The Everlasting flower in perfumery
Origins of the everlasting flower
It is called Everlasting because its flowers never fade, as its name implies.
It is an essence with a strong personality, its name in Greek means the colour of sun.
Descriptive sheet of the everlasting flower
It is a yellow flower that grows in the Corsican maquis, in Spain, in France.
Botanical name: Helichrysum Angustifolium.
Family: Asteraceae
Blooming time: June, July
It is an evergreen shrub with silver-grey foliage.
It is also called everlasting of the sands or everlasting of the dunes.
The everlasting is also known as Saint John's flower or Saint John's herb.
It is a plant that grows wild. It can also be cultivated in the Mediterranean basin. Its flowers are yellow, in small umbels, with a very strong scent, with accents of curry, the well-known Indian spice mixture (cf. Spicy facet).
The characteristics of the everlasting flower
It is a flower that is very difficult to tame and is rarely found as a dominant note in a perfume, on the one hand because of its strong personality, and on the other hand because of its curry accents evoking food. It is therefore a raw material that is difficult to dress.
It is a flower that also reminds us of sun-heated sand and therefore of holidays. Its scent impregnates the air of the island of Corsica in summer. It is the scent which symbolises par excellence the Corsican maquis, wild and distinguished.
Processing of the everlasting flower
Everlasting essence can be obtained by steam distillation of dried flowers. The final product is called everlasting essence.
The flowers can also be treated with volatile solvents to obtain the everlasting absolute. It is a richer, rounder and more tenacious product.
Olfactive description of the everlasting flower
The note of the everlasting flower is revealed in the heart and in the base notes. A singular scent is a powerful ingredient in the perfumer's palette that expresses the richness of its aromas over time.
Everlasting flower has a syrupy note, its fragrance oscillating between a honeyed note of hay, fresh thyme (cf. Aromatic facet) and tobacco. One can perceive accents of walnut and camomile. Its scent is also spicy. It has fruity accents and can remind of dried fruits, especially prunes (cf. Fruity facet).
It is a dark brown semi-liquid product, with a very present and powerful smell. It brings a lot of sillage to the perfume.
Use of everlasting flower in perfumery
It is a note that goes well with oriental, woody, chypre and vanilla notes. The everlasting flower is present in the perfume Helicriss from Sylvaine Delacourte's Musk Collection.
Everlasting flower is at the centre of this composition. In the top notes it blends with numerous citrus and aromatic notes. In the heart notes there is a spicy cinnamon note. In the base notes, warmer raw materials, such as tonka bean, patchouli and incense, are orchestrated, as well as enveloping, cocooning musky notes based on white musks.
Properties of the everlasting flower
It fights lethargy and depression, the everlasting flower is antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It is healing and overcomes any haematoma.
Perfumes containing everlasting flower
- Sables Goutal
- Cuir Beluga Guerlain
- Eau de Cologne Guerlain (disparu)
- Eau du 68 Guerlain
- Parfum du 68 : Passeur Du Temps de Guerlain
- Immortelle Corse Parfums d’Empire
- Tabac Tabu Parfums d’Empire
- El Attarine Serge Lutens
- L Lolita Lempicka
- Côte d’Amour L’Artisan Parfumeur
- 60 Mirabilis L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Oliver Peoples Byredo
- Oud Immortel Byredo
- Immortelle Tribal Givenchy (disparu)
- Blanche Immortelle Atelier Cologne
- Fareb Pierre Guillaume
- Volutes Diptyque
- Helicriss Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances
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.