For a few brief weeks in early spring, the hills around France’s perfume capital, Grasse, are splashed with sunshine yellow; the mimosa trees are in flower. Mimosa is a kind of acacia native to Australasia. Wildly popular in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, mimosa has a powerful scent - fresh, floral, a little honeyed, with a powdery facet. Because of its power, it’s used with a lighter touch today than it used to be, but is still a keystone ingredient for perfumiers.