Made from the dried, powdered and distilled roots of bearded iris, orris is one of perfume’s rarest ingredients. After three to four years of flowering, the iris roots are dug by hand and matured for several years. These are powdered, mixed with water and steam distilled to produce a semi-solid oil. 


Orris is one of perfume’s rarest and most valuable ingredients. Made from the dried, powdered and distilled roots of bearded iris, it is velvety, suede-like, with a hint of violet, something of milk and earth. It's deeply rooted in the soil in which it’s grown and intimately connected to the people who tend it. After three to four years of flowering, the roots are dug up by hand - scentless, they must now be matured for another several years. Once mature, the roots are powdered, mixed with water and distilled by steam to produce a semi-solid oil, sometimes known (delightfully) as orris butter. This oil has been used in fragrance for thousands of years, making appearances in iconic scents such as Chanel No. 5. 


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Orris- a fragrance ingredient from Zhejiang, China, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Orris

Base

Pepper

Fresh

Musk

Velvet

Powder

Floral

Earth

The frilled, lacy umbels of wild carrot create that pale, high summer froth along hedgerows, in meadows and coastal dunes - and though their roots are edible, they are not as palatable as the plant's familiar cultivar. A sweet, earthy, woody oil can be extracted from the plant's seeds.


The frilled, lacy umbels of wild carrot (also known as Queen Anne's Lace) create that pale, high summer froth along hedgerows, in meadows and among coastal dunes - and though their roots are edible, they are not as palatable or delicious as the plant's familiar cultivar, the domestic carrot. A sweet, earthy, woody oil can be extracted from the seeds of the plant. With many uses in herbal medicine, the oil brings a distinctively vegetal scent to a fragrance, with just a hint of musk. 


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Carrot seed- a fragrance ingredient from Brittany, France, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Carrot seed

Green

Spice

While hay absolute calls to mind temperate harvests, the plant from which it is extracted is in fact, Arctic. The sweetgrass _Hierochloe alpina_ grows wild on the circumpolar tundra, particularly on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, in Svalbard. 


As you might expect, hay absolute smells like fresh-cut hay, calling to mind the golden afternoons of late summer. It is sweet and evocative, with an almost jam-like undertone. _Foin coupé_ (also known as 'new mown hay') fragrances, were popular around the turn of the twentieth century. But while hay absolute undoubtedly calls to mind a temperate harvest, the plant from which it is extracted is Arctic. The sweetgrass _Hierochloe alpina_ grows wild on the circumpolar tundra, particularly on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, in Svalbard. 


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Hay- a fragrance ingredient from Le Midi, France, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Sweet

Herbaceous

Coumarin

Our rock rose grows wild on the plains of Almaden de la Plata outside Seville, Spain. In late summer, the leafy stems of the plant are sickle harvested and plunged into hot carbonated water. This mixture is distilled to obtain a honeyed, amber resin - labdanum. 


Our rock rose grows wild on the plains of Almaden de la Plata outside Seville, Spain. In late summer, the leafy stems of the plant are sickle harvested and plunged into hot carbonated water. This mixture is then distilled to obtain a honeyed, amber resin - labdanum. The plant remains are used as biofuel. Traditionally, labdanum was taken from the coats of goats who grazed the rock rose-covered hillsides of Crete - but times have changed. 


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Brown-eyed rock rose- a fragrance ingredient from Andalusia, Spain, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Brown-eyed rock rose

Leather

Honey

Plum

Amber

Warm

Our Egyptian basil grand vert is renowned for its high linalool composition and its distinctive aniseed notes. The leaves are cut and immediately distilled - if they are allowed to dry, the scent is largely lost.


The composition of a basil essential oil can vary greatly with the site of cultivation and the specificities of the growing method. After some deliberation, we settled on an Egyptian basil grand vert, renowned for its high linalool composition and distinctive aniseed notes. The leaves are cut and immediately distilled - if they are allowed to dry, the scent is largely lost.


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Basil grand vert- a fragrance ingredient from Vert-le-Grand, France, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Basil grand vert

Aniseed

Basil

Benzoin Siam is a balsamic resin taken from the bark of the styrax tree, growing wild in the Annamite mountains of Laos. In September, a v-shaped cut is made in the tree bark, and brittle white ‘tears’ of benzoin resin accumulate over three-weeks. This process is known as ‘tapping’. 


Benzoin Siam is a balsamic resin taken from the bark of the styrax tree. The trees grow wild in the Annamite mountains, Laos. In September, a v-shaped cut is made in the tree bark, and brittle white ‘tears’ of benzoin resin accumulate over a three-week period. This process is known as ‘tapping’. 


Benzoin Siam- a fragrance ingredient from Andalusia, Spain, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Benzoin Siam

Vanilla

Balsamic

Wood

Grown on Calabrian hills overlooking the Ionian Sea, the fruit is harvested by hand and the oil extracted at source. The La Face family planted their first bergamot in the 1930s and have been mastering the craft of producing citrus oils ever since. 


