Chypre perfume - oakmoss - labdanum fro Cistus Creticus part 2

Glossary by http://theperfumedcourt.com

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Chypre - Chypre is an ancient perfume, originally combining fresh citrus notes with oakmoss and some animalic notes. The Romans used to produce a perfume in Cyprus, the Greek Island; Cyprus in French is Chypre. It contained storax, labdanum and calamus and smelled heavy and Oriental. It continued to be manufactured throughout the Middle Ages in Italy and then in France, with oakmoss at its base. About 100 years ago, Coty made his famous Chypre fragrance in 1917 that was based on the contrast of a citrusy top note and the pungent, earthy oakmoss base note. The main ingredients of a Chypre are oakmoss, patchouli, labdanum or clary sage, with the addition of floral middle notes such as rose-jasmine and a bright sweet top note of bergamot or lemon. In order to qualify as a classic chypre, the basic cord must always be bergamot-oakmoss-labdanum. Today, however, many “modern” chypres do not share this accord and are classed as “mossy woods” in the Michael Edwards system. Pronounced: sheep-ra.

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Labdanum - An aromatic gum that originates from the rockrose bush. The sweet woody odor is said to mimic ambergris and can also be used to impart a leather note.

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Oakmoss - Derived from a lichen that grows on oak trees. In French it is mousse de chene.

Only Cistus Creticus sprouts in the island of Cyprus.

IFRA - Chypre perfume - oakmoss - labdanum fro Cistus Creticus

Extracts from very beautiful article for the laudanum.


http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/

Labdanum: an important material


It is well known to our readers by now that chypre perfumes are dependent on a strict formula that juxtaposes bergamot and oakmoss, interlaying labdanum and other earthy elements such as vetiver or patchouli.
Perfume Shrine has already focused on oakmoss extensively (click for relevant article), so the other important material that needed tackling was labdanum. And so here we are today, trying to examine some of its facets.

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Labdanum's odour profile is highly complex. It is balsamlike, with woody, earthy, smoky, and even marshy undertones. Some even desrcibe it as ambergris-like, or leathery and honeylike with hints of plum or oakmoss after a rain. Usually it is referred to as ambery, but it is mostly used to render leather or ambergris notes, the latter especially after its ban on using the real animal-derived material, as there were concerns about the ethical production of it from sperm whales from which it originates (Ambergris is therefore very rare and costly if ethically harvested and is mostly synthesized in the lab. Please read this amber article for more info).

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Natures Gift: Chypre

Chypre (french for Cypress) perfumes are one of the the classic fragrance families.

(Cistus Creticus :Unique Cistus that it charges in Cyprus "Chypre" and gives the laudanum.)

The authorities vary on giving guides to pronouciation. "Sheeprah" is close, but not exact. (I want to say "CHEYE-pruh"...definitely not correct!)















Chypres originated in the Roman Empire as a blend of mossy and animalic raw materials and botanicals. Remnants of Chypre type aromatics have been found in archeological finds. The Romans once produced a perfume in Cyprus that contained storax , labdanum and calamus. It was dense and almost oriental in feeling and its use continued through the Middle ages, with oakmoss as its base.

(labdanum from Cistus Creticus) - (oakamoss)

On the Island of Cypress, scents were made in the 12th century, using Labdanum Resin and other local aromatics from flowers and herbs.

Perfumery guides from the 18th century give formulas for Chypre blends containing Oakmoss, Civet, Ambergris and Musk, as well as various resins and plants, including Rose and Orange Blossom. In the 18th Century Chypre accords were described as mossy-leather blends.

François Coty reintroduced the name Chypre in the twentieth century (1917), we are told in attempt to reproduce the aromas found in the Island of Cypress.

Classic Chypre formulas are based on four single notes: Bergamot (other citrus oils may be substituted, but Bergamot is the Classic;) Labdanum, Oakmoss, and (usually!) Patchouli. These form the basic structure... with infinite possibilities and variations.
Modern Chypres generally consist of oakmoss , patchouli , labdanum, angelica or clary sage , with the addition of floral middle notes such as rose-jasmin and a bright, fresh, lightly sweet top note of bergamot or even lemon.

