Melanoxylon

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Fresh scent of Australian acacia flowers with an ocean breeze

Description of notes:

The top notes are very fresh, floral with a pronounced aroma of acacia and iris, with a touch of linden and violet. Linden blossom brings a slight sweetness to the fragrance, emphasizing the aroma of acacia. The aroma is voluminous and fresh, like a breeze during spring flowering. This freshness will last for a long time and will create a trail of aroma. After a while, a resonant and warm musk appears in the aura, making the perfume sensual and powdery.

Specialty Perfume

Melanoxylon stands as a specialty fragrance, distinguished by its heart of premium cassie absolute (Acacia farnesiana) that captures the ethereal beauty of Australian black acacia in bloom. This exquisite material, sourced from Egypt and crafted through traditional alcohol extraction methods, elevates the composition into the realm of artisanal perfumery, making each bottle a testament to botanical authenticity and olfactory artistry.

Cassie absolute represents a treasured ingredient in high-end perfumery, commanding premium pricing that reflects both its specialized production process and its unique aromatic signature. With wholesale costs reaching 500 Euros per 100 grams, this precious material is reserved exclusively for luxury compositions where its distinctive warmth and woody-floral character can truly shine. The deep reddish-orange absolute delivers an extraordinary floral fire that captures the essence of mimosa in full bloom, complemented by dry herbaceous and spiced green violet nuances that evolve beautifully over time.

What makes this ingredient particularly special is its ability to recreate the delicate, honeyed fragrance of Australian black acacia—a flower too subtle for commercial extraction yet profoundly beautiful in its natural state. Through the artful use of Egyptian cassie absolute, Melanoxylon bridges this gap, offering perfume connoisseurs access to this rare floral experience. Each bottle represents not only a sophisticated fragrance but also a botanical journey—making it a collector’s choice for those who appreciate the intersection of nature and perfumery craftsmanship.

History of Creation:

I love getting personally acquainted with the plants used in perfumery, and in that regard, the Berlin Botanical Garden or the Berlin Botanical Museum—part of the Free University of Berlin—is one of the best places. I like to make these trips to the botanical garden periodically, as they always provide a certain foundation for inspiration. I already wrote on my Instagram about once visiting this botanical garden specifically to get to know cistus; the garden contained several species, including Cistus ladanifer, which is used in perfumery.

However, there are plants that aren’t used in perfumery because their aroma is too weak, and there are other species more suitable for perfumery purposes. In such a case, a botanical garden becomes almost the only way to experience their fragrance. That’s precisely why I went to the Berlin Botanical Museum after learning they had Australian black acacia, also known as Acacia melanoxylon.

In general, the scent of acacia or mimosa is quite unusual and astonishing as a floral fragrance. Besides soft floral notes that are both fresh and honeyed, with mild green nuances, this aroma is unique for its distinct powdery aspect with hints of anise. It’s familiar to many thanks to silver wattle, commonly called mimosa in the floral world—a small bouquet of which, left at home, can fill the entire house with its aroma.

In the Australian pavilion of the botanical garden stood a large tree that flowers in late winter with fluffy, cream-white blossoms gathered in spherical clusters. Unlike other species, the bloom of black acacia does not fill the entire space around the flowering tree with its scent; you can only smell its flowers up close. Because of this weaker projection, it’s not used in perfumery, yet it remains of great interest. Unlike other types of acacia, melanoxylon has a fragrance typical of white flowers, comparable to orange blossom (fleur d’oranger or neroli) or a very faint jasmine aroma—devoid of strong tart green nuances, whether citrusy or herbal. The scent has a delicate honey note without vanilla overtones, with a soft, pollen-powdery edge.