Green Chypre is subfamily D6 in the SFP table. It adds to the Chypre frame a sharp, slightly bitter leafy note, like a freshly snapped stem. The main source of this note is galbanum, the resin of Ferula gummosa.
Christian Dior's Miss Dior (1947), composed by Jean Carles with Paul Vacher, is often cited as a green Chypre with galbanum. The same year Balmain's Vent Vert used galbanum at a high level in a floral structure; the two show that galbanum can lead to the Floral or the Chypre family depending on the base.
Galbanum oil contains green bell-pepper pyrazines at very low concentration and monoterpenes such as alpha and beta pinene; galbanum resinoid is deeper and longer lasting. Violet leaf gives a cucumber-leaf note through C9 aldehydes. cis-3-Hexenol gives the smell of cut grass.
When the green note sits on oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli, the scent has two layers of bitterness: the raw bitterness of leaves above and the damp bitterness of moss below. The floral heart is usually jasmine, rose, hyacinth or narcissus.
Oakmoss must be low-atranol under Regulation (EU) 2017/1410 and the IFRA Standard. Narcissus extract is named on the allergen list of Regulation (EU) 2023/1545.
The SFP website publishes only subfamily names; perfume lists per subfamily are in the printed Classification officielle des parfums. Perfumes named here are commonly cited examples, not official SFP placements.
D6 is close to D5 Aromatic Chypre: both sharpen the Chypre frame, but D6 uses leafy notes and galbanum resin, while D5 uses herbs such as sage, wormwood and thyme. The branch also approaches B5 Green Floral when the base becomes lighter.
| Layer | Materials |
|---|---|
| Top | Galbanum, Violet leaf, Bergamot, cis-3-Hexenol |
| Middle | Jasmine, Damask rose, Hyacinth, Narcissus |
| Base | Oakmoss, Labdanum, Patchouli, Vetiver |
This branch builds well with natural materials: galbanum (the oil for sharpness, the resinoid for tenacity), violet leaf, blackcurrant bud or fig leaf for the green note; jasmine and narcissus for the heart; low-atranol oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli for the base.
Galbanum and violet leaf are very strong and easily dominate; work in small steps. Check IFRA limits and the EU allergen list. This page gives no formula percentages.
| Name | House | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Dior | Christian Dior | 1947 | Jean Carles with Paul Vacher. Galbanum over a Chypre base. |
| cis-3-Hexenol, pinene · Hexenol 3 · Pinene alpha · Pinene beta | Green note material. |
| Natural green notes · Galbanum · Violet leaf · Blackcurrant bud · Fig leaf | Galbanum and leaves. |
| Khung Chypre · Oakmoss · Labdanum · Patchouli | Base. |
Updated 09/2026. Figures follow the year stated in each source.
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