Flower fragrances are used abundantly in perfumery. The essential oils in a plant give flowers their fragrance. In fact the fragrance is not limited to merely the flowers but extend to the leaves, stems and resins as well. There are some flowers from which the costliest and finest perfume oils, called the ‘absolute’, are obtained. These are the Rose, jasmine, Ylang-ylang and orange tree amongst others. All perfumes contain a fraction of essential oils along with other ingredients which impart to them a unique fragrance.
Rose
The rose is the most celebrated of all flowers, the symbol of love, passion and beauty. It is undoubtedly the ‘queen of flowers’. The rose oil is mainly distilled from the ‘Damask’ roses mainly found in Turkey, Bulgaria, Morocco and China. It takes several hundred man-hours to pick 3-4 tonnes of roses from which only 1 kg of rose oil is extracted. Roses have to be gathered at night as their most fragrant time is just before sunrise. 75% of all perfumes contain rose oil.
Jasmine
By extraction of the Spanish Jasmine flowers, the so-called jasmine absolute is obtained. It is one of perfumery’s most precious materials. Even a minimal amount can create wonders in perfumes with a floral base. 8000 flowers are extracted for 1g of Jasmine absolute. The flowers must be processed immediately before their freshness fades. Jasmine absolute or synthetic versions of it are found in 83% of all women’s perfumes.
Orange tree
If an orange is peeled around you, you will immediately be able to identify it by its unique fragrance. The peel’s oil glands burst with an aerosol of tiny droplets filling the air with the characteristic smell of an orange. The largest producers of the Orange absolute are Italy, Spain and the United States. It is used in the cologne type of perfumes and as an aroma in soft drinks. In perfumes it has a distinctly fruity note.
Ylang-ylang
The Ylang-ylang tree is planted everywhere in the Tropics because of its small fragrant flowers. In the Philippines, for instance, you can spot this tree in every village. The flower is not picked until the buds have been open for about 2-3 weeks. The peculiar flowers are green when they come out but in a few days turn yellow. In many cases women adorn their hair with the flowers. The Ylang-ylang absolute is extracted from freshly plucked flowers. It has a slightly spicy and floral note. A classic ingredient in perfumery and is most noted for its presence in Chanel No.5.
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