I've been wearing rose-centered perfumes since I was in grade school, and rose will always be a true love for me; along the way, however, I've also learned to appreciate iris fragrances. Tucked amongst the roses in my perfume cupboard, there's a smaller stash of iris-themed samples and bottles for various moods and occasions: Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendré for a tailored, modern iris; Frédéric Malle Iris Poudre for a dressed-up, makeup-and-jewelry iris; Comme des Garçons Sticky Cake for a sweet, quirky fleurmand iris. Meanwhile, my mother has been wearing Le Labo Iris 39 for years and it smells great on her, and my friend N. is a longtime devotée of Chanel No. 19, so I've had many opportunities to admire iris on other perfume-lovers.
I think iris has been on my mind (and nose) lately because I received a sample of Les Indémodables Iris Perlé (shown above) with an online order and really fell for it. It's probably been one of my most-worn fragrances this spring, because it's a gentle shapeshifter that works well on mild days as well as chilly, wet ones. This composition of iris absolute, mimosa, jasmine, ylang ylang and clary sage notes was developed by perfumer Antoine Lie, who calls iris absolute the "pearl in the world of perfumery" due to its rarity and its slow maturation and extraction. Iris Perlé wears its rarity lightly: it's silky-soft and a touch powdery, with brightness from the ylang ylang and mimosa, and it somehow telegraphs "fancy hotel-bathroom soap" to my imagination. I rarely stay in fancy hotels, but you might know what I mean — Iris Perlé smells clean and elegant, yet puts me at ease.
For something a touch more ornamental, I've been wearing DSH Perfumes L'Or{ris} (not shown), "a gilded interpretation of Iris" from indie perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Iris Trilogy and my favorite of the three. L'Or{ris} starts with a touch of aldehydic sparkle before it morphs into a smooth, rooty iris framed by creamy sandalwood and enriched by a drop of something that suggests oak-y cognac. (Other notes include ambergris, ambrette, angelica, rose and jasmine.) This is one of numerous examples of Dawn's "nouveau retro" style and, like many iris-focused perfumes, it would smell wonderful on any gender. (Unlike rose or many other florals, iris has an earth-y quality that's less likely to be tagged as "feminine.") DSH's Iris Tuxedo and Manroot are also well-worth a sniff!
Lastly, I recently unearthed an Escentric Molecules sample set that a PR person sent me a while back (it has fun packaging that reminds me of an old-school cassette tape) and pulled out Molecule 01 + Iris (shown below). I've never worn the original Molecule 01, which consists entirely of the aromachemical Iso E Super — I'm just not that much of a minimalist or a conceptualist when it comes to fragrance. However, since perfumer and brand founder Geza Schoen promised a generous dose of iris pallida absolute here, noting that iris is one of his favorite materials, I figured it was worth a try. And I do like Molecule 01 + Iris enough to recommend it as a twenty-first century iteration of iris. Even with a citrus highlight or two, it's still heavy on the Iso E Super, of course, so it's sleek and seamless and abstract, very much in keeping with the Escentric Molecules house style.
Do you have any old loves or new finds to share in the iris category? Feel free to share in the comments, and take a look at Victoria's recent post about her favorite iris perfumes on Bois de Jasmin.
Les Indémodables Iris Perlé is available as 50 ml Eau de Parfum ($248) at Sainte Cellier. DSH Perfumes L'Or{ris} is available as 30 ml Eau de Parfum ($125) and a variety of other sizes and concentrations via Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 + Iris is available as 7.5 ($30), 30 ($100) or 100 ($170) ml Eau de Toilette.
Fun post! I am very fond of iris fragrances. These all sound delightful! My old favorites are Serge Lutens Iris silver mist and the sadly discontinued L’Artisan Iris pallida. Recently I tried Frederic Malle Heaven can wait and really enjoyed it! I am very curious to try Chanel’s new iris– Comete. It seems to be getting very good reviews.
I still need to try Comete! And I need to review Heaven Can Wait…! Ahh.
Iris has always made me think” rich lady hand cream!” so we are on the same page it sounds.
Masque Milano L’Attesa is my favourite iris, although I have Infusion d’iris Eau de Parfum Absolue as a decant in my office – it is a failsafe. VCA Bois d’Iris also works as an office scent, although I don’t think of it as a straight iris.
