Booming with vivacious life, the season drives us all into a bright and carefree dimension filled with the reminiscent scent of spring flowers that simply does wonderful to our well-being. This time of the year, we choose to highlight one of the most-loved essence in perfumery: jasmine.
After over a century, the sensual magnetism of such a delicate white flower remain unchanged. The feminine and iconic scent of jasmine continues to mesmerize us as an ingredient in fragrances of today. We could come up with so many adjectives if we were to describe its smell: sweet and almost narcotic, but floral and sensual at the same time. So many myths and stories are tied up to this flower. One of the most romantic aspects of jasmine comes from the legend that this flower was born from stars that fell onto the earth. It is also known to unleash its full scent once the sun has gone down, which is why it’s often referred to as the “Queen of the Night”. In the east, it symbolizes beauty and sensuality while Middle Easterners consider it the most royal among flowers and is often mentioned in Arabic poetry as a symbol or proof of love and spirituality; it is also linked to two nocturnal stars, Venus and the moon.
Native to the mountains of North West India and with a name derived from Persian roots, jasmine can be grown in areas with a mild climate. There are over two hundred species of jasmine, but the two most sought-after species are Jasminum grandiflorum, cultivated in Egypt, Italy, Morocco and India and Jasminum Sambac, grown in China and India. Although botanically similar, these two flowers differ on the olfactory side: grandiflorum is fresh, light, green with that touch of floral sweetness; while sambac is sweeter, mysterious, almost narcotic, sans the fresh and herbaceous note of the first. Perfume notes with jasmine are one of the most precious fragrances – you can almost always find it in luxury perfumes or niche perfumes because of its indulgent character and the steep pricing is mainly due to the careful processing involved in obtaining its essence. Because it expresses its maximum power at night, hand-picked harvest must be done by dawn to avoid exposure to sunshine.
Jasmine can be intensely sweet, nearly hedonistic. It may have a piercing nuance when combined with other floral notes such as rose. Rich and astounding, we often find jasmine at the heart (in a perfume pyramid) as it is a wonderful influence on base notes like oud, amber, etc… Because of its unique capability to pair well with so many other notes, jasmine has become one of the favorite floral materials in perfumery. Just a hint of it brings a veil of mystery to a2composition – an ode to opulence and charm like no other note can.
If you’re in need of some relaxation or an escape from a delirious sphere of emotions, take a break and up your mood with a pleasant trail from some of the best jasmine perfumes by Alexandre J.
