​In natural perfumery, iris pallida is an exceptional ingredient to use to add a sophisticated note to formulations.
What about its identity and above all, what does this treasure hidden underground reveal after a very long transformation for the pleasure of our nose and much more... Let's explore together this sacred and mythical plant that has existed since ancient times ...
 
In Greek mythology, Iris daughter of Thaumas and Electra, was the messenger of the gods. In Homer's Iliad, she is "the messenger of all the eternal gods". When Hera returned from the Underworld to Olympus, it was Iris who purified her with perfumes. Poets claimed that the rainbow was the trace of Iris's foot descending rapidly from Olympus to earth to carry a message; this explains why it is most often represented with a rainbow.
​She is the rainbow goddess.

​Iris of Florence is recognized as one of the noblest members of the iris family by natural perfumers since Catherine of Medicis.
As for the plant itself is concerned, for nearly a millennium in Egypt and then appreciated by Catherine de Medicis, it has been used in cosmetics and fragrant balms. And it still does nowadays. Botanically derived from the roots of iris germanica, the extract possesses a high concentration of isoflavones in its rhizomes. As a result, it is included in cosmetic formulations due to its potential to provide potent antioxidant effects that help protect the skin by neutralizing free radicals. In his Canon of Medicine, Avicenna recommends an external wash made from a decoction of orris root as a beautifier of the skin, which removes wrinkles.  
 
Iris grows in various countries now from France, China, Turkey, Italy and Morocco but iris pallida or iris of Florence is recognized as one of the noblest members of the iris family by natural perfumers since Catherine of Medicis. Technically, its cultivation is done from mid-September to mid-October. The harvest takes place the 3rd year after planting between mid-July and mid-August.
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The extraction is either done with a volatile solvent for the absolute (alcohol for the resinoid) or hydrodistillation as for the butter and irone isolate. In terms of the yield itself, it requires 100 kg of rhyzomes to make 1,2kg absolute, 100 kg for 20 kg resinoid and 330kg to make 1kg orris butter and 100 grams of isolates. We can definitely see the waste and non-sense of processing isolates for natural perfumery! 

Explore this classic and exceptional ingredient.
Its scent is multi-faceted with delicious notes between violet note and mimosa note, woody accents, light note of powdery leather and note of carrot. In fact, very often in perfumery, to replace or support the iris effect, carrot seed essence is added. Its fragrant quality is simply exceptional and it this explains why it was the star ingredient of famous classic sophisticated perfumes from the early 20th Century to now. It is synonym of chic and elegance for women and men as well. It blends beautifully with other essences to either make rich floral, woody or fougère accords. For instance, modern fougère natural fragrance can be created with lavender, vetiver, ambrette, iris and Virginia cedarwood; or the association with essences like benjoin, franckincense, ciste, tobacco and bergamot give it a very modern mystic flair. 
 
But more than that, iris is not only very special for its olfactory quality. Did you know that the plant itself has been sacred for its healing properties upon the body? Using natural essences affects definitely our body vitality and health. Since the earliest times, Egyptian then Greeks used iris rhizome powder for its cleansing and detoxifying properties. The juice of the fresh Orris root is said to be one of the finest natural remedies known for dropsy or edema, which is fluid retention. The finely powdered Orris root can be inhaled as snuff in pinch sized doses to provoke sneezing and thereby cleanse the head and sinuses. A decoction of Orris root attenuates and loosens up phlegm in the chest, lungs and throat for easy expectoration, and will soothe a sore throat and pacify coughing. Taken internally in small doses, Orris root will relieve congestion and sluggishness in the liver, have a carminative effect on the stomach and digestion, have a relaxing aperient laxative effect on the bowels, and will act as an emmenagogue to stimulate a sluggish or suppressed menstrual flow. Avicenna, the famous Greek doctor,  recommends the external use of a boiled down decoction of the Orris root to treat and aid the maturation of chronic, hard swellings of the lymph glands and acne. He also recommends a concentrated decoction of the Iris leaves as a topical treatment for skin ulcers, preferably in conjunction with Rose oil. Avicenna also regards poultices of Orris root as a valuable antispasmodic in convulsed, spasmed muscles, and recommends an enema of Orris root to relieve pain and tenderness of the sciatic nerve. 
 
Explore this classic and exceptional ingredient. Try to formulate a delicately scented balm that will beautify the skin while delighting the senses.

