Top Notes: Jasmine Grandiflorum
Heart Notes: Orange blossom
Base Notes: White Musk
 
Perfumer: Jean-Claude Ellena
 
“Never be a bad smell for a whole kingdom, my son. Walk like a jasmine among men.”
— Jean Giono, Le Hussard sur le toit, 1951.
 
Jasminum officinale, the variety that inhabits our gardens, smells of jasmine — yet with cool undertones. It may seem an unusual expression, but in perfumery there are indeed scents that are perceived as cool, just as others are warm.
My olfactory totem is Jasmine Grandiflorum, the perfumers’ chosen flower, celebrated for its warm, creamy facets. Its harvest is a ritual of patience: beginning in mid-July and extending into late September. Nearly 8,000 flowers, each meticulously handpicked, are required to yield just one kilogram of fresh petals — from which only 1 to 2 grams of precious essence will be extracted.
The life cycle of its scent is a journey through time: at dawn, it releases tender, green, airy notes; as the hours pass, it evolves into nuances reminiscent of orange blossom, culminating, in the heart of the night, in warm, animalic depths.
 
Available in a full-size bottle, 5ml decant, and 2ml sample spray. Sample sizes may be manufacturer-issued or hand-decanted in-store.