Hypnotic Ylang-Ylang
On a blotter, I don't like ylang-ylang essence that much, but when I smell it in a composition, I find it unique, complex, unrestrained, hypnotic, very colourful, solar and exotic.
It takes me to a luxuriant, intoxicating nature and makes me dream of a holiday in the tropics.
History of ylang-ylang
Botanical family: Annonaceae
Ylang-ylang means "flowers of the flowers" in Indonesian. Ylang-ylang essential oil is indeed cananga odorata, but has nothing to do with cananga essential oil, which is another essential oil with its own specificities. Both products are cananga odorata but one is of the macrophylla sub-family and the other guenina. The constituents are different, although there are some in common. The cananga is found only in Java, while the ylang-ylang is harvested mainly in the Comoros, Madagascar and Mayotte. Ylang-ylang is blooming all year round. It is a member of the magnolia family.
Origins of ylang-ylang
Ylang-ylang comes from South-East Asia, Indonesia and also the Philippines. This tropical forest tree was planted in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of the 20th century under the impetus of French clerics and settlers.
In the 19th century it took up residence in Mayotte. The production of Mayotte represents about 85% of the total production. It is also found in Nosy Be in Madagascar. Ylang-ylang is also found in the Greater Comoros, on the neighbouring islands of Anjouan and Moheli.
Ylang-ylang is of Indonesian origin. In fact, the flower comes from the Moluccan archipelago in eastern Indonesia. The first distillation laboratory was established in the Philippines in 1860 by Albertus Schwenger, a German sailor who fell in love with the precious flower. From 1860 to 1950, ylang-ylang oil par excellence was sold and recognised in perfumery in Europe. After being established in Reunion Island, ylang-ylang production is now developing in Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago.
Ylang-ylang tree
Men prune it from its second year so that its branches do not shoot skywards, the branches look like witches' fingers.
It is often pruned to give better flowers and to make picking easier, because it grows very quickly.
They start to bloom on trees from the second year, but are not harvested until the fourth or fifth year.
The ylang-ylang tree can grow to 30 m height without any constraints and live for up to 50 years while still being productive, although its production declines from 25 to 30 years.
It blooms all year round but is most productive during the hot, humid season.
This tree does not hold a grudge, the more flowers are removed the more it produces, on average 5 kg per year.
When the tree is pruned to man's height, its production increases from 50 kg to 200 kg in 6 months.
There are several species of this tree, but the right one can be identified by its numerous small yellow flowers with a red centre and a very fine fragrance.
The tree is grown for its flowers. It blooms throughout the year, with a peak in production from May to December.
The flowers are harvested from dawn until 9am, when the fragrance of the flower is at its peak.
It is essential that the flowers are mature and in full bloom, otherwise the quality of the production from May to September will be spoiled.
The disadvantage of old stills is that they consume too much wood. Farmers are becoming aware of this problem and are modernising their installations by building stills with closed hearths, which consume less wood, in order to protect their local forests.
In order to re-establish the high quality of the essential oil, Givaudan now sources it from a very small island in the Comoros, Moheli, the most pristine and remote island in the archipelago.
The staff throughout the production chain have been educated and made aware of the need for optimal quality.
Firstly, by picking only the mature flower, by heating the flowers much less, from 60° to 30°, the flowers are distilled within two hours of picking.
Other factors are taken into account: the nature of the soil, the maintenance of the trees, the maturity of the flowers, the loading of the alembic, the temperature of the water, a good early harvest, picking only the flowers that have reached maturity, the regularity of the heating, the cleanliness, the materials of the alembic with a preference for copper, the duration of the distillation, the absence of pollution with foreign bodies, and above all the absence of mixture of several fractions.
The result is a huge difference from one essence to another and above all a real added value on this quality of Moheli.
Ylang-ylang distillation
Ylang-ylang essence is obtained by distillation, the flowers are plunged into a vat filled with closed water and then brought to the boil by a direct fire.