Do you want to become perfumotherapist, natural perfumer, olfaction trainer or aromatherapist?   

Indispensable for solar notes, these Tahitian flowers captivate!
​The irresistible tiare flower, emblem and lucky charm of Polynesia, has captivated our scent accords for many years. That which is often mistakenly confused with the frangipani flower, goes with flowery or fresh notes to give natural perfumes a note of exoticism and holidays.

What is the Origin of the Name Frangipani?
The frangipani or plumeria was named in honor of the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704). The common name frangipani would come from an Italian marquis, Muzio Frangipani, who had created an almond-based perfume to perfume gloves. In natural perfumery, there are absolutes of red frangipani, native to Malaysia, and of white frangipani (the best known) native to India, although this botanical genus, composed mainly of bushes and deciduous trees, has become acclimatized in Asia. It is now found in all tropical or hot countries. The different varieties of plumeria give magnificent flowers within their center the yellow color haloed by different petals in shades of yellow, pink or white. The flowers give off an intoxicating scent and even more so at night.
 
In Asia, the frangipani is believed to be a tree of eternal life. This magical aspect is also found in Polynesia, where it is considered to have privileged links with the spirits. Even if Polynesia is more associated with the tiare flower, thanks to the product of Monoi which is a maceration of the tiare flowers in fresh coconut oil.
 
In India, the frangipani flower is often referred to as the temple flower because shrubs are usually found planted next to temples in India or Bali, the flowers being used as offerings to Hindu and Buddhist deities. The frangipani flower is a sacred flower in India whose abundant flowering is called by fiery prayers like sambac jasmine, because the whiteness of the flower symbolizes the purity of the soul.
 
In the Pacific Islands, it is worn by women to indicate whether they are single or not. On the right ear, it means they are looking for love and if the flower is on the left, it means they are already engaged.
 
A Bewitching Sacred Flower
It is a flower that has a lot of presence. It is often associated with other solar flowers and white flowers such as ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose, magnolia, gardenia and tiare flower. It is present in heart notes but as soon as the fragrance soars it jumps to the nose. It is a strongly intoxicating aromatic material, like a heavier, tropical version of fresh gardenia flowers, a voluptuous fragrance that could also remind of osmanthus flowers.
 
In Traditional Medicine
In the West Indies, the bark is used as a purgative because it contains an antibiotic, while its leaves promote healing. In Africa, it has the reputation of promoting the secretion of breast milk. In Asia, its sap was used to treat warts.
 
What is the Difference with the Tiare Flower?

The Tiare Flower, a Flower with Sacred Origins 
The tiare flower or gardenia tahitensis was once the preserve of queens and kings. We covered the floors during wedding ceremonies ... floors sublimated by the delicacy and the disturbing scent of these white petals with a golden heart. In Tahiti, Polynesian legends remain alive. And the flower that represents the island is no exception. This is why the tiare flower has ten names according to the blooming of its buds. These then pass from the hands of the gods to those of men.
 
Native to the mountainous coasts of the South Pacific, the tiare flower has the distinction of being one of the rare cultivated flowers native to Polynesia. Tiare is a type of gardenia that grows in Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the soul and symbol of this island. Tahitian men and women wear these scented flowers in special ceremonies, and they are usually given to guests in Tahiti as a sign of welcome.
 
From the rubiaceae family, tiare grows on small shrubs, which produce a limited number of flowers each year. The tiare plant does not produce seeds or very exceptionally and therefore depends on men to reproduce. Coral lands are its favorite place. It is planted in dark soil, and we add coral fragments to its roots to help growth. The tiare Tahiti flowers all year long, but mainly from September to April, giving a yield of about 2-10 flowers per day. Fresh flowers are collected in the morning from 5am at bud stage, ready to blossom. They are then wrapped in leaves carefully to retain its freshness and fragrance for several days
 
Completely free from toxicity, it is the most commonly used of all Polynesian plants. In traditional medicine, the tiare flower is prepared in a variety of preparations to meet all needs; as an infusion, soaked in lukewarm water, ground with other essences or crushed with a few drops of Monoi. The Polynesians have used these strange preparations in particular to relieve earaches, migraines and mosquito bites. They also use the flower to perfume their homes by placing a few tiare flowers in the small saucer filled with water to release its delicate and sweet scent. Tiare flowers have antiseptic properties due to the richness of essential oils, as well as calming and purifying properties due to salicylic acid and derivatives salicylates. It is particularly used in sensitive skin care products, and in Monoi de Tahiti, which is suitable for all types of cosmetic formulations. Finally, the Tiare flower exhales a seductive fragrance that is a highly refined source of inspiration for perfumers.
 
