Saffron smells warm, honeyed and slightly leathery, with a dry, hay-like edge and a faint metallic shimmer. It's one of the most recognisable notes in perfumery, and one of the most precious.

What it is

Saffron comes from the stigmas of the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. Each flower has just three red threads, and they're picked by hand. It takes roughly 150,000 flowers to make a single kilogram, which is why saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.

The science behind the scent

Fresh saffron threads barely smell at all. The famous aroma develops as the threads dry. A bitter compound called picrocrocin breaks down into safranal, the molecule responsible for most of saffron's scent.

That's the pharmacologist in me talking: a scent is often made in the drying, the curing or the ageing, not in the field. Safranal is volatile, so it lifts quickly from skin or a warm candle. That's why saffron so often appears in the opening of a fragrance.

How it smells in a blend

On its own, saffron can feel intense. In a blend, it does three things beautifully:

• Warms florals. With rose, it turns a pretty floral into something deep and velvety.
• Softens leather. It adds a honeyed glow that makes leather feel supple, not harsh.
• Lifts woods and amber. It gives warm bases a bright, luminous opening.

Scent profile: honeyed · leathery · warm · spiced · hay-like · golden

Find saffron in

• Saffron Rose Candle: saffron, black rose and patchouli
• Saffron Leather Candle: saffron, raspberry and leather
• Saffron Noir Extrait de Parfum: saffron, leather and black violet
• Red 540 Candle: saffron, woods and oakmoss

Rooted in research. Released as feelings.