Help with Jasmine scents, please!

[quimerula]

I am really in love with this note, and I want a scent strong and as pure as possible (without fruits or sweet tones, if it's possible).

Thank you very much!

[Sheila]

If you can get hold of it, the discontinued Luna is almost pure jasmine, at least on my skin.

 

ETA: and if you don't mind an incense note, the Caterpillar is lovely also....

Edited January 24, 2005 by Sheila

[Ina Garten Davita]

New Orleans is a "perfect" jasmine scent. Also Mata Hari, though it's blended with coffee (yes, coffee), it's the truest jasmine ever. Rapture is a nice rendition of jas as well.

[Red_Hot_Mama]

I love jasmine scents. My first jasmine love is Siren. It does have an apricot note but tends to show itself more in warmer weather on me.

Bewitching Brews: Eos, Euphrosyne, Nyx, Phantasm, Queen Mab (don't miss this one) Sophia & Wilde to name but a few.

 

Enjoy!

[velvet]

i think tarot : the moon is more jasmine than anything else i have tried from beth

so i highly recomend it

[cookie]

My batch of Rapture is all about jasmine. In a good way

[Abbie]

Oh, lord, BPAL is going to be bad for me. I keep telling myself: you are expecting your VERY FIRST order any day now... don't run amok and buy more before you've even tried anything except Magdalene. And then I read the forums or the fragrance descriptions and...

 

Anyway The point is I love Jasmine, and I especially love it when combined with citrus. Several companies have made this for me only to discontinue it when I want to buy another bottle. The most recent one was L'Occitane, who made a fragrance called "Mandarin Jasmine" that was to die for.

 

Any suggestions for a good citrusy jasmine?

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Here's what I got on the Lab's website when I did an advanced search for jasmine and citrus:

Love Potions Muse A light, invigorating floral and citrus blend. Tuberose, lotus and jasmine with a hint of lime.

Wanderlust Santa Eulària Des Riu Piquant citrus tempered by jasmine, soft Mediterranean herbs, lavender and orange blossom.

[bristlecone]

Can't really help you much, but I just wanted to say that I loved Bath and Body Works' Grapefruit Jasmine, which was a limited edition scent for 2003. If you've tried this and liked it, and if you have access to BBW, check them out because their semi-annual sale starts in a few days and this scent may pop up there (I know it did at the January sale).

 

The two scents Red_Hot_Mama listed are both on my wish list, and I'll probably get imps of at least one of them with my next order.

[eleventhousand]

Try Namaste! Lemongrass and jasmine are the notes that sing on me...with the woods as an anchor. It's my number one.

 

[bristlecone]

I've been browsing the scents to add more to my wish list , and I came across Phantasm, which is green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine, and neroli. Sounds really nice! (And my wish list continues to grow...)

[Scylla]

I second Muse and Phantasm. Both wonderful, but both very different!

[hangingfire]

Poking at an old thread...

 

I just got a frimp of Nyx from an ebayer, and while I would have never picked something so floral for myself, I was pleasantly surprised! I can't stop sniffing my wrists.

 

Pre-BPAL, jasmines usually went all waxy and weird on me -- no matter how well-blended, they always smelled artificial on me. Nyx, however, works beautifully, and I'm guessing that's because the myrrh counters the jasmine and the rose sweetens it.

 

So if you like Nyx, what other jasmine scents are you likely to enjoy?

[blu°]

Poking at an old thread...

 

I just got a frimp of Nyx from an ebayer, and while I would have never picked something so floral for myself, I was pleasantly surprised! I can't stop sniffing my wrists.

 

Pre-BPAL, jasmines usually went all waxy and weird on me -- no matter how well-blended, they always smelled artificial on me. Nyx, however, works beautifully, and I'm guessing that's because the myrrh counters the jasmine and the rose sweetens it.

 

So if you like Nyx, what other jasmine scents are you likely to enjoy?

 

ETA: I'm such an idiot, I just replied to a post from september. Errhem. Well, it might be of help for someone. Here it goes:

 

You could always try other blends that have night-blooming jasmine (people say it's not really jasmine, but actually "jessamine", another floral).

 

I liked Nyx, too, but don't always get along with night-blooming jasmine, as it tends to be soapy (to me). I though Nyx was still nice and warm because of the myrrh and rose.

 

But I was going to post something on jasmine.

 

Yes. Jasmine.