The Solar Note for Natural Fragrances!
The tiare flower produces beautiful white flowers with an absolutely divine scent, reminiscent of jasmine. Its bewitching notes are used to create the famous solar note. It is a white floral note, creamy and indolic. The Tiare flower has a very pleasant complex spicy bouquet, mainly with honey, chocolate and cinnamon, along with green notes. The abundance of dihydro-coniferyl alcohol esters is one of the specificities of the Tiare flower. They are the ones giving it a heavy vanilla scent with floral notes.

Are you Inspired?
Are you tempted or inspired to take an olfactory journey to imaginary islands? With Tiare or frangipani flower, you can create exceptionally sensual and captivating natural fragrances by complementing these exotic flowers with a vanilla touch of benzoin, or the freshness of pink grapefruit, or sacred woods such as gaiac wood ...  ​

by Creezy Courtoy

The Art of Perfumery has been Part of Man since Antiquity 
Our ancestors used to breathe flowers and plants in order to maintain contact with nature and a body / mind balance.
Today we live in a post Covid19 era, we are looking for solutions and alternatives to change our lifestyle, reconnect with nature, create more jobs and preserving our health while preserving our biodiversity. But before going further, I would like to remind you where we have come from, our history.
 
In the ancient Amazonian tribes, shamans were named "Perfumeros" in reference to their uses of fumigated plants in the path of healing. 
What about today when synthetic fragrances are used in almost the majority of our daily products, through food, detergents, cosmetics and Perfumes. 
Is our sense of smell still in balance? Are we really aware of the impact of smells on our metabolism and of the "polluted" universe in which we are living? 
These questions lead us straight to the urgency of a return to a perfumery of well-being composed with essences resolutely derived from biodiversity, respectful of our Earth and our organism, perfumotherapy is a real return to the sources of our forgotten nature. Perfumotherapy is a way to reconnect with nature.
 
In Antiquity, we Used to Say "He Who Breathes the Soul of Flowers and Plants Purifies his Body".
We have to face the facts that perfumery hardly uses any organic substance anymore, but has replaced it with essences made up of synthetic molecules. The product therefore costs up to 50 times less and ensures maximum profitability without any risk of poor harvest due to the unpredictable bad weather of our weather. There is therefore no longer any cultivation and picking or processing of the flower and also an absolute guarantee of not running out of raw material since it is available in the laboratory .... Only a dream of nature remains, conveyed by the advertising of brands.  Today we no longer sell a perfume but the idea of ​​a perfume, if you buy a perfume and you still doubt its content despite everything, look on the back of the bottle or on the packaging. Perfumers do not have to reveal their manufacturing secrets and it has become almost impossible to find a real perfume made from flowers and plants.
 
The Story Begins in Egypt About Five Thousand Years BC.
​Perfumes were used as care and during ceremonies dedicated to the Gods, perfumes were considered sacred.  In our time our mother nature has been "forgotten" in order to give way to the pleasures of consumption, perfume has become a social object, a representation of fashion and identity. We have totally lost sight of the fact that an old perfume consisted of active components (among other essential oils) having a concrete influence on the human metabolism.  Putting a perfume on yourself is not a trivial act and goes in the same direction as a healthy diet and hygiene. In view of our current life, our metabolism literally bathes in synthetic products without knowing the exact medium-term impact on our balance.  Pollution by synthetic flavors and other substances is considerable today and we have forgotten that emotions and physiological states are simply the manifestation of our internal organic chemistry. We are therefore in a state of imbalance and our sense of smell is deceived by odors manufactured and manipulated in laboratories.  