The term is usually reserved for blends featuring bergamot in the top notes and oakmoss and amber notes, often with patchouli as well--in the base. This of course leaves the middle wide open... giving room for various categories of Chypres:

Floral Chypres: Rose,Jasmine,Neroli or Orange Blossom, Lavender, Champa, Ylangylang, etc.

Animalic Chypres: Angelica Root, Black Currant, Calamus,Valerian

Fresh Chypres: More Citrus - Any citrus oil, Litsea cubeba, Petitgrain, Melissa, Yuzu Absolute, Lemon Verbena oil or absolute

Green/Herbal Chypres: (Carven's Ma Griffe was the first commercial "Green Chypre and a beloved memory of my teen years.) Geranium, Basil, Tarragon, Helichrysum, Chamomiles, bay laurel, Davana, Hyssop, Sage or Clary Sage

Leather Chypres: Choya Loban, Tobacco Absolute, Cade, Birch tar, Tea Absolute, Angelica

Coniferous Chypres: Cedar Leaf, Pine Needle, Fir balsam Abs and oil, Silver fir, Scotch pine, Cypress absolute and oil - any conifer, either absolute or oil, or, most interesting, the pair.
Woody Chypres: Himalayan or Atlas Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Coriander, Agarwood oil or co2, Vetiver, Rosewood, Araucaria, Guaicwood, carrot seed

For more information please refer to Victoria's BoisdeJasmin Blog. or the Perfume Shrine Blog.

In my Garden

Round my village they exist a lot of Citrus Tree.
In spring there are intense fragrances.

It a natural spa studio.

There are everywhere flowers.

Citus Creticus that produces labdanum with traditional way.

Citrus tree : lemon.

Citrus tree : orange.

Styrax that produces Benzoin resin.

This photo there are :
1. Cistus Creticus .
2. Cistus tree.
3. Oak produces oakmoss.
4. Lentisk produces mastic in the Chios.

Ode to Oakmoss: Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter

Glass Petal Smoke

Gleanings from the World of the Senses

Posted by Michelle Krell Kydd.

A young Jean-Claude Ellena may have slept on a bed of oakmoss in his youth, but perfumistas everywhere can ditch the Proustian reverie and indulge in a delicate gossamer of refreshing Citrus and Oakmoss at will. The chypre undertone in Crabtree and Evelyn's Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter with Revitalizing Lemon and Coriander is an exquisite find in a product with a $32.50 price point. One would expect a quality creation like this to have come from the house of Annick Goutal, albeit in an objet d’art designed for Eau de Hadrien (before Oakmoss paranoia and bad science instigate the reformulation of this classic fragrance in 2010*).

The much maligned Oakmoss, which is the subject of a bitter regulatory debate in the European Union and The United States, defines the chypre category in fine fragrance. Its application in perfumery is akin to the use of yeast when making bread; without it you are left with is a mass of unrealized potential. Evernia prunastri lends an aquatic, woody and leatheric air to a fragrance, and is renowned for its fixative properties. Those who are not acquainted with the perfume arts do not realize how prevalent the material is in classic formulations they've grown up with. If the European Union and IFRA have their way, Oakmoss will be eliminated from all fragrances and a chapter in the history of perfumery will be irrevocably closed. Octavian Coifan, editor of 1000 Fragrances, has made a list of endangered fragrances. Read it and weep.

Oakmoss is the 33rd ingredient in a list of 43 ingredients that comprise Crabtree and Evelyn's Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter with Revitalizing Lemon and Coriander. The level of dilution is probably less than .1% (100 parts per million), an amount that is not known to cause skin irritation (this used to be the threshold for regulators, but things have gotten way out of hand as Luca Turin points out in the April edition of Duftnote). The balm softens when placed between the palms and is somewhat cool to the touch. Within minutes of application, a gentle veil of oakmoss rises up in the predominantly citrus mix. The aromatherapeutic effects are energizing and magical, something Glass Petal Smoke likens to the Fever Ray video of “When I Grow Up”.

Crabtree & Evelyn is currently running a 20% off special on their Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter with Revitalizing Lemon and Coriander. If there was ever a time to stock up, this would be it.

Notes:*IFRA Ammendment 43 restricts the use of various materials in fine fragrance. Regulations will be more stringent in 2010, and includes restrictions on the use of jasmine absolute, among others.

http://glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com/2009/04/ode-to-oakmoss-crabtree-evelyn-ultra.html