Narcissus

Narcissus absolute is sweet and herbaceous, a little like honeyed jasmine. But there is a depth to it, with warm hay and a hint of tobacco rounding out the edges, that makes this an unusual and rewarding floral to work with. Narcissus is used in perfumery in three varieties: jonquil, tazetta and poeticus. Ffern uses Narcissus poeticus - growing wild in central France and high in the maritime Alps, the white flowers of this variety have a little frill of red around their trumpets. Cultivated in the flower farms around Grasse, perfumery’s world capital, the scent is extracted at source using the traditional solvent method.