It is Becoming "URGENT" Today to Reconsider the Place for a New Natural and Organic Perfumery, Respecting the Cycles of Nature.
Perfumotherapy is called to play an important role over the next few years because of its ease of use, its contribution to our balance and respect for natural cycles. 
What happens if we associate flowers and plants with the olfactory system?  Well-being through plants depends on several factors: the properties of plants and their beneficial actions on the various organs, olfactory research and the re-education of our sense of smell.  The perception of smell and the use of fragrances by cultures other than ours give us a certain amount of information on perfume plants from the ancestral pharmacopoeia.  IPF Certified Natural & organic perfumes as well as their derived forms - balms, ointments, incense or essential oils - have therapeutic properties which have the merit of being easily accepted and digested by the body. Each plant has its own property, some are used in the West, while others are in other parts of the world.  Odors influence the psychology and physiology of the subjects, their behavior and their health. The vegetative nervous system regulates major functions such as blood circulation, respiration, etc. 

A Perfume is Above All a Gas That you Breathe
Its effect is immediate compared to the ingestion of a drug which sometimes takes more than 20 minutes to be digested while crossing the intestinal barrier. Perfumotherapy is part of a process of taking charge of the individual by himself and part of a global perspective of the true place of man in his environment and his close relationship with our Earth.                        
 
If Perfume is Non Essential, Perfumotherapy Will Make Olfaction Training, Natural Perfume, Aromatherapy and the Use of Essental Oils Very Essential
Perfumotherapy will create many jobs worldwide while replanting flowers for Natural Perfumers, Aromatherapists and Perfumotherapists, 
Replanting flowers will also support bees work as pollinisation is becoming a global governance issue.

​There is one raw material that has been of choice in the palette of natural perfumers for centuries, so it seemed obvious to me to share with you the holistic benefits of an exceptional essential oil that is particularly close to my heart: frankincense. Extracted from the sacred boswellia carterii tree and steeped in history, its resin has been used since the dawn of time for the consecration of places of worship and to facilitate connection with the deities.
 
In this article, I will reveal to you how the energetic benefits of this essence is important to reconnect with your inner haven of peace now and how to use frankincense quite simply to help you find serenity.
 
A  Little History…
The path of incense seems to have been traced for millennia because the path of this precious raw material was already considered a holy grail from Egypt, to Yemen to India. The tree grows in areas of present-day  Ethiopia, Somalia, Oman, Yemen. It is in this scorching heat and in an extremely harsh environment that this gnarled or even twisted tree reveals its greatest secret: a fragrant resin with an incomparable subtle and deep fragrance.
 
According to Wikipedia, “the Frankincense Route once linked Egypt with Yemen and India. It was probably created around 1800 BC. AD, when the Indians began to send incense to the ports of Arabia and Egypt. The incense that arrived at the Arabian ports was then sent by caravan through the desert to Petra, and from there to Gaza and Damascus. That passing through the ports of Egypt was transported to Alexandria, passing through Coptos. 
 
The trade in frankincense, and myrrh, from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean, flourished between the 3rd century and the 2nd century AD. The incense route served as a channel for exchanges other than frankincense or myrrh: Indian spices, ebony, silk, ... ”. The decline of its trade began in the 7th century ....
 
It is, of course, difficult to reduce its history and its benefits to a blog page as this raw material is exceptionally rich in its history, uses and multiple properties. I have chosen today to present to you some of its energy benefits specifically related to our current needs.

Frankincense Essential Oil Provides Great Physical and Energetic Oxygenation
In olfactotherapy and emotional healing, frankincense essential oil is used to soothe impulsiveness, anxieties and mental agitation. It calms the overheated mind, calms the senses, promotes serenity and inner peace as well as a deep sense of security. In this, it is particularly beneficial to use it at this time. It stimulates spiritual forces and promotes inner alignment. It helps to balance the vital energy throughout the body. 
Frankincense essential oil provides great physical and energetic oxygenation. This is one of its great strengths. It unravels, frees, transforms and helps to evacuate whether they are fears or unconscious resistance.
 
It is olfactory and natural perfumery note is balsamic and it pairs well with many other essential oils. Pair it with rose essential oil or absolute to experience a moment of purely divine inner peace, comforting and gentle like a mother's embrace. Breathe deeply the sweet and profound aroma and immerse yourself into calm and comfort
Mix it with myrrh and Ceylon cinnamon for invigorating & reassuring the emotions.
 
My expert advice is to enjoy it solo by taking 7 deep breaths in the state of mindfulness. Keep on the lookout for other articles about the infinite power of scents of essential oils! 

If your dream is to become a Certified Natural Aromatherapist, enrol to my 8 weeks intensive course. 

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