Fern

lat. Pteridophyta

Group: Grass and Green Components

Odor profile: fantasy note reminiscent of a shadowy forest's flora, often used as a term for the fougere family of fragrances

Fern is a large group of plants belonging to the botanical group of Pteridophyta. These are vascular plants that, unlike mosses, have special tissues for conducting water, minerals and photosynthetic products through their body. Ferns are living in a variety of habitats, but they are most commonly found in shady woods. Ferns have neither seeds nor flowers, but they are still very important in perfumery and prized for their fresh and green aroma that helps to capture the elements of the forest. Moreover, ferns were thriving on our planet for two hundred million years before the flowering plants emerged, and they first appear in the fossil record 360 million years ago in the Carboniferous. The commonly used name fern originates from the Old English word “fearn” meaning “feathers,” which obviously describes soft and delicate appearance of fern’s leaves.

Even though it may not seem obvious, the whole class of fragrances is named after fern – the Fougère Family. Fougère means "fern-like" in French and designates the whole class of modern fragrances inspired by the classic Fougère Royale by Houbigant, designed by Paul Parquet. Fougère types of fragrances, which are especially prized as fragrances for men, typically have herbal lavender top notes and oakmoss- coumarin base. Fragrances belonging to the Fougère family are characteristically fresh, mossy, cool, herbaceous and damp. The inspiration behind them is green lush woodlands where ferns are typically found.

Ferns are used as ornamental plants but also for their unique properties to remove chemical pollutants from the air and from contaminated soils. Some of the species are even harvested for food or used as building material in tropical areas of the world. Their wonderful shape appears simple at first glance, but on closer inspection it reveals beautiful and complex pattern which displays self-similarity on all scales, reminding on the image of fractals - one of the most interesting puzzles of mathematics.

No wonder this plant holds a special place in folklore traditions throughout the world. In almost all world cultures, ferns are associated with wealth and fortune. People of the old Czech land of Bohemia believed that their money would never run out only if they hold fern seeds among them.

In Slavic folklore, ferns are believed to bloom during the Ivan Kupala night and anyone who sees fern flower would be bestowed with prosperity and luck for the rest of their lives. Even more fascinating is a Finnish legend by which anyone who collects the seed of a blooming fern on Midsummer night would be able to travel invisibly, guided by a ghostly light of the forest to the place where the hidden treasure is buried.

The Ivana Kupala Night by E. Kurbala

Ferns hold a special place in the history of visual arts, marking the age of Victorian Fern Craze, also known as Pteridomania. The fern craze was popular in Britain between 837 and 1914, when this plant became a dominant motif in architecture and decorative arts. During the fern craze it was particularly popular to collect and even grow ferns as a hobby. The madness for ferns was so intense that it even led to serious reduction in the number of wild populations. The Killarney Fern, for example, which is currently one of the Europe’s most threatened plants, was thought to be extinct in Scotland due to the 19th century Pteridomania.

Fern note in perfumery is actually a fantasy concept that captures the freshness and greenness of the wood. Fern note recreates the mossy, wet, green and earthy scent of the forest and it is usually achieved in a blend of complex synthetic or natural substances. Most commonly, fougère perfumes combine basic materials such as the absolutes of hay, lavender, oakmoss, and tonka bean. In modern perfumery, synthetically obtained coumarin is used instead of the tonka bean absolute and hay absolute, but many of the natural perfumers are still continuing to recreate the scent of fern with purely natural ingredients.

Even though fern compositions are typically mixtures of natural and synthetic ingredients, it is possible to extract the essential oil from fern, more exactly - from male Aspidium. The essential oil is obtained from the rhizomes, using the extraction with the volatile solvents. The odor of fern essential oil is damp, earthy, sweet and woody, reminding of the typical smell of fresh humus. It is mainly used for medical purposes, and it could theoretically be used for fougère-type fragrances, but the quantities obtained from the extraction have never been sufficient enough.

Aspidium acrostichoides - Christmas Fern

If you wish to explore the fern note more deeply you should definitely start with already mentioned Fougère Royale by Houbigant. This fragrance was originally created for women, but men found it even more appealing and it soon became the beau ideal of fougère fragrances for men. Some other wonderful vintage editions include the English Fern by Penhaligon’s, first launched in 1890, and thirteen years older Wild Fern Cologne by Geo. F. Trumper. Among the contemporary fragrances I would single out Felci by L`Erbolario, which is an aromatic fougère fragrance for men.