What does Clover smell like?
Lie down in a clover field in May. Fresh grass comes first, then a honeyed floral sweetness rises from the small white or pink blooms. Clover in perfume swings between those two sides. The green side recalls crushed leaves. The sweet side drifts towards hay and coumarin. It is never harsh. On skin it mostly reads as fresh air.
Origin and production
Clover belongs to the Trifolium genus, a forage plant found in meadows worldwide. It is not distilled for perfume. The clover note is rebuilt with green, floral and coumarin-like notes. Don't confuse it with sweet clover (Melilotus), a related genus rich in coumarin, the molecule behind the smell of hay.
How perfumers use it
Clover greens a perfume gently. It keeps company with violet leaf, verbena, mint and lily of the valley. Creed Green Irish Tweed (1985) sets it in the heart between iris and violet leaf: it is part of that freshly mown lawn effect. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca (1999) opens with it alongside mint and green tea. Calvin Klein Truth (2000) pairs it with bamboo in a soft white woody scent.
How to wear it
Clover is for spring and early summer days. Herba Fresca fades fast, so keep a travel spray handy. Green Irish Tweed lasts into the evening without trouble.