Grown on Calabrian hills overlooking the Ionian Sea, the fruit is harvested by hand and the oil extracted at source. The La Face family planted their first bergamot in the 1930’s and have been mastering the craft of producing citrus oils ever since. They are always our first port of call when it comes to sourcing bergamot and other citruses for our fragrances.


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Bergamot rind- a fragrance ingredient from Calabria, Italy, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Bergamot rind

Earl grey

Citrus

Our red cedar wood (also known as red juniper) is grown and harvested in its native Virginia, USA. The oil is steam distilled directly from a cabinet maker’s offcuts. It shares the classic woody notes of atlas cedar, but introduces a distinctive ‘pencil’ facet.

Our red cedar wood (also known as red juniper) is grown and harvested in its native Virginia, USA, and principally used for cabinet making. The oil is steam distilled directly from a cabinet maker’s offcuts. It shares the classic woody notes of atlas cedar, but introduces a distinctive ‘pencil’ facet. 


Red cedar- a fragrance ingredient from Virginia, USA, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Red cedar

Pencils

Ffern’s geranium, _Pelargonium graveolens_, is also known as the rose geranium. Legend has it that this flower was created when the prophet Mohammed, after bathing in a river, laid his shirt upon a mallow branch to dry. The mallow was so honoured that it transformed into the beautiful rose geranium. 


The common name geranium actually encompasses two kinds of flower - geraniums and pelargoniums. The one we use is _Pelargonium graveolens_, known as the rose geranium, and it is a wonderful friend to the perfumer. Paired with damask rose, it brings a lighter, brighter facet that is almost citrusy; this can lift the powdery richness of the rose, bringing texture and depth to the accord. Legend has it that the rose geranium was created when the prophet Mohammed, after bathing in a nearby river, laid his shirt upon a mallow branch to dry - the mallow was so honoured that it transformed itself into a plant with beautiful flowers and fragrant leaves: the rose geranium. 


Rose geranium- a fragrance ingredient from Nile Valley, Egypt, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Rose geranium

Rose

Aromatic

Sharp

Jasmine grandiflorum is one of the most sought after ingredients in perfumery. To make a kilogram of the absolute takes eight million flowers - these delicate, night-flowering blooms are hand-picked at dawn between June and September in the Indian Himalayas, where the flowers are sacred. 


Known also as royal jasmine, jasmine grandiflorum is one of the most sought after ingredients in fine perfumery. To make a kilogram of the absolute takes eight million flowers - these delicate, night-flowering blooms are hand-picked at dawn between June and September in the Indian Himalayas, where the flowers are sacred. The first harvest is offered to the gods; the second is plaited into hair and used to decorate the home; only the third may be used to make the absolute used in fragrance. To avoid any damage to this culture, and to reduce air miles, we at Ffern get our jasmine grandiflorum from India. Ffern nose Elodie Durande notes its mild, fruity sweetness, likening it to apricot jam. 


Jasmine grandiflorum- a fragrance ingredient from Tamil Nadu, India, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Jasmine grandiflorum

Fruit

Sweet-floral

The La Faces are a third-generation citrus farming family, growing our lemons on the northeastern tip of Sicily - just across the 3km straight of Messina and in sight of our bergamot on the Calabrian shores. The fruit is picked by hand, and the rinds cold pressed on site. 


The La Faces are a third-generation citrus farming family, and the go-to source for citrus expertise at Ffern. They grow lemons on the northeastern tip of Sicily - just across the 3km straight of Messina and in sight of our Bergamot on the Calabrian shores. The fruit is picked by hand, and the rinds cold pressed on site. 


Lemon rind- a fragrance ingredient from Sicily, Italy, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Lemon rind

Lemon

Sparkling

Ffern mandarins are harvested in the months before ripening. Whilst still green, they are cold pressed on site to preserve their delicate top notes. The scent is notably sharper and more floral than their ripe counterparts.


Ffern mandarins are harvested 1-2 months before ripening, whilst still green, they are cold pressed on site to preserve their delicate top notes. The scent is notably sharper and more floral than their ripe counterparts.


Green mandarin rind- a fragrance ingredient from São Paulo, Brazil, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Green mandarin rind

Zest

Our neroli oil is extracted from the blossom of bitter Seville Orange trees on Cape Bon in northern Tunisia. The blossoms are hand-picked in the spring at daybreak, once dew has formed. The flowers are immediately pressed and distilled.

Our neroli oil is extracted from the blossom of bitter Seville Orange trees on Cape Bon in northern Tunisia - a peninsula that juts out into the Tyrrhenian sea, across from Sicily. The blossoms are hand-picked in the Spring at daybreak, once dew has formed. The flowers are immediately pressed and distilled - every second they sit in the morning sun detracts from the characteristically fresh scent that wooed Anne Marie Orsini, Princess of Nerola, and won the oil its name. 


Neroli- a fragrance ingredient from Cape Bon, Tunisia, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Neroli

Orange flower

Our nutmeg grows on the Banda islands of eastern Indonesia. The fruit is harvested with handheld telescopic pickers and left to dry in the shade - the seed oil is then steam distilled at source.


