As I mentioned in a previous blog post – January always finds both Luke and myself in Manila to host a fragrance seminar alongside our agents for the Philippines, Proessences, Inc.

The event is held in one of the Edsa Shangri-La conference rooms, and is always well attended by both new and existing customers, R&D staff and company directors. As well as the topic that I touched on for the main fragrance trends over the coming 12 months, we also did some research into one of the most widely used flowers in perfumery – Jasmine.

It is sometimes quite difficult to come up with a topic that will engage people on all levels and language barriers, but this little flower, also known as the Sampaguita,  just happens to be the national flower for the Philippines so therefore, a perfect choice.

It seems that this ancient shrub has been highly prized since antiquity. The origin of all Jasmine is said to be Kashmir, a disputed area between Iran and India.

In perfumery we tend to use just 2 main types of Jasmine – Jasminum Sambac and Jasminum Grandiflorum. As anyone in the fragrance industry knows, the price of Jasmine is extremely expensive with 1 kg of oil costing anything between £1300 and £2000 per kg depending on the success of that seasons harvest. the reason for this is the lengthy process required to actually obtain 1kg of this precious oil.

An agile flower gatherer can pick 3-5 kilograms of flowers in a morning session. 1kg of flowers equates to 8,000 to 10,000 flower heads. In order to create 1kg of essence, an estimated 7 million flowers are required!

The best method for the extraction of the oil from the blossom is a process called enfleurage. This can be done in two ways. Cold enfleurage – whereby a large glass frame is smeared with animal fat onto which a single layer of flower heads are placed. Their scent is allowed to diffuse into the fat over a period of 2-3 days. Ths process is repeated until the desired degree of saturation is reached. For hot enfleurage, the fats are heated and the flower heads stirred in. Spent flowers are repeatedly strained off and replaced with new ones until the fat is saturated with fragrance.

In both instances, this fragrance saturated fat is now known as the ‘enfleurage pomade’. This pomade is now soaked with ethyl alcohol which draws the fragant molecules out from the fat and into the alcohol. The alcohol is now separated from the fat and allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the essential oil.

The spent fat isn’t wasted – it is usually used to make soaps since it is still relatively fragrant.

Today, synthetic Jasmine is easily produced and is often preferred due to the high cost involved in the enfleurage production, with Hedione being the most usual substitution. It’s aroma is of the fresh, greener part of the Jasmine – however, in high end products some actual absolute is also added to remove some of the residual harshness.

Jasmine is a middle note in perfumery meaning that it evolves in the heart stages of development on the skin. Heart notes impart warmth and fullness to fragrance blends and embody the passion of a fragrance.

In conclusion, despite all the economic challenges, the use of the Jasmine flower in perfume production remains one of the most essential elements in the structure of some of the worlds greatest perfumes.

We have a collection of stand alone Jasmine fragrances suitable for a wide variety of products, and also some gentler blends including Green tea & Jasmine, Freesia & Jasmine, Jasmine & Sandalwood and Jasmine & Peach Blossom.

If you would like any samples or any further information, then please do not hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

January saw me jetting off to the Far East – Malaysia and the Philippines to be precise, to meet up with our agents from Unifragrance and also Proessences. Each year in January we hold a seminar in Manila, that allows us to present the latest fragrance trends in the market. The four main trends at the minute are as follows:-

A LOOK TO THE PAST

Economic stress sees us automatically look to the past with nostalgia. We look to history to provide us with a glimpse of the future. During difficult times consumers seek comfort in familiarity, tending to gravitate towards classic florals. Over the next few months, be on the lookout for new perfumes dominated by floral notes such as rose and violet. These scents remind us of simpler times, and that memory can be of great comfort when you are surrounded by stress.

A BRIGHTER FUTURE

New fragrance launches coming down the pipeline are going to be bold, vibrant exciting with an element of fantasy. As we begin to move out of sobering economic times, consumers will seek escape and colour and this will translate as a collection of unusual technicolour ingredients. We will become more adventurous, with sophisticated rich woody notes as the heart and soul of new fragrances. These notes have depth and character and have traditionally only previously been seen in men’s fragrances.

BE YOUR OWN NOSE

Once an area only reserved for those in the know, personalised, custom fragrances are gaining popularity thanks to newer, more accessible ways to get it. The $10,000 bespoke blend still exists but customized perfume is now happily at a realistic price point. Consumers want to express their individuality, and there are now many affordable ways to achieve this. Fragrance houses such as Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren launched fragrance collections that could be worn alone or layered to achieve a personalized scent. Custom fragrance bars are appearing in shopping centres where a consultant can guide you through the notes and accords, and you walk away with a truly original signature scent. Designing your own personal fragrance is well worth the time and experimentation.

TELL A TALE….

Perfume companies have realised that it takes more than a whiff of a scent to get people hooked. Right now, story telling is especially relevant. People want to know how a fragrance has been created and the work that has been put into it, as well as being able to tap into the emotional connection of the designer. It is a quest for authenticity, and when you know why the perfumer chose those particular notes and accords and his inspiration, the whole experience becomes more genuine.

Once you know the current trends it is much easier to select a new fragrance direction for your product. Although at the moment the trends apply to designer type perfumes, this is always just the pre-cursor for soaps, candles, detergent powders, air fresheners and a myriad of all types of household products.

We currently have a selection of fragrances that cover all aspects of the trends mentioned above so please feel free to email or ring our office where one of our helpful staff will guide you through the best fragrances for your particular product – all designed to help you become  the market leader in your field.