Several type of mosses have been used since a long period of time in fragrances (as infusion or powder) to provide long lasting qualities to ephemeral scents. But it was at the beginning of 20th century that mosses went into fashion in a new way. New products were available (resinoides, concretes and absolute resinoide), new mosses were studied (the most famous and used were oak moss and tree moss - Evernia prunastri, Evernia Furfuracea, Usnea barbata) and their composition started to be unlocked (though still today it's not completely known). The typical odor is given by the many products related to an acid, and the most famous is Methyl 3-methylorsellinate (from 10 to 25%), discovered around 1898. This is the famous Evernyl (Givaudan) also known as Mousse Metra (Florasynth) or Veramoss (IFF).This product had to wait almost a half of the century before it started to be used a single molecule. From the 60's it represented the new molecule for modern chypre and fougère notes. Almost all classic chypre notes from the 70's are based on Evernyl and very little on classic oakmoss. Later, in the 80's, when sophisticated classical chypre became again trendy, tree moss saw was used more than oakmoss to provide the chypre note, classical but without an "old" connotation (of course, the mosses were mixed in a perfume) like in Ysatis.
Evernyl was used in Chamade, Diorella, Chanel 19, Cristalle, Cool Water, Polo, Egoiste Platinum...
Before it was sold as a simple molecule, Evernyl (the methyl everninate) was used like many other molecules in bases created around the oakmoss note or leather. The ethyl everninate (with a faint but tenacious odor) was also used in moss bases and the same was for even rarer isobutyl everninate (iso butyl lichenol), dry and mossy.
Other mossy notes:
Seamoss (Quest) - methyl 3 methyl resorcylate
Orcinyl 3 (Giv.) which gives with Evernyl a strong oak moss character
Flouvane (a former base with resorcin dimethyl ether)
Some classic products (bases or specialties or special extraction):
Extrodor EichenMoss, Produkt EMA (Heine), Everniol, Fluvol, Evernia, Moss Oriental, Mousse de Saxe, Mousse des Indes, Mousse de Chypre, Mosuse de Bohème, Mousse de Bois, Mousse de Tyrol, Sylvestral, Lichenis
Moss infusion was used in both Fougère royale and Idéal from Houbigant.
Photo: Orcinyl 3 from Givaudan
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
