Fern Basin Formula

Building an accord

Almost all of the lavender you smell here is built, not distilled. A large, clear floral alcohol and a sweet herbal ester stand side by side and give the familiar outline of lavender; a cool, pine-like ester, a sprig of mint and only a little of the real oil are set around them. Together the herbs come close to a third of the formula, yet they read clean and bright rather than medicinal, because no single natural oil brings its camphor or its darker corners. Underneath, a green clover flower and sweet hay keep the classic fougère floor.

Cleanliness

Why it stays fresh once the herbs fade: a cotton-soft musk and smooth woods lie under the hay, so the drydown feels like just-washed skin rather than a heavy powder.

Working with dilutions

How the strongest small notes are handled: a jam-like berry and a vanilla are each diluted to a tenth, and a very bitter green to a hundredth, before weighing, so every drop can be measured and none of them takes over.

alpha-Terpinyl acetate · Amyl salicylate · Coumarin · Hexyl cinnamal · Linalool

25 more materials · proportions only in the card you receive