Katrina Rosales
Flowers have been used to make perfumes for centuries, with natural perfumers turning blooms from their gardens into fragrances they can sell. Common flowers used for homemade perfume include rose, lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine, violet, peony, and gardenias. The amount of flowers used depends on the desired fragrance strength and the type of flower. For example, it takes around 750 kg of jasmine flowers to obtain just 1 kg of absolute extract, making it one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery.
There are several methods to make perfumes from flowers, such as using essential oils or a French technique called enfleurage, which involves fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common flowers used in perfumes | Rose, lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine, violet, peony, gardenia, frangipani, tuberose, ylang ylang, wildflowers |
| Common non-floral ingredients | Cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, vanilla, citrus rind, rosemary, mint, cedarwood, frankincense, sandalwood |
| Homemade perfume ingredients | Fresh flowers, alcohol, fat/oil (e.g. beef suet, palm oil shortening) |
| Homemade perfume methods | French technique (enfleurage), steeping plants in alcohol, pressing flowers into fat |
| Amount of flowers needed for perfume | High (e.g. 750 kg of jasmine flowers for 1 kg of absolute extract) |
| Cost of homemade perfume | Low (a few cents per ounce) compared to store-bought perfume ($ several dollars per ounce) |
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What You'll Learn
- Common flowers used in perfumes include rose, lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine, violet, peony, and gardenias
- The most fragrant flowers for perfumes are jasmine, tuberose, and frangipani
- The scent of frangipani is described as exotic, tropical, heady, sweet, with notes of apricot, peach, and lemon
- The process of making perfume from flowers is called enfleurage, which involves using fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat
- Homemade perfumes can be made using fresh flowers, essential oils, spices, and citrus rinds
Common flowers used in perfumes include rose, lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine, violet, peony, and gardenias
Rose, also known as the "queen of flowers", is a popular ingredient in nature-inspired fragrances. It is often used to create single-scent perfumes or combined with other floral scents for a bouquet-like fragrance.
Lavender, native to the Western Mediterranean, is another popular flower used in perfumes. It has different fragrance profiles depending on its soil origin. For example, the French variant has a sweet floral aroma, while the Dutch variety has a sharper, more distinguishable scent due to its high camphor content.
Jasmine is a highly fragrant flower used in perfumery, cosmetics, and aromatherapy. It has a heady, spicy, slightly sweet, and fruity scent with an animalic facet that makes it addictive to some and revolting to others. There are over 200 species of jasmine, but only two are commonly used in perfumery: Jasmine sambac and Jasmine grandiflorum.
Violet is also used in perfumes and is a popular ingredient in lotions and essential oils.
Peony and gardenia are other flowers that can be used in perfumes, adding unique and captivating scents to the mix.
The amount of flowers needed to make perfume varies depending on the flower and the extraction method. For example, it takes around 750 kg of jasmine flowers to obtain 1 kg of absolute extract, making it one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery. Similarly, ylang-ylang, a flower popular in Southeast Asia, requires approximately 400 kg of flowers to produce 1 kg of essential oil.
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The most fragrant flowers for perfumes are jasmine, tuberose, and frangipani
The world of perfumery is a fragrant and complex one, with many different flowers used to create unique scents. The most fragrant flowers for perfumes are jasmine, tuberose, and frangipani (plumeria).
Jasmine
The word 'jasmine' comes from the Persian word 'yasmin', meaning 'fragrance'. There are over 200 species of jasmine, but only two are used in perfumery: Jasmine Sambac and Jasmine Grandiflorum. The scent of jasmine is often described as heady, spicy, slightly sweet, and fruity. It is one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery, as it takes around 750 kg of flowers to produce just 1 kg of absolute extract. Due to this, the scent of jasmine is often recreated synthetically.
Tuberose
Tuberose is a powerful floral scent in perfumery, with a unique aroma that is reminiscent of gardenia but with stronger earthy and carnal facets. It is another expensive raw material, as it takes approximately 3600 kg of flowers to extract just 0.5 kg of absolute. Tuberose is a night-bloomer, and its scent is heady, spicy, creamy, and exotic.
Frangipani
Frangipani, or plumeria, is a flower that grows on trees and is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Its scent is often described as exotic, tropical, heady, and sweet, with notes of apricot, peach, and hints of lemon. Frangipani is most fragrant at night, like jasmine and tuberose, and its scent is often recreated using blends of lactonic fruity notes, such as coconut, and solar notes such as salicylates.
The process of creating perfume from flowers involves solvent extraction to obtain the absolute of the flowers, which is then used in perfumery. Another technique is enfleurage, which uses fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat to absorb the fragrance.
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The scent of frangipani is described as exotic, tropical, heady, sweet, with notes of apricot, peach, and lemon
The scent of frangipani, or plumeria, is often described as exotic, tropical, and sultry. Frangipani is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Brazil, and its scent is reminiscent of something exotic and tropical. The flowers are most fragrant at night, luring insects for pollination as they do not produce any nectar.
The scent of frangipani is described as heady, sweet, and with notes of apricot, peach, and hints of lemon. The reconstitution is often used in perfumery by blending lactonic fruity notes, such as coconut, 'solar' notes like salicylates, and white flower notes. Frangipani is usually solvent-extracted to obtain the absolutes, similar to most white flowers.