The essence-laden vapour rises to a swan-neck pipe, then travels through a coil immersed in the vat.
Once cooled, the mixture becomes liquid again. It flows into a Florentine vessel, a system that separates the oil from the water.
The essential oil or essence of ylang-ylang then flows out through the opening of a vertical pipe in the upper part of the vase. Ylang-ylang produces 5 fractions of essential oil which are released little by little depending on the density.
40 to 50 kg of ylang-ylang are enough to produce 1 kg of flower essence.
At the beginning of the distillation process, the oil collected during the first two hours is the densest, richest, most fragrant, it is called the super extra. Very rich in benzyl acetate, it is fruitier than the other fractions. After Super Extra comes the First, Second, Third fractions... Some fractions are lighter and fresher, they better translate the scent of the fresh flower. The less interesting ones are reserved for soaps, cosmetics and detergents. There is also the complete one, a mixture of each fraction, which is used in aromatherapy.
For this flower, the distillation process can last from 12 to 20 hours. There are about 600 stills in Mayotte, on a cultivated area of 1000 hectares.
Ylang-ylang harvest
The large star-shaped flowers, grouped in clusters, change from a soft green colour to a bright yellow, which obviously signifies olfactory maturity.
A picker can harvest up to 20 kg per day, they are paid by weight. Although more and more local companies are trying to pay them monthly to encourage them to pick only mature flowers. They place the ylang-ylang flowers in openwork baskets made from coconut palms to prevent them from spoiling before being distilled. They are distilled very quickly because of their fragility.
Olfactory description of ylang-ylang
The essential oil of ylang-ylang has a powerful and elusive odour, it smells different from fresh flowers.
It has a spicy facet like a wallflower or a carnation. A white flower smells halfway between jasmine, narcissus and tuberose.
Ylang-ylang is creamy, floral, exotic, reminiscent of solar monoi, a little animalic, carnal, fruity and deep.
It is a sensual, lustful, wild, narcotic, lush, poisonous and intoxicating note.
It has some slightly less pleasant notes because it is methylated, camphorated, with medicated facet, some of its notes are reminiscent of a nail varnish or celluloid note, or even a ripe banana.
Use of ylang-ylang
Ylang-ylang essence is often used in floral bouquets, especially in white flower bouquets.
This flower adds sensuality and character to a perfume but also has a creamy feel.
It is also an ideal note for working with a sunny or exotic aspect. It can also be found in oriental floral fragrances, as it blends well with vanilla notes for example.
Other uses of ylang-ylang :
- Ylang-ylang is also used in aromatherapy, it is considered to be sedative, antiseptic but above all an aphrodisiac.
- In Southeast Asia, ylang-ylang is used to flavour sweets, ice cream, chewing gum and drinks. I was lucky enough to taste a ylang-ylang ice cream created by Thierry Marx, an absolute treat.
- In Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are sprinkled on the beds of newlyweds.
- In the Philippines, they are woven into hair mixed with other flowers, and are made into necklaces worn around women's necks or holy images.
Main constituents of ylang-ylang
Methyl benzoate, linalool, benzyl salicyate and benzyl acetate.
Parfums contenant de l’ylang-ylang
- Mayotte by Guerlain
- Cruel Gardenia by Guerlain
- Samsara by Guerlain
- Teracotta by Guerlain
- Embruns d’ylang by Guerlain
- Loulou by Cacharel
- Songes by Annick Goutal
- Organza by Givenchy
- Amarige by Givenchy
- Ysatis by Givenchy
- Eau de Moheli by Diptyque
- N°5 by Chanel
- Coco by Chanel
- Bois des Iles by Chanel
- Diorissimo by Dior
- Poison by Dior
- Lilylang by Sylvaine Delacourte
- Vanori by Sylvaine Delacourte
Ylang-ylang in Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes
You can find ylang-ylang in Lilylang from the Musk Collection and in Vanori from the Vanilla Collection.
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.