What's That Smell? TUBEROSE

In the "What's That Smell?" series,  I'll explain some of the less obvious perfume notes that crop up in many indie perfumes. Keep in mind my descriptions and comparisons are based on my own experiences and your impressions may not be the same. Perfume notes are NOT ingredients. They can be natural essences, artificial isolated compounds that imitate the natural substance, blended accords, or a combination. Therefore, the note you like in one perfume may be unrecognizable in another. As with all sensory, subjective things, your mileage may vary.

Tuberose is the Big Mama of white floral notes. It's bold and distinctive. In large amounts, it can really take over a fragrance, but in small amounts it can lend a nice depth without killing the vibe. Tuberose can only be described as waxy, fatty, and lactonic (creamy, milk-like.) If you imagine crushing the petals in your hands, instead of getting a juicy, fresh fragrance, you'd get a rich and creamy type of scent. And actually, tuberose smells almost salty in large amounts. It's pretty much the flower version of coconut milk. It's dense, rich, and not sweet exactly, but very powerful. It smells distinctively tropical and summery. If I had to break it down into non-hand-wavy adjectives, I would say tuberose smells like a mix of salt, coconut milk, beeswax, a tiny pinch of sugar, and gardenia.

Some people report that tuberose scents make them nauseous. From my own experience, when my hormones are out of whack, my nose amplifies tuberose's natural saltiness and I end up with a very confused and upset nose. I think one of the big mistakes people make with tuberose is they expect it to smell like gardenia, which is tuberose's more well-behaved, sweet, prim cousin. If you go into a tuberose fragrance expecting something unusual and bold, you won't be disappointed. It's one of the most unique and characteristic floral notes around.

I must note, as with all white florals, tuberose does contain indolic nuances (no way around it, indoles smell like feces.) But if you've ever smelled a sexy, dirty human who smelled natural and good, you know that indolic/dirty notes shouldn't be feared. In tiny amounts, they can be a powerfully magnetic scent component, giving you great balance and interest in what could otherwise be a bland scent. The nausea/distaste many people associate with tuberose is, I believe, partially due to its indole content (like with jasmine) and partially because of its distinctive salty-sweetness. 

Perfumes featuring tuberose: 

• Ava Luxe Fleur d'Oranger: This fragrance uses the natural lusty, strong scent of tuberose to anchor the famously fleeting scent of orange blossom. Orange blossoms are technically white florals, but they are some of the hardest to capture in scent form. Many perfumers default to using an orange zest scent in their place, which you know, if you've ever smelled a real orange tree in bloom, is no substitute. The indolic, broad tuberose in this provides a booster in longevity and strength for the wimpier orange blossom/neroli notes and allows this perfume to retain its sweet, full scent for longer. 
• Solstice Scents Nightgown: Oh, Nightgown, you are a polarizing beast. Because this perfume uses sweeter florals like tiare (Tahitian gardenia) and an ultra-luxurious white chocolate/vanilla blend, it both amps up the sweetness of the tuberose, and starts a bit of a messy fight with the natural saltiness of the flower. I have noticed this scent definitely smells funky if I'm not in the right mood/hormonal state to appreciate it. It's a very tenuous/delicate balance of sweet and salty. If you catch it at the right moment, on the right day, in the right season, this scent is one of the most intoxicating, sensuous floral-gourmand blends in existence. Ever had salted caramel? It can go wrong, but it can go SO, SO right.
• Cocoa Pink Fleurs Siagne: This is a really easy-to-like blend. It's entirely composed of flowers: jasmine, tuberose, rose, and orange blossom, and the more distinctive sweetness of rose and jasmine keep the weirdness of tuberose in check. The orange blossom is the light top note, the rose the rich, pink base, and the tuberose the broad, smooth heart. I love this fragrance because the tuberose, which is such an assertive note, doesn't have to fight for prominence here, and thus it ends up being a very pleasant and tame component.