SAP

Sap in perfume evokes the green, living interior of a plant: crushed stems, moist leaves and the suggestion of juice beneath bark. It can feel crisp and watery, or softer and almost milky when the idea is a fig tree. This is a broad olfactory image rather than one standard smell shared by every plant.

Perfumers build that image in different ways. Diptyque describes an ivy-inspired green aquatic accord in Eau de Lierre, while the perfumer of Lilyphéa uses galbanum essence and violet leaf absolute to express juicy greenery. Those examples show how natural aromatic materials can contribute to the impression without proving that sap itself was extracted. A sap note may brighten flowers, soften wood or contrast with sweetness; the accompanying notes determine which interpretation comes forward.