 

So, first hit googling for jasmine sambac (once had an EO of this), says:

 

"Jasmine Sambac (Arabian jasmine, jasminum sambac) is more musky and spicy than the Jasmine Absolute. Jasmine grandiflorum is softer, more gentle and floral than Jasmine Sambac, which is more mysterious and exotic.

 

Jasmine grandiflorum is more widely known and is frequently found in gardens all over the world. It blooms in the early dawn, whereas Jasmine Sambac blooms at night."

 

Ok, now, I hadn't read that part with "...blooms at night." before.

 

Further googling:

 

The night-blooming jasmine (cestrum nocturnum) is a different one, and doesn't seem to be of the same plant family.

 

There seems to be a bunch of different fragrant plants that are somehow called jasmine but aren't real jasmine.

 

Considering the jasmine types Beth uses, I remember to have read four different names:

 

jasmine: I guess this will be jasmine grandiflorum, it smells like the jasmine tea is scented with. Like in Santa Eulària des Riu. Crisp, dusty, a little bit like tea, similar to mimosa maybe.

 

night-blooming jasmine: This to me is a tad soapy and lily-ish, but maybe I'm confused because the scents had lilies as well.

 

star jasmine: Not sure I remember whether I identified this in Salomé ever. I like Salomé alright, so... There was nothing soapy. This seems to be somewhat softer than the night-blooming jas and probably isn't a jasmine by the book neither.

 

Moroccan jasmine: This is listed as an ingredient for The Muses: Urania. I've ordered an imp and am highly curious whether Beth's Moroccan jasmine is a sambac.

 

Gone to read reviews for Urania.

Edited January 18, 2006 by blu°

[hangingfire]

Wow, that was a really informative post. It also goes a long way toward explaining why Nyx works better for me than any other jasmine blends that I've tried.

[blu°]

 

HEEEY! That's so cool, you're still here! I edited my post and put what an idiot I was to reply to a post from september. I had only read that it was that old after sending off my own post. Wow.

 

Glad, I could be of help.

 

I did some more research in my BPAL archives:

 

Moroccan Jasmine is in Urania and in The Perfumed Garden.

 

Star jasmine is in Salomé and Sophia (both of which I love). It's also in Black Dahlia and The Bearded Lady (both of which I don't know).

 

This makes it a little harder to pass on the Lupercalia update.

And indicates hunting for The Bearded Lady, which I really wasn't interested in at all before this.

[blu°]

I'm still into the jasmine research. Mainly because I was wondering if officinalis was the same as grandiflorum and whether I was mixing them up.

 

I did confuse some things as I can see now.

 

There's this great online shop for rare plants and seeds. You really get ALL kinda things there.

 

They are not far from where I live and I'm planning to go there with a friend in April when they open again after winter's break.

 

However, I looked up "jasmine" on their page and got 18 entries for jasmines and jasmine alikes. As I have way to many urgent things to care for and can't quite possibly cope with any of them tonight, I might as well translate* some flower's descriptions for the BPAL people.

 

(* I'll not literally translate the explanations from the website, but just extract some facts rather telegraph style. I'll leave out what I don't understand, not being an educated gardener.)

 

They have three "real" jasmines (jasminum): French Jasmine (j. officinalis), Arabian Jasmine (j. sambac),and Chinese Tea-Jasmine (j. grandiflorum)

 

French Jasmine (Französischer Jasmin, j. officinalis)

 

- winter suited jasmine with typical white scented blossoms

- cultivated iin southern France in the area around Grasse (perfume production)

- essential oil is gathered by "enfleurage" (Enfleurage involves spreading fresh blossoms over cleansed fat (e.g. olive oil). The blossoms, which are exchanged for fresh ones on a daily plan, will pass their scent continually to the fat. 4

Similarly, "huile antique au jasmin" is won by squeezing a linen cloth, that had been soaked in olive oil and blossoms spread across it.

In 19th century jasmine syrup was praised as an excellent medicine against colds and other respiration problems. To get jasmine syrup alternate layers of blossoms and sugar, cover with humid cloth and keep in a cool place. You should try jasmine butter, too.

Arabian and Chinese jasmine can be used in the same way.)

Arabian Jasmin (Arabischer Jasmin, j. sambac)

 

- different from the known jasmine this one has thick, heart-shaped, leathery leaves.

- looks and is more robust than known jasmine

- blossoms: used as jasmine tea flavour and as a spice; bigger and stronger scented than known jasmine.

