What can I say? It’s a legend.

Iris sits on a precious throne,

Its high price rightly unquestioned.

Maturing of the roots alone

Takes 3 to 5 years. Then other

Processing yields orris butter.

 

Mellow, creamy, softly woody;

Iris boasts many possible

Facets—sweet, powdery, or carroty.

Violets or suede are plausible

Doppelgängers in some cases.

You’ll find it in many places.

 

 

The list is long; examples aplenty. I didn’t think I liked iris as a note until I had the chance to smell real orris butter, and was instantly converted. Orris Givco is nice, too, but nowhere near as beautiful as the real thing. Now that I’m realizing I haven’t smelled most of the representative iris perfumes, I’m not sure where my original impression came from—maybe a misguided general association with “powdery” scents, which are usually not my preference. I found Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle very carroty, backed by wood. Chanel N° 19 and Creed Green Irish Tweed contain iris, and I quite like both.

What are your favorite iris perfumes?