Elderflower smells floral, creamy, and slightly citrusy. The scent is also characterized by intense herbal and berry undertones. Elderflower has a lightweight scent, specific to early summer flowers.
Elderflower starts to bloom in late May. It continues to bloom until mid-June. It marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer with a lightweight scent that’s often frugal, slightly green, a bit fruity, but short-lasting.
Elderflower perfumes are associated with the official description of the elderflower smell or with popular elderflower drinks such as gimlets.
The smell of elderflower goes well with white floral scents such as jasmine or more intense floral scents such as lilac. This smell is concentrated in essential oil (through distillation) to be used in perfumes and aromatherapy.
Elderflower is the flower of the Sambucus tree. This means it only blooms once per year, making it one of the flowers with a limited smelling and appreciation window. You must be ready to find an elderflower at the beginning of summer for a few weeks before it completely disappears until next year.
Luckily, there are now ways of smelling like elderflower for the entire summer. Used in perfumes, elderflower is a superb combination in women’s fragrances with that smell like flowers. It can also add creaminess to sweet perfumes and it may blend in well with aquatic notes for perfumes that are worn in the high summer heat.
One of the potential drawbacks of this note is that it’s often associated with elderflower drinks. A bigger problem is elderflower smelling like pee which puts some women off buying elderflower perfumes. But elderflower only smells bad when it’s not fresh or when it’s picked towards its late-blooming stages as the flowers start to die.
What is Elderflower?
Elderflower refers to the flower of the Sambucus. There are multiple variations of Sambucus that grow everywhere around the world from the Himalayas to Austria. Elderflower is often associated with the beginning of the warm season in temperate climates and this translates well into its scent.
How Does Elderflower Smell Like?
Elderflower smells like white flowers with herbal and berry infusions. Its scent is light, almost citrusy. There’s a creaminess and low projection to the scent which makes it pleasant and inviting.
Elderflower has a delicate smell that is far from the better-known smells of lilac and bergamot, at least in perfumery. The elderflower scent doesn’t last long. However, it’s deeply feminine, ideal for both young and mature women.
Elderflower smells floral
Elderflower has a floral smell. White delicate flowers smell similar to elderflowers. It’s not as aromatic as other flowers such as neroli. However, elderflower is among the winners when it comes to marking the smell of spring and summer. Its scent is highly used in perfumery where elderflower is a cheap but versatile essential oil to mix with other perfume ingredients.
Elderflower has a herbal odor
The herbal nature of elderflower is prominent. It’s almost as if the flower smells green or similar to grass. This green undertone is what gives freshness to the elderflower aroma. It adds another layer to this complex scent.
Elderflower smells creamy
Elderflower smells creamy, sometimes interpreted as weak. Its pleasant low-projection aroma is what makes elderflower smell inviting. It doesn’t put people off and it has a compliment-getting factor to it.
Elderflower has berry undertones
There’s fruitiness in the aroma compounds of elderflower. This flower smells like berries which makes the entire scent a bit sweet. However, it’s not a sweet scent as there’s a fine balance between sweetness and bitterness in the smell of elderflower.
Elderflower is citrusy
Elderflower also smells citrusy. Its lemon-like smell makes it ideal to use in the best spring perfumes and the best summer perfumes for women. Elderflower pairs well with a lot of citruses as a result.
Elderflower benefits
Elderflower health benefits are diverse. Some of these transition to its scent. Here are a few benefits that have some importance when it comes to its smell.
- It makes you smell like the summer
The first benefit of elderflower is that it makes you smell like summer. Women wear elderflower perfumes to remind themselves of youth, energy, and rebirth. All of these are to the beginning of the summer when elderflower blooms.
- It clears the nasal cavity
When mixed in drinks elderflower clears the nasal cavity. There’s no evidence to suggest this is tied to its smell. However, smelling elderflower is often associated with such benefits as it gives people the impression the nose becomes clear and congestion-free base on its light creamy aroma.
- It helps relieve the common cold
Elderflower has been shown to relieve the common cold. Its citrusy nature is often tied to these benefits. As seen above, elderflower also smells citrusy, a bit like lemon.
Elderflower scent description summary
The elderflower smell is so simple yet so elusive. Many people are blocked when it comes to describing how elderflower smells like. However, this smell is highly floral and a bit green, which might explain why the scent hasn’t caught up in perfumes for teenage women. It’s more popular in perfumes for mature women. Still, elderflower is a deeply feminine scent of multiple nuances. When used in perfumes it shines in warm weather and it changes to a more herbal scent when worn out in the rain.
FAQ
Does elderflower smell like cat pee?
Elderflower only smells like pee when it’s towards the end of its blooming phase. You should seek out fresh elderflowers for that creamy floral citrusy smell if you’ve found an elderflower that smells like pee or cat pee.
Does elderflower taste like lychee?
Elderflower can be reminiscent of the taste of lychee. However, the fruit is sweeter than the flower. Elderflower is closer to berries than lychee.