Jiggy with Jasmine

Who doesn’t love the story of how Cleopatra seduced Marc Anthony? Dressed as the goddess Aphrodite, she sailed into his harbour with the purple sails of her royal barge drenched in jasmine oil. He followed his nose, and their passion became the stuff of legend. The Egyptian queen knew what she was doing, because jasmine’s narcotic allure is irresistible. Persian poets called it yasmin — “gift from God”, Indian temples burn it for Ayurvedic healing, Chinese tea masters steep it with green leaves, wellness practitioners use it to improve mood. From the over 200 species of jasmine, only two are used in perfume: jasmine grandiflorum and jasmine sambac. Jasmine grandiflorum has an intensely sweet, narcotic white floral character. Rich fruity-banana facets emerge, while warm indolic undertones provide the carnal depth. A herbaceous tea quality and subtle clove-like spiciness add complexity. Jasmine sambac is greener than grandiflorum, with bitter green freshness and tropical fruit dewiness, evolving into a heady orange blossom heart, finishing with honeyed sensuality and subtle animalic musk. Depending on where jasmine is grown and how it’s processed, it can lean sweeter, greener, more musky, more fruity. And synthetic jasmine bases can blur the profile even further, lending this plush pleasure provider even more options. Depending on the composition, this voluptuous floral can go from dark and edgy, to hot and heavy, to clean and marine. Savour this edit to appreciate how jasmine can adjust to fit everyone from boudoir bunnies, leather lovers, coastal connoisseurs, bridal babes...and you.