What does lavender smell like? Far more than your grandmother's drawer

Lavender is probably the most familiar scent in the world. It is in soap, washing powder, pillow sprays and bath salts. That familiarity makes it easy to overlook. But lavender also helped invent modern perfume, and today it is having a big comeback in both men's and women's fragrance.

What does it smell like?

Fresh, clean and herbal, with a soft floral sweetness. Good lavender is more complex than its soap-aisle reputation:

• Herbal: a green, slightly medicinal note, close to rosemary or sage
• Floral: a gentle, sweet, purple-flower softness
• Fresh and camphor: a cool, airy edge, sometimes a little like eucalyptus
• Hay and tea: a dry, slightly sweet, sun-warmed note
• Clean laundry: the "fresh sheets" smell most people know

Different lavenders smell quite different. Fine lavender is sweeter and softer. Its hybrid cousin, lavandin, is sharper and more camphor-like.

Where it comes from

Most perfume lavender comes from two plants:

• True or fine lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), also called English lavender. It grows best at higher altitudes, on dry, chalky soils. It has the sweetest, most refined smell.
• Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia), a hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. It is bigger, tougher and gives far more oil per field. It smells sharper and more camphor-like and is used widely in soaps, detergents and cheaper fragrances.

There is also spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia), which is even more camphor-like.

The famous purple fields of Provence in southern France are mostly lavandin. True lavender grows higher up in the hills. Lavender oil from the high plateaus of Haute-Provence has a protected designation of origin, like a fine wine.

Bulgaria is now one of the world's largest producers of true lavender oil, and lavender is also grown in England, Spain, Ukraine, China, Australia and many other places.

How lavender is made

1. Steam distillation. Flowering tops are cut in summer, usually in July and August, and steam-distilled. This gives lavender essential oil, the most common form in perfume.
2. Solvent extraction. Lavender can also be extracted with solvents to give an absolute. It is darker and greener, with a richer, honeyed, hay-like smell.

Lavender's two main aroma molecules are linalool (fresh and floral) and linalyl acetate (soft, sweet and slightly fruity). Lavandin contains more camphor and cineole, which explains its sharper smell.

A short history of lavender

• Ancient world: Lavender was used in the Mediterranean for bathing, cleaning and medicine. Its name is often linked to the Latin lavare, "to wash", though historians debate the exact origin.
• Middle Ages: Lavender was grown in monastery gardens and used to scent linen, keep away moths and freshen rooms.
• Lavender water: In the 17th to 19th centuries, lavender water became one of the most popular scents in Europe. English lavender, particularly from around London, had a strong reputation.
• Provence: In the 19th and 20th centuries, lavender farming grew in Provence to supply the perfume industry of Grasse.

How lavender changed perfume

Lavender helped create two of the most important perfume families.

Fougère Royale by Houbigant (1882), created by Paul Parquet, paired lavender with coumarin, a sweet, hay-like synthetic molecule, and oakmoss. It was one of the first perfumes to use a synthetic material on purpose. It gave its name to the fougère ("fern") family, which still shapes men's fragrance today. Many classic barbershop scents are fougères.

Jicky by Guerlain (1889), created by Aimé Guerlain, combined lavender with coumarin, vanilla and a warm animal base. It is often called one of the first modern perfumes and is still sold today.

Later landmarks include Pour un Homme de Caron (1934), a simple and much-loved pairing of lavender and vanilla. In recent years, Libre by Yves Saint Laurent (2019) and Mon Guerlain (2017) brought lavender into bestselling women's perfumes, showing how well it works with vanilla and orange blossom.

Real vs synthetic lavender

Lavender is one of the more affordable natural materials, so real lavender oil and lavandin are widely used. Perfumers often add synthetic linalool and linalyl acetate to boost freshness or keep costs down.

Linalool is a listed allergen in some regions, including the EU, and must appear on labels above certain levels. It can also become more irritating as it ages and oxidises, so keep lavender oils sealed and away from light.

What lavender pairs well with

• Vanilla and tonka: the classic warm pairing. Soft, sweet and cosy.
• Coumarin and oakmoss: the fougère backbone, clean and barbershop-like.
• Citrus and bergamot: bright and fresh.
• Rosemary, sage and other herbs: green and aromatic.
• Orange blossom: a modern, floral-sweet combination.

Perfumes to try

From fresh to warm:

• Pour un Homme de Caron by Caron (1934): lavender and vanilla. Simple and timeless.
• Jicky by Guerlain (1889): a piece of perfume history, still elegant today.
• Azzaro pour Homme by Azzaro: a classic aromatic fougère, herbal and clean.
• Libre by Yves Saint Laurent (2019): lavender with orange blossom and vanilla. Modern and polished.
• Mon Guerlain by Guerlain (2017): soft lavender and vanilla, sweet and comforting.

How to wear lavender

• Lavender works all year. Fresh lavenders shine in spring and summer. Lavender-vanilla blends suit autumn and winter.
• It is a great choice for the office. Most people find it calming and familiar.
• Lavender is fully unisex. It sits in classic men's scents and modern women's bestsellers alike.
• Try it on skin. Lavender often turns softer and sweeter as it warms.

Who will love it

People who like clean, calming scents, fans of classic barbershop fragrance, and anyone who enjoys the comfort of lavender with vanilla. If you think lavender only smells like soap, try a lavender-vanilla perfume. It may surprise you.