Lily smells heady, honeyed and slightly narcotic, with a green lift and a creamy floral heart that can shade into powdery or pollen-warm. It is one of the grandest white florals in perfumery.
No commercial essential oil is produced from lily. The category covers dozens of Lilium species, each with distinct aroma: casablanca lily is creamy and honeyed, tiger lily is spicier, Madonna lily is greener and cleaner. Perfumers reconstruct lily from jasmine, tuberose, lily of the valley (muguet) materials, white floral captives and green molecules to build specific lily accords. Stargazer lily is one of the most commonly reproduced.
Lily is a heart note. Perfumers use it to add heady white-floral warmth to modern florals (Donna Karan Gold, Estee Lauder Beautiful, Serge Lutens Un Lys), to bridge jasmine and tuberose in classical bouquets, and to give weddings-perfume compositions a bridal quality. It pairs beautifully with jasmine, orange blossom, vanilla and sandalwood.
Lily performs best in spring, summer and evening wear.