 

Spanish Jasmine, Chinese Tea-Jasmine (Chinesischer Teejasmin, j. grandiflorum)

 

- Many blossoms, petals, similar to French jasmine, are delicately seperated from each other ("delicately parted"?)

- used to flavour green tea together with other jasmines.

 

Night-blooming jasmine and star jasmine are featured, too.

 

Night-Blooming Jasmine (Nachtjasmin, cestrum nocturnum)

 

- bush from the familie of Solanaceae which blooms primarily at night and in the evening

- many small bright-yellow scented blossoms

 

Star jasmine (Sternjasmin, trachelospermum jasminoides)

 

- climbing bush-like plant, common in South France, with very small but bountiful star-shaped blossoms, which emanate a one-of-its kind mixture of jasmine, nutmeg and clove/carnations (same word in German, really not sure which one they are talking about here).

- very dark, intensive scent compared to real jasmine

Yellow Jessamine, Carolina Jessamine (Gelber Jasmin, Falscher Jasmin, gelsemium sempervirens)

 

- stems from America

- yellow blossoms that emanate a clear, fresh scent.

- poisonous, psychoactive, medical (in small doses, not today)

- paralyzing while consciousness remains until death

- the aztecs are said to have used this plant in so-called divine judgements. ("God" decides by making the accused survive a drink from this root or die from it.)

Night-flowering jasmine, tree-of-sorrow, tree-of-sadness, arbor tristis, lovers' tree, sad tree (Indischer Nachtjasmin, nyctanthes arbor-tristis)

 

- tropical bush with tiny white blossoms that are strongly scented and are used to make perfume.

- usage in Indian medicine: rheuma, temperature, malaria, hepatitis, menstruational problems, ekzema, ...

 

They mention other flowers that smell similar to jasmine. For example:

 

Japanese Honeysuckle (Japanisches Geißblatt, lonicera japonica)

 

- stems from China and Japan, often seen in South France.

- white-pale yellow blossoms with intensive tea-jasmine scent

- easy to grow, leaves and blossoms used as medicine (pain-killer, infections)

 

So far.

I really wonder how much this site is to be trusted, though I think they look trustworthy, but just googling for English names I found quite some contradictions.

 

First, on one page it is claimed that the French perfume jasmine cultivation in Grasse uses grandiflorum and not officinalis.

 

Second: I just arrived at Wikipedia and they say: Jasmine sambac is the National Flower of Philippines and there it's called Sampaguita. (???)

Well, they also say, that star jasmine is a jasminum, which I trust the other site to have the correct latin name for.

 

OMG, I'm finding more sites and more different opinions on classifying jasmines:

 

An Indian site says oficinalis and grandiflorum are equal.

 

A quite extensive Spanish site says that Sambac is not a jasminum but a nycthantes.

 

I'm done, I'll give up now.

 

Don't trust any information about Jasmine. Forget all that you've just read.

Ask [insert personal deity preference] for help on this.

Edited January 20, 2006 by blu°

[hangingfire]

That is some excellent research ... and frustrating, from the sound of it once the contradictions get thrown in. I'd heard about the enfleurage technique from Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume.

 

Thanks for your hard work!

[blu°]

You're welcome.

[eunike]

Arabian jasmine is the same thing as sampaguita (that's the Tagalog name for it), one of the notes in Manila/Old Manila. Granted, it's not a prominent note, but still!

[Mountaingrrl00]

I really like the jasmine in Crossroads. Any idea what kind that is? Night-flowering, maybe?

[beetiger]

I know lots of folks here aren't jasmine fans...but I am, provided it's balanced out right. For those who like jasmine, what are your favorite jasmine scents?

[Diana]

I know lots of folks here aren't jasmine fans...but I am, provided it's balanced out right. For those who like jasmine, what are your favorite jasmine scents?

 

Hey there! There's already a jasmine rec thread here:

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=1178&hl=jasmine

 

I'm kind of off & on with jasmine personally. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. I think Peitho might be my favorite blend.

[reenie212]

I second the Bat Woman suggestion! It's one of my favorite scents at the moment.

[beetiger]

I know lots of folks here aren't jasmine fans...but I am, provided it's balanced out right. For those who like jasmine, what are your favorite jasmine scents?

 

Hey there! There's already a jasmine rec thread here:

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=1178&hl=jasmine

 

 

Thanks! I don't know why that didn't come up for me when I searched...