Jasmine
Jasmine is a tiny, white, star-shaped flower that announces the arrival of the day with its intense scent.
The fragility of the jasmine flower contrasts with the astonishing power of its perfume. Jasmine is a symbol of seduction, of femininity and is the flower of love.
Origins of jasmine
The two most used species in perfumery are jasmine sambac and jasmine grandiflorum.
Jasmine sambac comes from eastern India and the southern Himalayas, it is also found in China.
It is a bushy evergreen shrub, pruned each year by about 30cm.
Its name sambac would come from the Sanskrit word campaka, meaning heady perfume.
The name jasmine is probably derived from the Persian word yasmine which means fragrance.
Jasmine grandiflorum comes from northern India.
Today, the jasmine flower is cultivated in India, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Calabria and France. It is characterized by 5 long petals.
Jasmine harvest
The jasmine flower is harvested very early in the morning (from 7am until 1pm) prevent its fragile white petals from burning by the sun.
The flowering of jasmine sambac takes place in May and June while jasmine grandiflorum flowers later and is harvested from August until November.
The lifespan of a jasmine, sambac or grandiflorum, is about 15 years.
In Grasse, there is very little production of jasmine flowers which remains reserved almost exclusively for Chanel, it is harvested by the Mul family who owns large plantations.
There are also other confidential Grasse productions, allowing some perfume brands to have the possibility to put Grasse jasmine in their formula.
A worker picks 350g of jasmine flowers per hour, that is 2kg per morning. It is a tiring job because you have to bend your back all day long as the shrubs are low.
You have to be very precise, dexterity is essential to detach the jasmine flower without damaging it. You delicately separate the mature flowers from the green foliage and the stem.
It takes 800kg of fresh jasmine flowers to obtain 1kg of concrete which is 600g of jasmine absolute after processing, with 8000 flowers per kg collected.
How is jasmine absolute obtained?
The scent of jasmine used to be extracted by enfleurage.
It was practiced cold, on greasy substances and each flower was delicately placed by hand on the fat which has the power to absorb the scent of jasmine. This method gave us scented oils.
The same process was used for tuberose.
This technique is very expensive and is not used anymore. The grease is replaced by volatile solvents.
This technique is called the volatile solvent extraction technique. The solvent used is mainly hexane, which is heated and then removed by evaporation. A very fragrant waxy material called concrete is isolated.
It is by mixing the concrete with alcohol, heating it and then cooling it that the concrete is purified of the vegetable components and the waxes it contains. The absolute, which is an essential oil, is obtained once the alcohol has evaporated.
Jasmine flowers do not support the treatment by distillation, the essence or essential oil of jasmine does not exist.
There is an even nobler product called DM absolute for molecular distillation.
It gives a scent with more impact, it’s greener, more orange and less medicinal.
Characteristics of each variety of jasmine flowers
In the 1950s, Grasse industrialists introduced jasmine to Italy and Egypt.
In general, the jasmine grandiflorum is greener and transcribes well the fragrant scent of the flower that we can smell in the evening in summer in Mediterranean countries.
The jasmine flower has specific characteristics depending on the soil it grows on, but as a rule it contains the following components: indole (animal note), benzyl acetate, linalool, cis-jasmone, benzyl alcohol, benzyl salicylate, cis-3-hexenol, eugenol, methyl anthranylate.
- Egyptian Jasmine: deep, sensual, sunny, fruity (paracresol).
- Jasmine sambac from India: fruity (banana), a little green, honeyed notes, animal (indole) it is close to orange blossom. 30,000 tons of jasmine are harvested in Tamil Nadu.
- Jasmine from Grasse: balanced, green note, animal note.
In the perfume L'Instant by Guerlain that Sylvaine Delacourte co-created with Maurice Roucel, there is jasmine sambac.
Jasmine sambac is more of the orange blossom, anthranylated and more honeyed, fruity and sunny type.
Some brands use a combination of three different jasmine grandiflorumn from India, Egypt and Grasse.
Recently, there is the jasmine grandiflorum from Calabria. The particularity of Calabria jasmine is that it is more fruity with a hint of cooked strawberry.
Jasmine costs about 4000€ per kg of absolute. This aromatic orange treasure is carefully stored in a cold room with an armoured door.
Constituents of jasmine
The main constituents are: indole, methyl anthranylate, methyl acetate, benzoate, cis 3 hexenols acetate and cis 3 hexenols.
