Rose geranium

The common name geranium actually encompasses two kinds of flower - geraniums and pelargoniums. The one we use is Pelargonium graveolens, known as the rose geranium, and it is a wonderful friend to the perfumer. Paired with damask rose, it brings a lighter, brighter facet that is almost citrusy; this can lift the powdery richness of the rose, bringing texture and depth to the accord. Legend has it that the rose geranium was created when the prophet Mohammed, after bathing in a nearby river, laid his shirt upon a mallow branch to dry - the mallow was so honoured that it transformed itself into a plant with beautiful flowers and fragrant leaves: the rose geranium.