Lily of the Valley (Muguet) in Perfumery

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Lily of the valley is an important floral odor in perfume. The natural flower oil is not commercially available although attempts have been made to obtain the concrete of lily of the valley.

In the early part of this century, a product called Muguet de Mai was commercially available, but it was a lily of the valley-like extract produced in Grasse from the hyacinth-like freesia.

The advent of aromatic chemicals paved the way for synthetic lily of the valley compounds which are now being used in perfumery.

Botanical Origin

Lily of the valley, Convallaria maialis L. (fam. Liliaceae) originated in Asia Minor, or Persia (now Iran), and is known in Europe as a wild growing plant. Another species of lily of the valley is Convallaria keikusei Miq. (Japanese lily of valley).

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