Ever since I heard about the limited release of Le Labo’s Osmanthus 19 last year, I was intrigued by this unusual-sounding flower. And a couple of osmanthus perfumes later, I was entranced by its remarkable fragrance.

I’d never smelled osmanthus before, and now it’s the flower note making me reconsider my “I’m not a florals person” stance. I’d go as far as this: if you’re only going to get to know one new floral note this year, make it osmanthus. Wondering why? Let me explain.

What is osmanthus?

Osmanthus fragrans is an intensely fragrant flower found across South and East Asia. Ivory or gold colored, it often grows in and around the dramatic limestone rock formations known as karst peaks. Guilin, a city in China’s Guangxi region, takes its name from the flower. It translates roughly as “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus,” a nod to the blooms that grow throughout its famous karst landscape. (Not many flowers can boast their own cities, right?) 

Osmanthus tea might be lesser known compared to, say, jasmine, but it’s enjoyed widely in China. It’s associated with autumn and the Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival. The Natural Perfume Academy has an excellent piece on osmanthus that includes this legend: 

“One famous legend speaks of Wu Gang, a figure punished to endlessly fell a self-healing osmanthus tree on the moon—a futile Sisyphean task. […] The falling of its blossoms was even imagined as the source of the moon’s fragrant glow in autumn.”

This makes sense to me: there’s a hidden, reflective quality to osmanthus that feels much more lunar than solar.

What does osmanthus perfume smell like?

Osmanthus fragrans has a delicate, sweet aroma, fruity like ripe apricot and with a soft texture like suede or leather. I love natural perfumer Anya McCoy‘s description: “Hauntingly beautiful osmanthus flowers emit a fragrance that’s a combination of sweet leather and apricot fruit.”

You wouldn’t describe osmanthus as bold or heavy, even in osmanthus-forward fragrances. In many compositions, it has an ethereal quality, although there are scents that feel earthier and more complex. For me it’s a distinctive fruity floral with a remarkable suede-soft texture. And that elusive luminosity it brings—even in the deeper, richer fragrances—makes it all the more addictive. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be respraying your osmanthus perfume of choice all day long, just for the pleasure of trying to pin down exactly why you love it so much.  

Le Labo’s limited-edition Osmanthus 19 perfume is easily the highest-profile osmanthus release in a while, maybe ever. But this fruity-soft floral shows up in plenty of other beloved blends—find our osmanthus-shaped opinions below. 

Six Osmanthus Perfumes You Need to Know 

The Kyoto exclusive that started it all: LE LABO Osmanthus 19

This is the perfume that kicked off my osmanthus obsession, a Kyoto City Exclusive only available worldwide for a short window each August and September. Notes of incense and aromatic lavender open before the osmanthus emerges, wrapped in subtle woody tones. Le Labo describes Osmanthus 19 as “pure Kyoto,” and that tracks: there’s something both contemplative and modern about it, refined without ever feeling precious. If you’re new to osmanthus, this is the most poetic introduction you could ask for.

For lovers of clean, luxurious unisex florals: ACQUA DI PARMA Osmanthus 

Luminous, smooth, and fresh with a citrus neroli and green mandarin opening, warm pink pepper and musk at the heart and a hypnotic patchouli and osmanthus base. Lots of reviewers mention how clean and “just out the shower” it feels, and they’re not wrong—with its double citrus opening it’s perfect for bright sunny weather. Still, the osmanthus comes through shortly after, giving it a certain complexity that’s fitting for less straightforward weather or moods. Somehow it’s mysterious, fresh, and beautiful all at once—in other words, perfect for the transitional spring/summer months.

Try Acqua di Parma Osmanthus with your Scentbird perfume subscription here. 

Green garden scent with a soft osmanthus glow: LE JARDIN RETROUVÉ Osmanthe Liu Yuan 

This scent has a grassy green-note opening lifted by suede-soft, peachy-sweet osmanthus. Honestly, I think they bring out the best in each other (and given that these two elements are both on my “loves” list, it’s one of my current scent obsessions). It’s an earthier take on osmanthus perfume, true to the “jardin” in the house’s name—and for me, this soft, green-forward fragrance is perfect for everyday wear.

Try Le Jardin Retrouvé Osmanthe Liu Yuan with your Scentbird perfume subscription here. 

For lovers of mysterious, elemental, and heady floral fragrances: THE HARMONIST Magnetic Wood

The “Magnetic” in the name of this perfume was immediately apparent to me, but when I went to read the notes, I was surprised nothing in the list spoke more directly to it. (Reviewers on Fragrantica also mention its metallic character, so it’s not just me—perhaps related to the iris?) Regardless, this is a heady, characterful fragrance with shimmering osmanthus at the opening, before the magnetic-metallic iris and a distinctive powdery mimosa shift the texture at the heart. It’s complex and rich enough for evening wear, gorgeous-smelling and genuinely unusual—a welcome (and hard-to-find) combination.

Find more fragrances from The Harmonist on Scentbird here. 

A fruity osmanthus perfume perfect for vacations: MIND GAMES Counterplay 

This one opens sweet, with a juicy bouquet of natural-smelling banana, guava, and melon notes. Close behind, osmanthus and ylang-ylang balance all that fruit with something softer and more complex. It’s a perfect vacation fragrance—all the lightheartedness of a fruit-forward scent with the suede-soft depth of osmanthus.

Banana-curious? Read our piece on the 5 best banana perfumes. 

Unusual, haute couture-inspired osmanthus fragrance: SERGE LUTENS Nuit de Cellophane

The osmanthus note is front and center in this scent, along with an edgy cellophane-inspired note that’s far more puzzling. Not in a bad way, aesthetically pleasing (to me, at least), but somehow both pleasant and discordant. The fragrance was inspired by Parisian haute couture, so perhaps the idea was to highlight artifice in some way. In short, it’s a deeply elegant Parisian floral fragrance with something transparent and off-kilter going on. An intriguing fragrance that I’d definitely wear for an occasion that called for something out of the ordinary.

This has been just a quick round-up of some of the more popular and well-known osmanthus perfumes, but there’s so much more out there to discover—it may come as no surprise that I wholeheartedly encourage you to get to know this strange, gorgeous, and lunar-leaning flower.