Moss

In perfumery, moss evokes a dark, damp, earthy undergrowth. It comes mainly from two lichens, oakmoss and treemoss, foundations of the fougère and chypre families. Their natural allergens, atranol and chloroatranol, are banned in European cosmetics: perfumers use treated extracts and substitutes such as Evernyl.

A moss that is a lichen

In a pyramid, “moss” first designates lichens, associations of a fungus and an alga. Oakmoss, Evernia prunastri, forms a small, branched, gray-green bush, found in mountainous areas across a large part of the Northern Hemisphere. Treemoss, a neighboring species often filed under the same name, has a more resinous smell, closer to conifers.

Both are processed by solvent extraction, which yields a concrete and an absolute. An ancient material, moss has been found in baskets from Egyptian royal tombs, and perfumery has used it since the 16th century, notably in chypre powder, for its ability to fix a composition.

The base of fougère and chypre

In 1882, Paul Parquet composed Fougère Royale for Houbigant on an accord of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss, which gave its name to the fougère family. In 1917, François Coty launched Chypre on the bergamot, labdanum and oakmoss accord; the perfume is now preserved at the Osmothèque, and from it descend Mitsouko by Guerlain and Bandit by Robert Piguet.

A regulated material

Atranol and chloroatranol are natural components of oakmoss and treemoss extracts, among the most frequent contact allergens. European Regulation 2017/1410 bans them in cosmetics in two stages: no more placing on the market since August 23, 2019, and no more making available since August 23, 2021.

To keep the effect, perfumers combine treated mosses with substitutes, chief among them Evernyl, which renders the dry, mossy character without the lichen’s allergens. Houses often cite “moss” without specifying the species, most often as a base note, as in the 2024 Miss Dior Parfum, Ombré Leather by Tom Ford or Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills.