Frangipani flower in perfumery
Frangipani flower reminds me of my first holidays in the Caribbean, but also in Mauritius, Reunion Island, Bali and India. Since these trips, I particularly like its scent because it reminds me of the atmosphere of a sun, vacation and monoi.
That is why I have always liked to work with exotic and sunny scents in my fragrances like Lilylang and Vanori as well as I have done for Guerlain’s perfumes: Terracotta, Mimosa Tiaré or L'instant. Frangipani flower has a great olfactory complexity whose scent fades quickly after its harvest.
Plumeria, the frangipani tree
The frangipani is a botanical genus consisting mainly of bushes and deciduous trees native to Central America (Mexico, Venezuela) and acclimatized in Asia.
It is found in all tropical and hot countries. The different varieties of plumeria produce magnificent flowers with a yellow center haloed by different petals in yellow, pink or white shades. The flowers give off an intoxicating perfume which is stronger at night.
In Laos, the frangipani flower, Dok Champa, is the national emblem.
In Asia, the frangipani is believed to be a tree of eternal life.
This magical aspect is also found in Polynesia, where it is considered to have privileged links with the spirits. Despite the fact that Polynesia is more associated with the Tiaré flower thanks to the Monoï product.
In India, the frangipani flower is often referred to as the temple flower because shrubs are usually planted next to temples. The flowers are used as gifts to Hindu and Buddhist deities. The frangipani flower is a sacred flower in India whose abundant bloom is called by ardent prayers like Sambac jasmine, as the whiteness of the flower symbolizes the purity of the soul.
In the Pacific islands, it is worn by women to indicate whether they are single or not. If the flower is on the right ear, it means that they are looking for love, and if the flower is on the left ear, it means that they are already engaged.
They are like the tiaré, tuberose and jasmine flowers used to braid crowns and necklaces.
Olfactive description of the frangipani flower
This sacred and delicate flower does not give off its fragrance. Distillation or extraction with volatile solvents cannot extract its sublime scent.
Perfumers have to resort to the use of a laboratory flower by proceeding to a reconstitution, i.e. a formula integrating about ten components; natural raw materials, including ylang-ylang and jasmine, which are sublimated by some synthetic essences.
Frangipani is a flower that has a lot of presence. It is often associated with other solar flowers (cf. Solar facet) and white flowers such as ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose, magnolia, gardenia and tiare flower. It is present in the heart notes but as soon as the fragrance takes off (cf. Top notes), it jumps to the nose.
Origin of the name frangipani
The frangipani or Plumeria was named after the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704).
The common name frangipani is said to come from an Italian marquis, Muzio Frangipani, who had created an almond-based fragrance to perfume gloves. Perhaps, this marquis found an almond facet in the frangipani scent or added a frangipani scent in his glove perfume composition?
It is also said that it was Mercurio Frangipani who first discovered the frangipani flower. The history does not give a clear indication of the origin of this name.
Frangipane is often associated with almond-scented galettes des rois, but this smell has nothing to do with the exotic scent of the frangipani flower.
With the Tiaré flower, associated with Polynesia, it forms a duo of flowers that are somewhat similar and are associated with solar and exotic notes. Moreover, they are often confused.
Medicinal properties of frangipani
- In the Caribbean, the bark is used as a purgative because it contains an antibiotic, while its leaves promote healing.
- In Africa, it has the reputation of promoting the secretion of breast milk.
- In Asia, its sap was used to treat warts.
Fragrances containing notes of frangipani flowers
The frangipani flower can be found in many perfumes:
- Beyond Paradise by Estée Lauder
- Réplica, Dancing on The Moon by Martin Margiela
- Lily of the Beach by Clinique
- Flower, Red Edition by Kenzo
- Flora Gorgeous Gardenia by Gucci
- Light Blue and Blue Sun by Dolce & Gabbana
- Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder
- Fleurs de Boucheron by Boucheron
- Beige by Chanel
- Frangipani Flower by Joe Malone
Frangipani flower in Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes
You can find the frangipani flower in Vanori from the Vanilla Collection. It is a solar vanilla with frangipani notes, salicylates notes remissent of hot sand, benzoin resin, and grapefruit smile on the top.
Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.