Plumeria: A Fragrance Note We and The Gods Love

The Plumeria flowering tree, possibly a name you are not familiar with, is often better known as Frangipani. Now that may confuse because it suggests that somehow this plant smells of Almonds, as Frangipani is an Almond filling in cakes and tarts; they don’t. They are not related, even botanically, but both are delicious. The plant has associations with everything from weddings, ghosts to deities. It is the latest perfumed ingredient to be available in London by French Perfumer Arnaud Poulain for his fragrance house Les Eaux Primordiales, so meet the very refined Plumeria, Supercritique. Let’s explore its beauty in Plumeria: A Fragrance Note We and The Gods Love

One of the reasons for the name ‘Frangipani’ is thought to have come from the name of a perfume created by a master glover-perfumer 16th-century Italian nobleman, Marquis Frangipani. The scent was believed to be a meld of Orris, Spices, Civet and Musk, but no actual Plumeria flowers were used. Mixed in wine to be used on scented gloves, known as ‘Frangipani Gloves’.

A wild Plumeria Tree in Tel Aviv

There is also another story that says the Plumeria flowers were named Frangipani after a French botanist and Catholic monk, Charles Plumier, who happened upon them in the West Indies and noted that the scent of the flowers was reminiscent of the Frangipani Gloves.

The pretty, yet mysterious Plumeria flowers have a symbolic meaning in many cultures, often representing beauty, charm, and grace. Its branches are filled with succulent flowers that are highly fragrant, especially at night.

In Eastern Africa, Frangipani are sometimes referred to in Swahili love poems. Among the Maya, Plumerias have been associated with the gods representing life and fertility, and the flowers also became strongly connected with female sexuality. During the Aztec Empire, Plumerias were used to signify elite status and nobility.

In Balinese Hindu culture, these star-shaped flowers are used in temples as an offering to the Gods.  In  Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, Plumeria species are used for making flower garlands called Leis  

Yet in  Malaysia and Indonesia, Plumerias are still often associated with ghosts and cemeteries; their intense smell is thought to ward off evil. The Plumeria’s fragrance is also associated with the Kuntilanak, an evil vampiric spirit of a dead mother in Malaysian-Indonesian folklore.

As for their scent? Well, they are highly fragrant, especially at night. This often white flower’s scent is described as exotic, tropical, heady, ‘solar’ and even lactonic (milky). Often compared with other florals such as regal Jasmine and heady Tuberose, as well as creamy-green Gardenia. But it is like any great perfume note, it is multi-faceted, dependent on where the perfumer chooses to take it and why it is such an important flower in the perfumer’s hands. Added angles to its talents are fruity aspects of Apricot, Peach and even hints of Lemon.

And so, the perfect approach for a great perfumer is to take an ingredient and build on its natural facets, and in doing so, emphasise its full power. Of course, this is exactly what Arnaud has explored with this exquisite scent, Plumeria. It falls under the Supercritique collection, which, as a group of juices, explores the most important flowers in perfumery.

There is also a sense of play here with the opening of the perfume composition, bright, tangy red Berries, bright sunshine of Bergamot alongside a playful Almond note; yes, a gourmand mazipan facet, a nutty sweetness, as though Arnaud himself is playing with the scent’s name and meaning.

The very heart of the elixir plays host to both the floral-powdery headiness and excess of divine Iris and Helitrope, highlighting a nuanced floral bouquet with reverberating underlying hints of Rose and Violet, as well as even a slight Almond and Cherry slant.

But the true artisanal elements of this fragrance happen in the base with notes answering a mirrored call of earlier notes to bring a full expression of the flower to life.

Here it is, Gourmand Tonka Bean and Black Vanilla Husk, that echo and encourage the top and middle notes to expand into full life. These two distinct notes allow the Almond at the top to meld into a sweet, sharp cherry vibe. The final flourish of earthy, damp-powdery, miraculous Patchouli allows the whole scent to burst into its luscious life.

This mysterious fragrance is none other than that of the beautiful frangipani flower. It adorns the elegant woman with notes of almond and cherry, a gourmet adornment with a powdery heart of rose and violet. Patchouli and Vanilla close the ball of an olfactory spectacle as sumptuous as an Opera ballet.

Arnaud Poulain

Elegant perfumery in its highest art form is a mix of magic, mystery, and genius. It is expertise of knowledge mixed with a fearless desire to create beyond not just expectation but also any boundaries. And that is exactly what this potion is.

Find out all about this scent now available at Liberty of London at Les Eaux Premordiales.com

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Cent Magazine London; Luxury Minded