The Clean Slate

Flower lovers over here. We can easily say that ‘lily of the valley’ is jasmine’s best friend. We can't say that this is a friendship on equal terms: if jasmine is the spoiled, mean girl in high school, lily of the valley is its maid of honor. If we're serious for a minute and now talk in the language of perfumes, we can argue that lily of the valley is among the green-whites, carrying sweet hints of jasmine while producing soap-like results.

Perhaps thanks to its small leaves, the lily of the valley is generally associated with innocence, that first fresh spring awakening, simplicity, and romanticism. Unlike the jasmine it aspires to, it is not the portrait of the plotting and seductive woman.Rather, the lily of the valley has an effortlessness that sends naïve signals from behind white shirts. It is exactly what you call, “Oh, delightful!”.

The lily of the valley has a traditional side to it, too: From the dusty pages of history to recently, it has been a quintessential part of bridal bouquets. We can stop by the weddings of Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, on our journey from 1561 to today.

Botanic was again the lily of the valley’s responsibility at Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding.When Elizabeth Taylor was marrying the actor Richard Burton, whom she met on the set of Cleopatra, she asked the costume designer Irene Sharaff to design her extraordinary wedding dress.Only two details overshadowed Taylor’s yellow, short baby doll wedding dress. One was the lilies and hyacinths covering all of her long hair like a veil; the other was the huge diamond and emerald Bvlgari brooch she wore on her collar as a wedding ring.Burton later commented on it by saying, “The only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bvlgari.”

Moving on to the French, we can say that lily of the valley is one of the main ingredients of Parisienne perfumery. Dior has practically adopted lily of the valley and jasmine. The flower is almost like the olfactive definition of spring, which Dior is so fond of, with its spicy character, greenness and sweetness and just the right amount of citrusy whiffs it offers.Because lily of the valley is a bit capricious in sharing its essential oils, nowadays synthetic alternatives, which mimic its scent and charm, are increasingly being used.

Being able to hold its ground both in soliflor scents where one flower is the focal point, and in complex and intricate pyramids, the lily of the valley creates a fresh aura for other flowers to shine, when it is placed at the helm.It’s as if it smooths off rough edges by lightening up the entire formula.With its green, damp, and sweet scent, you may have noticed it in the iconic 50s perfume Diorissimo. Finishing off a feminine portrait without coming across as old-fashioned, it is no coincidence that lily of the valley also symbolizes new beginnings.

Brought together with woody notes, sandalwood, patchouli, and vetiver in particular, the lily of the valley can also balance its sweetness in formulas, where it’s wrapped only around greens or leaves.

This way, it is never too much. After being off the shelves for a while, Diorissimo met again with its fans in 2007.You can also find lily of the valley, accompanied by rose, amber, and pink peony in Chloé Eau de Parfum Spray.Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning is set to remind one of white sheets, where lily of the valley meets musk.

You can find it among the aquatic combination of freesia and citrus notes in Dior Addict Eau Fraîche, in the warm but bright formula of Donna Karan Cashmere Mist, and hiding behind a storm of spices in Yves Saint Laurent Opium.In Kilian Kissing, its sweetness approximates the seductress jasmine, among the modern spring bouquet interpretation of Byredo, and alongside of grapefruit and musk in Bond No.9 New York Scent of Peace, where it takes on a hint of a cologne-like character.Miu Miu’s L’Eau Bleue takes the lily of the valley to a different place with the distant cousin of patchouli, the Akigala tree, whereas in Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle, it becomes a part of a true American formula.Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell Cologne makes you constantly want to refresh the scent, and in Clean Shower Fresh it really delivers on the promise of its name.

We have encountered the lily of the valley in what can be called Italy's olfactive signature, Acqua di Parma Colonia Essenza and in Etat Libre d’Orange Yes I Do, where the interplay with cacao and sweets gives it a bit of naughtiness.The simplest and most bare interpretation of lily of the valley of course comes from a traditional perfume house in England.Penhaligon’s Lily of the Valley makes you feel like you are strolling through an English garden on the first day of spring.In a period when we are literally trying to heal, our noses and brains are ready to jump on the lily of the valley's promise for a fresh start.

Now as we are ever more confronted by our world and being forced back into the confines of walls, maybe we should heed lily of the valley’s call that spring will be here, and we need not worry, and take it in.