Davana
Sweet crushed herbs with a fruity, tea-like warmth and a slightly woody, balsamic edge.
Where it comes from
Steam-distilled from the flowering davana herb, Artemisia pallens, grown mainly in India.
About davana
Davana is a small herb of the daisy family, Artemisia pallens. It stands 20 to 40 cm tall, with finely divided, silky, grey-green leaves and small yellow flower heads. The flower heads are where the perfumer's interest lies, since a field study found them to be the main source of the oil in the plant.
Harvest is timed to flowering, which in India usually falls in October and November. The crop grows from seeds and cuttings. The fresh above-ground parts go into the still, and steam distillation gives an oil that runs from orange-yellow to reddish-orange. Suppliers position it as a high-value, premium material.
The marker compound is davanone, a sesquiterpene ketone, joined by davana ether, davana furan and linalool. Methyl and ethyl cinnamate are present too, and are commonly linked to the fruity, sweet side. Figures for davanone vary by source. One supplier gives 40 to 55%, a flavouring guide gives 5 to 15% with no single dominant compound, and a study measured 66% at the bud stage falling to about 41% by seed. Sources say the oil varies with harvest stage and growing conditions.
Descriptions of the smell agree on fruity, warm and herbaceous, with apricot, plum and dried fruit, and a woody or camphorous edge. A supplier that smelled it on a blotter reports a sweet, tea-like opening with dried apricot and prune, then a herbaceous-green, balsamic heart, and a woody, foliage-like base.
The same supplier names the first perfume titled after the material as Davana, made in 1985 by Franka M. Berger.
Accords it shows up in
How many of the fragrances listing Davana in our catalogue also carry each accord. We counted this ourselves.
Often paired with
The notes that appear next to Davana most often in our catalogue.
Well-known fragrances with Davana
Fragrances that list it in their notes, most-rated first.
Houses that use it most
Ranked by how many of their well-known fragrances list Davana.