Perfumes with Heliotrope

Heliotrope smells powdery, sweet, almond-like and slightly vanillic, a floral note that recalls marzipan, vintage face powder and a soft, comforting warmth. The small purple flowers of Heliotropium arborescens are not extracted commercially, so the note is recreated synthetically.

Its core is a molecule called heliotropin, also known as piperonal, which gives the characteristic almond and cherry-pie softness. Heliotrope mostly sits in the heart of a fragrance, sometimes in the base. It pairs well with vanilla, almond, iris, violet, tonka bean, musk and sandalwood, and it is a classic of powdery compositions.

Heliotrope appears in 3,889 perfumes in the Fisfis catalogue and is used mostly as a heart note.