There is more and more talk about the benefits connected to the world of smell and how much odours and scents influence our emotions. As a matter of fact, these benevolent, and in some cases therapeutic properties have been known and appreciated since ancient times, however in modern times this meaning was lost in order to focus on the "decorative" and luxurious one, being that perfume is a simple invisible accessory.

The newfound interest for the properties of smell is also demonstrated by a study from Harvard University which showed that people who have difficulty in regaining energy at the sound of the alarm clock, quickly wake up in a good mood by opening their eyes to a bouquet of fresh flowers, making them less anxious and with a lighter soul. 

Considering that guaranteeing a bouquet of freshly picked flowers every day is not easy, we can focus on the olfactory richness of a fragrance of white flowers instead, bubbly and intoxicating such as a tuberose or jasmine.

These flowers, if associated with white transparent musks, can transform the environment in which we are surrounded by into soft clouds that form around us, a heavenly and delicate atmosphere that flows throughout the day that is about to begin.

It is an excellent combination of candid and delicate notes such as musk, together with white flowers which, due to their mostly idle nature, paw and kick, but it is through the right approach to an olfactory matter that the differences which characterize certain flowers are accepted in order to build something truly unique, enriching the olfactory tones by using irresistible, more complex and innovative constructions.

Musks are one of the most used synthetic families today, this is because of their multiple facets which make them capable of giving off an sense of cleanliness, seduction or that of a soft embrace in a cotton cloud.

They come close to watercolor, they are like Monet's water lilies that change depending on the perspective of observation.

 

Tuberose perfume

Tuberose inflorescences bloom in July and September and are hand-picked in the evening, when they give off their hypnotic scent.

Tuberose absolute, in the past, was extracted only in Southern France by means of the enfleurage method. The technique is based on a principle dating back to medieval alchemy, according to which the similar dissolves the similar: as essential oil is a lipophilic substance, the solvent used for enfleurage was once a solid fat, usually of animal origin such as pig or ox.

This was a process for cold treatment of all delicate flowers such as rose, jasmine, violet and tuberose itself. Nowadays, vegetable fats such as benzoin are used, and the odorous concentrate resulting from the elimination of solvents is defined, precisely, as absolute. The perfumed sap obtained from tuberose has an intense floral scent, almost narcotic, which tends to be indelibly fixed in the olfactory memory of those who come in contact with it.

 

Jasmine Perfume

The jasmine flower which belongs to the Oleacea family is transparent porcelain white, with its soft, green and light smell which is at the same time intoxicating. Originating from the Himalayas, it can be found today from India to Africa, as famous as the Grasse one, as well as on the Mediterranean coast, and has various different species.

 Its perfume changes during the flow of the day and it is towards midday that the last white petals give off a warm and candid odour of orange blossom.

So much manual work is required by this flower: from harvesting it to weighing it, the treatment is always rudimentary.

It blooms in summer, between June and October, sometimes even in November if the weather is mild. In order to preserve all its qualities, it is harvested at dawn, at the moment it releases its most intense scent, from July to October according to the years. Very delicately, jasmine flowers are picked one by one and it takes about one million of these flowers to obtain one kilogram of absolute.

 

The unification of white flowers

White flowers can be enhanced by successful unions, like the one with Musk.

All the most beautiful musky notes have been perfectly captured by Alyssa Ashey's White Musk, with a rounded aroma, very velvety and without the typical sharpness of some essential oils, such as, angelica and to a lesser extent ambrette absolute. This material, on the other hand, is so persuasive as to be almost sweet, yet full-bodied and persistent, and at the same time endowed with much more charm and refinement than the ambrette of synthetic origin commonly available to perfumers.

The animalic, yet calm and moderate character of White Musk has led it to be considered a true love potion. White Musk is now available in eau de toilette and perfumed water, but try imagining, just for a moment, one of Alyssa Ashley's favorite notes, strengthened by a concentration in eau de parfum and those typical of white flower nuances and accords: the result will be a fragrance full of light and positivity immersed in a wonderful aura.

Consuelo Perris