Narcissus Poeticus Absolute — Narcissus poeticus | 30% in Natural TEC | Rare Wildcrafted French Floral

Part of our Professional Perfumers Range — curated for the discerning natural perfumer seeking exceptional depth and rarity.

Due to the rare and limited nature of this material, please allow a lead time of 7-14 days depending on availability.

Narcissus Poeticus Absolute — A Complex, Demanding Floral

Narcissus poeticus produces one of the most powerful floral scents in nature — so concentrated that a single stem can fill a room. Ancient Greek and Roman writers wrote about its intensity centuries before modern chemistry could explain it: we now know the effect comes from high natural levels of indole, benzyl acetate, and para-dimethoxybenzene working together. This isn't a soft, easy-to-wear floral. It's a genuinely challenging material — but one that rewards perfumers willing to work with it.

Narcissus poeticus — the Poet's Narcissus, the Pheasant's Eye — is a small white wild flower of the French meadows, wildcrafted during a brief window each spring. Narcissus absolute trades at prices that reflect its scarcity: it is one of the most expensive naturals per gram in the entire perfumery palette, placing it alongside rose otto, orris butter, and boronia as a material that serious perfumers handle with reverence.

As the pure absolute is a dark, viscous and intensely concentrated material, we supply it at 30% in our Natural TEC — a smooth, pourable, dropper-ready liquid that is simple to measure and blend. If it thickens or sets in cool conditions, simply warm the bottle gently to restore its fluidity.

Scent Profile

The opening is green, wet, and immediately striking — the scent of cut narcissus stems and crushed leaves, watery and slightly sharp, with a coolness that evokes an alpine meadow after spring rain. This green opening is deceptive: within minutes a heady, honeyed, jasmine-like white floral heart emerges in force, undercut by indole and something faintly animalic — simultaneously beautiful and unsettling in the way that only truly great natural materials manage. Hay and tobacco nuances develop alongside the floral heart, adding warmth and a slightly dry, medicinal complexity. The drydown is long, warm, and deeply animalic — one of the most tenacious and complex base note characters in natural perfumery, evolving over many hours on the skin and revealing new facets with each passing hour.

Use at very conservative concentrations initially. At higher concentrations the intensity overwhelms; at the right dose it transforms. Remember that this is a 30% dilution when calculating the absolute content of your composition.

Perfumery Applications

Narcissus absolute is one of the most powerful and most sophisticated materials in the natural perfumer's palette — not a background note or modifier but a full character material that defines any composition it enters, for better or worse depending on the skill with which it is deployed. Its primary role in classical perfumery has been as a floral heart note of extreme intensity — appearing in the great narcissus soliflores and in complex white floral bouquets where its distinctive character adds a dimension of depth and mystery that no other material provides.

It is a natural companion to other heady white florals — tuberose, jasmine, ylang ylang — where its green, animalic character adds sophistication and prevents the composition from reading as simply sweet. In oriental structures its tobacco-animalic drydown adds a compelling depth. In chypres its green-earthy character complements mossy base materials with unusual naturalness. It should not be confused with our Jonquille Absolute (Narcissus jonquilla) — a related but botanically distinct species with a warmer, fruitier, more honeyed character. The two are different instruments in the same family.

Blending Suggestions

Pairs beautifully with jasmine, tuberose, rose absolute, ylang ylang, violet leaf, orris, iris, galbanum, bergamot, oakmoss, labdanum, sandalwood, vetiver, and soft musks. The combination with violet leaf and rose absolute is particularly refined — the green, heady character of the narcissus finding natural balance with the cool greenness of the violet and the warmth of the rose. Used alongside the Jonquille Absolute for a complete narcissus family accord of extraordinary depth.

Technical Details

• Botanical Name: Narcissus poeticus L.
• Common Names: Poet's Narcissus / Pheasant's Eye / Poet's Daffodil
• Botanical Family: Amaryllidaceae
• Origin: France (wildcrafted)
• Plant Part: Flowers
• Extraction Method: Solvent extraction (absolute)
• Supplied As: 30% Narcissus poeticus absolute in Natural TEC
• Classification: Heart to base note
• Appearance: Smooth, pourable liquid (the undiluted absolute is a dark, viscous liquid) — if thickened or set in cool conditions, warm gently to restore fluidity
• Odour Family: Floral / Green / Heady / Animalic / Hay
• Natural: Yes — 100% natural absolute in a natural TEC carrier
• Note: Not to be confused with Jonquille Absolute (Narcissus jonquilla) — a distinct species with different aromatic character
• Documentation Note: This product is prepared in-house by diluting Narcissus Poeticus Absolute at 30% with natural TEC (triethyl citrate). The original supplier's Certificate of Analysis (COA) and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the pure absolute, along with the TEC carrier's own COA/SDS, are available on request.

Packaging

1ml sample supplied in a 5ml clear flint glass bottle. 5ml and 10ml supplied in amber glass bottles — all with inbuilt droppers and tamper evident caps.

Safety Information

For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes and sensitive areas. Not suitable for use on babies, children, pets or broken skin. Avoid use during pregnancy or whilst nursing. Always dilute properly and perform a patch test before first use.

Sample Policy

We recommend purchasing a 1ml sample first before committing to larger quantities. Please note that no refunds can be offered on opened items.

Photo images are for illustrative purposes only.