Water lily

What it brings

A watery floral freshness that gives the bouquet air.

Origins and uses

Water lilies belong to the genus Nymphaea, aquatic plants of the Nymphaeaceae family; they should not be confused with the sacred lotus, from another family. In Europe, the white water lily, Nymphaea alba, grows in still or slow waters, anchored in the mud by its rhizome. Its large round leaves float on the surface, and its solitary flowers, with some twenty petals around a yellow centre, open in the light and close in the dark, from June to September.

In perfumery, water lily is an imaginary note, recreated by the perfumer. Aquatic and green, it evokes a flower resting on water, fresh and slightly powdery, and lightens white-flower bouquets.

In our catalogue, water lily appears in the heart of two fragrances by Ormonde Jayne: Frangipani, with frangipani and tuberose, and Osmanthus, with osmanthus and jasmine sambac.