The Quest for Essences : Rose, Jasmine and Bergamot
Where do the perfumery ingredients come from? How are they produced? What do they smell like? Out of all aspects of fragrance, the composition–or rather, what’s exactly in a bottle of perfume–remains the most mystifying and interesting. While the following films from Dior are heavy on marketing, they nevertheless give a glimpse into some of the most classical ingredients in a perfumer’s palette–rose, jasmine and bergamot.
If you don’t see English subtitles, click on the CC button under the video, next to the volume controls.
Unsurprisingly, my favorite film is the one dedicated to jasmine. You visit fields in India with Dior’s chief perfumer François Demachy who explains the difference between jasmine sambac and jasmine grandiflorum. “Sambac has something animal and powerful about it. A slightly orange-like and more sensual quality. Grandiflorum is more delicate, more radiant.” He then takes you to a flower market, a place every visitor to India finds exhilarating.
la_ninon in Recommend Me a Perfume : April 2024: Moon Bloom is my favorite tuberose (plus jasmine), though it doesn’t have the depth and staying power it once had. April 26, 2024 at 12:50pm