommend this unique iris scent to all lovers, not just mothers. Because we are all children now too. And I encourage everyone else to take a look at this wonderful perfume brand with a diverse selection and to get to know things from a new perspective.
Orris absolute
Orris concrete
Ambergris
Mimosa
Frangipani
Serenissima
Sumi
Yatagan
Gelis
Morgaina
Bellemorte