Oooh yes! I had a travel spray of L’Attesa but gifted it to my mother. It’s a lovely one!!
“Rich lady hand cream” fits the bill too!
Rich lady hand cream = Olivia Giacobetti’s Iris Hand Cream for Frederic Malle. Divine!
I started just a few years ago appreciating iris scents. Now I can’t seem to get enough of them. My favorites are Iris Poudre and Splendiris, but two others I wear are Ferre and Bois D’Iris by Van Cleef & Arpels.
For some reason Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 + Iris did not agree with my skin. The other two you mentioned I have not tried, but will need to put on my list as they both sound like something I may like. Thanks for your review.
OMG I forgot my iris I have been wearing all year. Shalimar MI.
I forgot that Shalimar variant, too. It’s gorgeous!
I only tried Dusita Splendiris once. I need to dig out my sample…!
Thanks for the nice reviews, Jessica! Although it’s one of my favorite notes, iris can sometimes be a big miss for me. I’m still figuring out why, but I suspect it’s when iris is on the sweet side.
One I really enjoy is Frederic Malle’s iris hand cream.
Ooh…I manage to ignore those hand creams…but I’ve long covered the Iris Poudre body butter and the Lipstick Rose lotion, too…!
Thank you very much Jessica for the iris-centric list. I was very interested by your review of Iris Perle because very recently I acquired an Indémodables sampler. I found the iris very pretty but dare I say that I was a little disappointed by the line as a whole. I think my expectations were too high, so I’m glad and money wise relieved that I will not purchased any.
I have had good luck with this line so far…I like Rose de Jamal and Musc des Sables and Cuir de Chîne…but I wish they sold travel-siza sprays or even smaller bottles!
Oh, and Hiris has pride of place in my collection and while not a soliflore Houbigant Essence rare has a haunting iris note.
Hiris is a classic!!
Although I also enjoy rose fragrances, Iris has always had my heart. I do own Iris Perle, Escentric Molecule +1 Iris, Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre, Le Labo Iris 39, Hermes Hiris, Malle’s Iris Poudre and Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Another really wonderful Iris perfume I love and own is Parle Moi Parfum’s Orris Tattoo.
Ah! We have some nice iris overlap. I know SL Iris Silver Mist is a favorite of many og scent aficionados, including Victoria R and our own Robin!
Iris Cendre really is perfect, isn’t it?!
Wonderful review! Unfortunately, Le Labo’s Iris 39 was discontinued recently, and sadly, I cannot remember if I ever sampled it while it was in production. I think I have the small travel spray of the EM Iris and this has made me want to dig it out and retry it!
Bleh…that is sad news! Good thing I have some other irises to recommend to my mother…!
In addition to the classics, Hiris and Chanel No 19, I have enjoyed Regime des Fleurs’ Dove Grey…chilly, but lovely.
Oh, I missed that one! I do like Regime des Fleurs a lot. And what a perfect name for an iris perfume.
My new iris love is Comete. It is French, pretty and a little yummy. Iris Perlé sounds like something I would enjoy though sadly I don’t think I can find it where I am.
I really need to get myself over to Bloomingdale’s and try this one! I’ve heard a few favorable reports from trusted sources like yourself!
I get a lot of iris in Comète and like it more than I expected, as I’m really not a Chanel person. Guerlain Iris Pallida extrait is lovely too.
I’m not as much of a Chanel person as I want to be, other than No. 5…and I think I like Misia…but I really need to try Comete, based on everyone’s reactions! thank you!
Great reviews Jessica:).
A few iris scents I have enjoyed:
Iris Pallida L’Artisan
28 La Pausa
Bois d’Iris TDC
Iris Ganache
Dior Homme
Infusion d’Iris
Iris Ganache is lovely! and, in that vein, Ormonde Jayne’s Iris Vanille!
Love a bit of iris.
The one I really loved, went through a bottle of and miss desperately is L’Occitane Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc. Nothing comes close for me, even though I know it wasn’t a super expensive or super high quality. It just fit me perfectly.
I don’t think I ever had a chance to try that one?! It’s a shame…L’Occitane and Crabtree & Evelyn (r.i.p.) and The Body Shop have occasionally released VERY nice (and affordable!) floral fragrances and then dropped them not long afterwards.