Our nutmeg grows on the Banda islands of eastern Indonesia. These islands - the original source of nutmeg - were a global secret throughout the 15th century, until in August 1511 they were discovered by a Portugese general, and the European race for nutmeg trade dominance began. Today the fruit is harvested with handheld telescopic pickers and left to dry in the shade - the seed oil is then steam distilled at source.


Nutmeg- a fragrance ingredient from Banda Islands, Indonesia, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Nutmeg

Resinous

Scentless when fresh and native to Asia, patchouli is a member of the _Lamiaceae_ or Mint family. Our patchouli is hand-harvested on the Indonesian Island of Java. It’s then dried in the shade and briefly fermented, helping to break down the cell walls before the copper still hydrodistillation.


Patchouli- a fragrance ingredient from Java, Indonesia, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Patchouli

Dark

Timut pepper is a berry, plucked from the steep mountains of the Mahabharats in southern Nepal. It is made up of a hard, bitter black seed encased in a pericarp casing like the zest of a tangerine. Ffern timut pepper is extracted using the CO2 process. 


Like pink and Szechuan peppers, timut pepper is not really a pepper at all - but a berry, plucked from the steep mountain sides of the Mahabharats in southern Nepal. It is made up of a hard, bitter black seed (this is removed before being used for cooking) encased in a pericarp, a casing a bit like the zest of a tangerine. These little berries have made an exciting entrance into the perfume world only recently. Their complex citrus sparkle is, for many people, akin to grapefruit or dried peel, bringing a light, fresh spice to the opening of a fragrance. Ffern timut pepper is harvested in Nepal and extracted using the supercritical CO2 process. 


Timut pepper- a fragrance ingredient from Mahabharat Mountain Range, Nepal, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Timut pepper

Grapefruit

We chose Haitian vetiver over Javan competitors for its fresh, sparkling notes, and because the root provides sustainable employment for south Haitian communities. One year after planting, the roots are excavated, washed, cut, and sun-dried before they can be steam distilled at source.


We’re incredibly fond of this ingredient. We chose Haitian vetiver over its Javan competitor for its fresher, sparkling notes which work well with our bergamot, and because the root provides such a valuable and sustainable source of employment for the south Haitian community. One year after planting, the roots are excavated, washed, cut, and sun-dried before they can be steam distilled at source.


Vetiver root- a fragrance ingredient from Les Cayes, Haiti, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Vetiver root

Smoke

Root

Birch tar is produced by the rectification of crude birch oil, which is itself obtained by the slow destructive distillation of birch bark - a process in which the decomposition of the organic material is achieved by heating it to a high temperature. The birch bark we source is a byproduct of the wood industry in the USA, with the distillation process also taking place in the USA.

Birch tar is produced by the rectification (purification by re-distillation) of crude birch oil, which is itself obtained by the slow destructive distillation of birch bark (a process in which the decomposition of the organic material is achieved by heating it to a high temperature). The birch bark we use is a byproduct of the wood industry in the USA, with the distillation process also taking place in the USA. 

Birch tar, which has been used for medicinal purposes since the late Paleolithic era, has a lovely smokiness to it with a woody, almost leathery undertone - a little like an old, full-bodied brandy.


Birch tar- a fragrance ingredient from Virginia, USA, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Birch tar

We press our sweet orange oil from the rind of cold-pressed Hamlin oranges grown in the mineral-rich state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Hamlin orange trees are among the most tolerant of cold and their fruit comes early, the season beginning in October. 


We press our sweet orange oil from the rind of cold-pressed Hamlin oranges grown in the mineral-rich state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, where they are grown in the southwestern citrus belt. Hamlin orange trees are among the most tolerant of cold and their fruit comes early, the season beginning in October. 


Sweet orange rind- a fragrance ingredient from Minas Gerais, Brazil, used by the organic fragrance house Ffern.

Sweet orange rind

Juicy

Austria

Belgium

Canada

Germany

Denmark

Spain

Finland

United Kingdom

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Sweden

United States

Floral broom, creamy tuberose and green petitgrain

Euro

Canadian Dollar

British Pound Sterling

Dollar

Colette LaVette’s work is deeply informed by the natural world and mythology, taking a playful approach that engages with tradition through a contemporary painterly language - her organic forms emerge from expressionist mark making in compositions that recall Rococo and Renaissance masters.

For our Autumn 23 artwork, we wanted to immerse the viewer in our collaborator Julius Roberts’ world. Colette has created a painting alive with the characters we found on Julius’ farm - if you look closely you’ll spy his goats and his dog amid ingredients of the fragrance - carrots, irises, geranium, fig leaves, violet leaves and an apple tree...

At the heart of Autumn 23, our collaboration with chef Julius Roberts, is the delicious scent of sun-warmed figs. Onto this we’ve layered notes of tonka bean, iris and violet leaf. The result is one of our most exciting fragrances to date - dark fruit, rich hay, and a drift of smoke.

At the heart of Autumn 23, our collaboration with chef Julius Roberts, is the delicious scent of sun-warmed figs.

Sun-warmed figs, rich hay and a drift of smoke

Autumn 23

FFERN × JULIUS ROBERTS

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