We know 259 components in the jasmine absolute but the molecule that particularly revolutionized perfumery is hedione, coming from Greek meaning “pleasure”.
Its exact name is methyl dihydrojasmonate and is isolated from jasmine, patented in 1962 by Firmenich and identified by Dr. Edouard Demole.
Initially very expensive, it is now really affordable. It was first used by Edmond Roudnitska in Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage in 1966, then all the fresh waters on the market used it.
This magnificent hedione molecule smells like fresh flowers. It is a very sweet and airy scent, and is now one of the most widely used materials in perfumery.
It is used a lot in children's perfumes, in floral fragrances and in eaux fraîches.
The perfume of hedione, isolated from jasmine, brings fluidity. This note allows floral notes to breath, to open up the heart notes, it is at the same time light, relatively tenacious, it is a timeless note. It is even sometimes used as a solvent.
It is also a scent enhancer, the scent of this jasmine note sublimates freshness. Thanks to this molecule, the eaux fraîches was created, led by Eau Sauvage from Dior, then others appeared such as Eau from Rochas, Eau from Lancôme, Eau from Guerlain, and Dovana from the Musk Collection.
A perfumer from Firmenich, a Swiss company that creates both molecules and fragrances, said that thanks to hedione, he had the impression that the perfume breathed from the inside. At Firmenich, the palette has widened, there is now the purer HC hedione, paradisone, a pure hedione. Recently there is splendione that work well in all perfumes particularly in eaux fraîches, but also in all olfactory families, indifferently for perfumes for women, for men, for children and teenagers. Jasmine flower is also integrated in cosmetic perfumes.
Anecdotes about jasmine
The first use of jasmine sambac was to perfume tea and to decorate floats for religious festivals.
In India, the jasmine flower is woven in necklaces and is often intended for deities. Women in India wear them in their hair, it is said that the aromatic essence of jasmine flowers promotes hair growth.
Jasmine can heal wounds, it is calming and an aphrodisiac.
Ayurveda also recognizes jasmine for its sedative properties relieving headaches.
It is also used in cooking, in the white rice that accompanies curries.
The jasmine flower is very often linked, whether in India or Tunisia, to wedding ceremonies.
It participates in alcohol-free perfumes, the attars, often coupled with essential oil of sandalwood, intended to purify the body before prayer.
Jasmine works well for scented candles.
Use of jasmine
The jasmine flower naturally has a powerful, sweetly undulating scent and is part of the white flower family.
It can be orchestrated differently by the perfumer, either treated as a sensual flower, extroverted, intoxicating or worked as a delicate flower.
A unique olfactive diamond, jasmine offers a range of facets for the perfumer.
Jasmine is usually the heart note of a perfume. It gives curves, roundness or flesh to the perfume.
The jasmine flower is central for great perfumes. We find it in large quantities in the fragrances Jardins de Bagatelle or Samsara from Guerlain.
Classically it is often associated with the rose: Liu by Guerlain, N°5 by Chanel, Joy originel by Patou, 24 Faubourg by Hermès, Alien by Mugler, Organza by Givenchy, J'adore by Dior, Jasmin Noir by Bulgari.
Other examples of perfumes containing jasmine include: Arpège by Lanvin, Diorella by Dior, Mille by Patou, First by Van Cleef & Arpels, Red Jasmine by Tom Ford, Black Jasmine by Bulgari, Sambac Jasmine by Chloé, Imperial Tea by By Kilian, Cedar Sambac by Hermès, Gucci Bloom by Gucci, A la Nuit by Serge Lutens, 3 Flowers by Parfum d'Empire.
It is a flowery note that is easy to use in candles. When done well, by a talented perfumer, a jasmine candle can give the impression of a jasmine bouquet that will embalm the room.
Jasmine now inspires pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé and Ladurée with the jasmine macaroon. You can also find it in coffee at Nespresso with its flowery Onirio variety.
More than a plant, jasmine is above all a heady, sensual, carnal white flower scent.
In Grasse, it is called La Fleur, which reigns alongside roses, it is and will remain a source of inspiration for perfumers.
It is said that jasmine gives its soul to the stars and the rose gives it to the sun.
Jasmine in Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes
Sylvaine Delacourte uses jasmine a lot in the heart notes of her perfumes and even more in floral or solar fragrances such as Lilylang, Vanori, Dovana and Olyssia. In Olyssia the jasmine flower is honored, it is creating a perfect duet with the orange blossom flower.
Discover them with the Discovery Boxes of the Musk, Vanilla and Orange Blossom Collections.