What does oakmoss smell like? The forest-floor note behind the classics

Oakmoss is the smell of a shady forest after rain: damp bark, cool earth and a hint of the sea. For most of the 20th century it was one of the most important materials in perfume. It formed the dark, velvety base of the great chypre perfumes and of classic men's scents. Then science and regulation changed everything. Today oakmoss is still used, but in a very different, much lighter form.

What does it smell like?

Damp, earthy and green, with a dark, slightly bitter depth. In one breath you might notice:

• Wet forest: moss on tree bark, damp leaves, a shady forest floor
• Ink: a dark, inky, slightly leathery bitterness
• Sea: a faint salty, seaweed-like note, like rocks at the shore
• Earth: cool soil and mushrooms
• Sweet hay: a soft, slightly powdery sweetness underneath

Oakmoss is a base note and a powerful fixative. In older perfumes it gives a rich, "grown-up" depth that is hard to describe but easy to recognise.

Where it comes from

Despite its name, oakmoss is not a moss. It is a lichen, a partnership between a fungus and an alga living together as one organism. Its scientific name is Evernia prunastri. It grows as pale, grey-green, branching tufts on the bark of oak trees and other trees in the forests of Europe and North Africa.

Most oakmoss for perfume is collected by hand from the wild, especially in the Balkans (such as North Macedonia and Bulgaria) and Morocco. Collection usually happens in the cooler, wetter months.

A related lichen, treemoss (Pseudevernia furfuracea), grows on pine and other conifers. It smells similar but is greener and more resinous, and it is also used in perfumery.

How it's made

Oakmoss is not distilled. It is processed with solvents:

1. The dried lichen is soaked in a solvent, which pulls out the fragrant material. This gives a waxy, solid substance called a concrete.
2. The concrete is then washed with alcohol to remove the waxes. The result is an absolute, a thick, dark green or brown liquid.

The yield is small. It takes a large amount of lichen to make a little absolute, often quoted at around 100 kg for 1 kg.

A short history of oakmoss

• Early use: Powdered lichens were used in Europe to scent hair powders and wigs. A scented powder called poudre de Chypre ("Cyprus powder") was known as early as the 16th century.
• Fougère (1882): Houbigant's Fougère Royale combined lavender, coumarin (a sweet, hay-like molecule) and oakmoss. It created the fougère ("fern") family, which is still the basis of many men's perfumes today.
• Chypre (1917): François Coty launched Chypre, built on bergamot on top and a base of oakmoss and labdanum (a sticky resin from the rockrose shrub). It defined a whole family of perfumes, named after the island of Cyprus.
• The 20th century: Many of the most famous perfumes of the century were chypres, including Mitsouko by Guerlain (1919), Bandit by Robert Piguet (1944) and Miss Dior by Christian Dior (1947). Classic masculine scents also leaned on oakmoss for their dark, mossy base.

Why oakmoss is restricted

Natural oakmoss contains two molecules, atranol and chloroatranol, that can cause skin allergies. Some people who are exposed repeatedly become sensitised, and then react with a rash (contact dermatitis) when the material touches their skin again.

Because of this, oakmoss has been increasingly restricted:

• IFRA, the fragrance industry's own safety body, began limiting oakmoss in the late 1980s and tightened its rules in the 2000s. It now only allows oakmoss with very low levels of atranol and chloroatranol, and in small amounts.
• The European Union went further. A regulation adopted in 2017 banned atranol and chloroatranol in cosmetic products sold in the EU, apart from unavoidable traces. Products that did not comply had to be removed from the market by 2021.

As a result, many classic perfumes have been reformulated (changed) to meet the rules. Fans of vintage bottles often say the old versions smell deeper and darker than today's.

Real vs modern oakmoss

Today perfumers have three main options:

• Low-atranol oakmoss. Natural oakmoss treated to remove most of the allergenic molecules. It is lighter and less dark than the old material, but still recognisably mossy.
• Synthetic moss molecules. The best known is Evernyl (also sold under other names, such as Veramoss). It is a molecule found in oakmoss itself, made in a lab. It gives a dry, woody, mossy note without the allergens.
• Moss accords. Blends of Evernyl, patchouli, vetiver, woods and other materials that rebuild the effect of oakmoss as a whole.

Modern chypres often use patchouli to take over some of oakmoss's old role, which is one reason "modern chypres" smell cleaner and lighter than the classics.

What oakmoss pairs well with

• Bergamot: the bright opening of every classic chypre.
• Labdanum and amber: create the warm, resinous chypre base.
• Rose and jasmine: give chypres their elegant floral heart.
• Lavender and coumarin: the core of the fougère.
• Leather: a deep, sophisticated combination.
• Patchouli and vetiver: strengthen its earthy side.

Perfumes to try

These classics still feature a strong mossy base, though all have been adapted to modern rules:

• Mitsouko by Guerlain: the most famous chypre, with peach, spice and moss.
• Aromatics Elixir by Clinique: intense, herbal, rosy and mossy. A cult classic.
• Aramis by Aramis: a classic leathery, mossy men's chypre.
• Eau du Soir by Sisley: an elegant, floral, mossy chypre.
• Pour Monsieur by Chanel: a refined, citrusy men's scent with a soft mossy base.

How to wear oakmoss

• Mossy chypres are strong and structured. One or two sprays is often enough.
• They suit autumn, cool spring days and formal occasions.
• If you have sensitive skin, spray on clothes instead of directly on skin, and test a small area first.
• Give them time. Chypres often smell sharp at first and become warm and velvety after an hour.

Who will love it

People who love classic, elegant, "vintage" perfume. Anyone who enjoys forest walks, damp earth and dark green smells. And anyone curious about the history of perfume, since oakmoss sits at the heart of so many of the greatest scents ever made.