The term 'frangipani' originates from a 16th-century Italian perfume created by a master glover-perfumer. The perfume was crafted with a mix of orris, spices, civet, and musk, and was not derived from actual Plumeria flowers. The flowers were later named frangipani by a French colonist who encountered them in the West Indies and found their scent reminiscent of the famed Frangipani perfume.
Frangipani is also known as 'Queen of the Night', a nickname it shares with tuberose, another powerfully fragrant flower. Tuberose, like frangipani, is a night-bloomer, and its scent is described as heady, spicy, creamy, and exotic. Both frangipani and tuberose are commonly used in perfumery, with their scents recreated through blends of various notes.
The process of creating perfumes from flowers, known as enfleurage, has been employed by French perfume houses for centuries. This technique involves layering freshly plucked flower petals onto fat-coated glass panes, which are then loaded into wooden frames. The animal fats used in this process absorb the odors of nearby strong-smelling substances, making it ideal for crafting sweet-scented perfumes.
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The process of making perfume from flowers is called enfleurage, which involves using fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat
The process of making perfume from flowers, known as enfleurage, is a traditional French technique that involves using fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat. This method has been used by French perfume houses for centuries to create an infinite variety of exotic, sweet-smelling perfumes.
Enfleurage is derived from the French word "enfleurer", which means "to saturate with the perfume of flowers". It is a manual technique that extracts the scent and oils from plants, capturing their fragrance. The process involves layering freshly plucked flower petals onto large panes of fat-coated glass, which are then loaded into wooden frames. The flowers are left to infuse for at least 24 hours, allowing the fat to absorb their scent, before being replaced with fresh flowers. This process is repeated several times until the fat is saturated with the fragrance of the flowers.
The fat used in this process is typically an odorless fat, such as coconut oil or beef suet, which can be heated depending on the type of flower used. Flowers such as jasmine, daffodils, and tuberose are too fragile to be heated and are thus infused using cold enfleurage. On the other hand, flowers like mimosa that can withstand heat are infused using hot enfleurage, where the fat is heated to between 40° and 60°.
Once the fat is saturated with the flower's fragrance, it is collected and washed with alcohol to retain only the scent. This results in a precious "ointment absolute" or "absolute extract", which is highly valued by big perfume houses. The final product is then used as a base for solid or oil-based perfumes, body butter, or further extracted for alcohol-based perfumes.
The amount of flowers and fat used in the enfleurage process will vary depending on the desired quantity and concentration of the perfume. For example, it takes around 750 kg of jasmine flowers to obtain just 1 kg of absolute extract, making it one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery. Similarly, tuberose, another expensive raw material, requires approximately 3600 kg of flowers to extract a minuscule 0.5 kg of absolute.
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Homemade perfumes can be made using fresh flowers, essential oils, spices, and citrus rinds
Perfumes are essentially molecules that are light enough to evaporate at room temperature. When you spray perfume, the liquid evaporates, but the molecules that smell remain.
Flowers are a key ingredient in many perfumes, with jasmine, tuberose, and frangipani being some of the most fragrant. However, creating perfumes from flowers can be costly and time-consuming, as it takes a large volume of flowers to obtain a small amount of absolute extract. For example, it takes around 750 kg of jasmine flowers to obtain just 1 kg of absolute extract.
Fortunately, you can make your own perfumes at home using fresh flowers, essential oils, spices, and citrus rinds. Here are some methods to try:
Enfleurage
This is a traditional French technique that uses fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat. First, pluck the petals from your chosen flowers and place them onto wax paper. Be careful to avoid any green parts of the flower, as these can cause rot and decay. Next, sprinkle the petals over a dish coated with beef suet or another type of fat. Add spices or citrus rind for extra fragrance. Finally, layer the petals onto large panes of fat-coated glass and load them into wooden frames.
Soaking in Alcohol
Add flower petals to a jar of vodka or rum and let it sit for 48 hours. Then, use a spoon to smash the flowers to release their oils. Let the mixture sit for another 7 days, and your perfume is ready!
Water and Heat Extraction
Soak flower petals in water overnight, then strain the petals using a cheesecloth. Heat the flower mixture over medium heat to create a concentrated aroma. Mix with water in a spray bottle to make a body mist.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are natural aromatic extracts taken from plants, offering a wide range of fragrances. To create a perfume, add essential oils to an airtight bottle, along with witch hazel. Shake the bottle before each use. You can also use a roller to apply the perfume to your wrists, neck, or inside of your elbows.
When creating homemade perfumes, feel free to experiment with different ingredients and fragrances to find your perfect scent!
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Frequently asked questions
The amount of flower required depends on the type of flower and the quantity of perfume you want to make. For example, it takes around 750 kg of jasmine flowers to obtain 1 kg of absolute extract, whereas it takes 3600 kg of tuberose flowers to obtain 0.5 kg of absolute extract.
The process of making perfume from flowers is called enfleurage. This technique involves using fresh flowers, alcohol, and fat.
Common flowers used for homemade perfume include rose, lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine, violet, peony, and gardenias.
