Saffron is a warming leathery-spicy note which is often evocative of luxury due to its high expense and prized status in cooking. In fragrance it sits from the top into the heart. There is no practical natural extract of saffron used as a perfumery building block. Luckily, a single molecule is responsible for the smell of saffron: Safranal, which is available as a perfumery raw material. On its own, it smells convincingly of saffron, without any other additions needed. Safranal is heavily IFRA-restricted, so treat the product page safe-use guidance as your starting point when formulating (see our safranal product page). Luckily, safranal is extremely potent and so only trace amounts are needed to create a noticeable saffron note. Baccarat rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a famous example of where safranal is used to great effect to create an aura of luxury.
