Jasmine grandiflora

Known also as royal jasmine, jasmine grandiflora is one of the most sought after ingredients in fine perfumery. To make a kilogram of the absolute takes eight million flowers - these delicate, night-flowering blooms are hand-picked at dawn between June and September in the Indian Himalayas, where the flowers are sacred. The first harvest is offered to the gods; the second is plaited into hair and used to decorate the home; only the third may be used to make the absolute we use in our fragrances. Ffern nose Elodie Durande notes its mild, fruity sweetness, likening it to apricot jam.