Grandiflorum Jasmine. It’s going to turn heads. The word jasmine is derived from the Persian word meaning “gift from the gods,” and the scent of this star-shaped pure white flower is just as its name suggests: sensual, melodious, and heavenly. is. Jasmine is one of the oldest and most valuable botanical ingredients used in perfumes, along with roses. Legend has it that Cleopatra scented the sails of her ship with the scent of his essence, jasmine, to seduce Antony. Her 80% of fragrances marketed to women contain this note.
jasmine grandiflorum
But not all jasmine is the same. In fact, flowers can express many different aspects, depending on where they are grown, where they are harvested, and how they are processed to extract their aroma. Jasmine has more terroir than other flowers. Just like wine, its nuances begin with the soil. So here I am, on a cloudy and slightly drizzly morning in the mudroom of a stately stone bastide in the south of France, wearing CC-logo gumboots and setting out on a guided tour of a farm full of gorgeous jasmines. That’s why. Chanel No. 5 is exclusively cultivated.
Chanel No.5
When perfumer Ernest Beaux chose Grasse jasmine for Chanel No. 5, the world-changing fragrance he created in 1921, he could never have imagined how important his decision would become. Jasmine has been grown in Grasse since the Renaissance, when tanners used the flowers to scent leather, especially the leather gloves worn by Catherine de Medici, who was very popular at the time. However, by the 1950s production ceased in this area. A sharp decline began. Land is sold as vacation homes, the next generation of farmers moves to cities to pursue other occupations, and perfume makers are forced to source flowers from other countries like India and Egypt, or hastily use synthetic fragrances, which are cheaper. I realized that. Scent instead. Jacques Polge, who from 1978 until 2015 was the chief perfumer of Parfums Chanel, was so concerned about the possible extinction of Grasse jasmine that in 1987 in the Grasse region he created a We have formed a partnership with the Muhl family, who have been involved in farming. They planned to dedicate land specifically to grow Chanel No. 5 flowers.
Would you like to ride a Chanel bicycle and tour Maru Farm?
Jacques’ son, Olivier Polge, who has been Chanel’s chief perfumer since 2015, says that Chanel No. 5 uses jasmine from Grasse instead of elsewhere, so that the perfumes don’t end up smelling the same. He explains that using Grandiflorum was essential. “Jasmine from Grasse is fresher than jasmine anywhere else,” he says. “It’s milder, softer, more delicate. It has a green tea aroma, which is very special. Egyptian jasmine is deeper, fruitier, almost gourmet. None is better than the other, but… Jasmine from Grasse is extremely rare; unless you grow it yourself, you can’t get much of it. Jasmine grown elsewhere is much more abundant.
Joseph Mull explains that jasmine flowers must be collected in a specific way as he leads a row of jasmine grandiflorum bushes with a group of women picking flowers for the annual harvest. . “Turn your wrist and pinch with your index fingers,” he says, noting that speed of collection and processing is essential to the quality of the final scent. Harvesting must be done early in the morning, before the warmth of the sun takes away the vigor of the flowers. The harvested flowers are placed in a wicker basket (for ventilation) and covered with a damp cloth. Once the basket is full, the flowers are weighed and immediately transported to his on-site extraction facility, which was built in 1988. Proximity to the facility is key to the alchemy of Chanel No. 5, ensuring that the flowers are as fresh as possible. When they begin to transform into perfumes.
How is it done? Carefully, precisely, scientifically, and even when you see it happening before your eyes, it still seems like magic. Huge containers are filled with soft white flowers and soaked in a solvent that extracts the flowers’ ephemeral scent. When the solvent evaporates, it leaves behind an aromatic wax called concrete. The concrete is then treated with alcohol to obtain the absolute, a pure, highly concentrated liquid used in luxury perfumes. It’s a mind-boggling calculation. Out of 8,000 jasmine flowers, he can only harvest 1/25th.thAn absolute ounce. Each bottle of Chanel No. 5 Parfum contains 800 of his flowers.
Freshly picked jasmine flowers are sent to the extraction machine.
Jasmine is one of the most expensive raw materials used in perfumes because the flowers are fragile and require a lot of effort and care to collect and process. This is also why flowers grown at the Maru estate are reserved for use in Chanel No. 5 Parfum. Polge says: “We can’t use these flowers to make new perfumes; we simply don’t have enough of them.” In that regard, the Mull family plans to double the amount of land dedicated to jasmine grandiflorum in the coming years. In the field today, the tuberoses, also bequeathed to Chanel, are just beginning to bloom, and the vast, dark green scented geranium (technically known as pelargonium) plants (mint, rose, lemon) are heavenly. Gives off a nice scent. When crushed by hand. But it’s the jasmine that smells when you arrive at the gates of the domaine. It’s narcotic, swooning, bright and deep, sweet and sensual, floral and honey-like. It’s simply extraordinary, and the fact that it can only be found here and only in bottles of Chanel No. 5 makes it even more extraordinary.
April Long writes about beauty, health, and luxury skin care. Town & Country.
