What does Saffron smell like?
Saffron has a singular smell: leathery and sweet at once, with nuances of honey, dried hay, wood and a metallic, almost iodine-like edge. It does not prickle like pepper; it feels velvety and warm. It gives compositions a golden, luxurious tint, sometimes a slightly medicinal one. Present in the top or heart, it later melts into woods, oud and amber, leaving a burnished glow on skin.
Origin and production
Crocus sativus is grown mainly in Iran, which supplies the bulk of world production, as well as in Spain, India, Kashmir and, on a small scale, Greece and France. Each flower gives only three stigmas, picked by hand. A natural extract exists but remains extremely expensive, so perfumers mostly use molecules such as safranal or Safraleine, along with quinolines for the leathery facet that makes the note so recognisable.
How perfumers use it
Saffron sits in the top or heart. It pairs beautifully with rose, oud, leather, incense, jasmine and ambery woods. Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Baccarat Rouge 540 opens it with jasmine and ambergris, Tom Ford's Noir de Noir pairs it with a black rose and oud, and Ombre Leather, from the same house, uses it to gild and warm a dark, supple leather.
How to wear it
Ideal in autumn and winter, especially at night. It suits lovers of ambers, leathers and opulent scents.
