For those hailing from lands of tropical climates, the sight of a five-petaled flower, with a splash of yellow may be a sight many attribute to the beach. That is the highly fragrant frangipani. But do you know that frangipani actually makes for a good note in perfumery?
Origin
Commonly referred to by many as the plumeria, it is a historically long standing species with complex symbolic significance, with its origins tracing as far as the ancient Aztec empire, where it is associated with deities representing life and fertility. It also signifies elite status among the Mayans, as plumeria trees were planted in the house of nobles. Plumeria, the name for the genus, is named in honor of French botanist and Catholic monk Charles Plumier, who is an active animal and plants documenter of the New World region in the 17th century.
The common name “frangipani” meanwhile, is aptly named by Charles after the Italian marquis Frangipani of the 16th-century. The master glover-perfumer created the synthetic Plumeria perfume by mixing orris (iris root), spices, civet, musk, and wine to make it an everlasting perfume. It is also a subject of many modern cultures of the Asian region, in particular Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. They provide shelter to demons and ghosts according to local belief, and are related to Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples.
Scent
To quote British perfumer and founder of Ormonde Jayne, Linda Pilkington: “If you can imagine a full bunch of jasmine with a drop of vanilla, that’s how the frangipani flower smells.” As a heart note, the frangipani is warm and soft, bringing along shades of peachy and creaminess. It is also described with hints of apricot, peach, and lemon.
Best Match
The frangipani mixes well with, surprisingly, fruity notes of tropical nature, such as pineapple, coconut, and guava. Spicy notes, such as vanilla and cedarwood, also produce striking results.
Properties
Natural Astringent
Well known as a luxurious means for hydration purposes, the frangipani helps with moisturizing dry skin, along with restoring its softness, and cleansing the skin by removing impurities and exfoliating dead skin cells.
Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory
The frangipani is extremely rich in antioxidants, which greatly aids the human skin against free radical damage. It also has purifying properties, blocking out certain substances in the body that cause inflammation, and reducing the effects of redness, swelling, and pain.
Natural Sedative
Through relieving the buildup of stress in the human body, the frangipani promotes good health, along with improvement of sleep quality.
Synthetic vs Natural
Due to the hoo hahs surrounding trade secrets, perfume manufacturers are not obligated to disclose every single ingredient used in their products. Likewise, notes represent what the product should resemble in scent, not necessarily in content.
Here, we present to you the S.L.A.P.- Pinpointers when it comes to identifying if a perfume containing frangipani is synthetic or authentic. Do keep in mind that these pointers are applicable only when identifying for perfumes marketed as “natural”.
Smell
While there is no easy way to tell, having an experienced sense of smell is quintessential in identifying synthetics, or watered down bottles. The disparity between a pure natural extract, and the more alcoholic or artificial extracts is more than often obvious. On a side note, if a perfume is marketed as “natural”, it does not contain additives usually involved in perfume productions to prolong shelf life, thus lasts shorter, and the scent should not come off as “too intense”.
Labeling
If a perfume is marketed with “using natural ingredients”, it should always have the scientific name of the element listed, and should be traced online with ease. If the name of the ingredient is not in Latin/ is in English instead (ex: Cedarwood instead of Cedrus Dedora); this is your cue to look elsewhere.
The only frangipani ever involved in perfumery is Plumeria Rubra. If the scientific name written on the label was remotely something else, it is likely the manufacturer is trying to pass off something as natural frangipani. Likewise, although a hassle, always cross check the list of ingredients contained online to tell if it contains toxic or harmful chemicals.
Authenticity
Please purchase from trusted sellers or fragrance houses.
Price
As essential oils from natural ingredients are more labor intensive to source, it is expected for products of this nature to be expensive. If the disparity in ratio between the offered quantity and price is too apparent, be very wary that you may have bought a fake natural perfume. If your gut feeling or research makes it clear that the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
At Precision Perfume, we aim to deliver extravagance with the utmost care to our customers. We source only the finest materials; and share those stories with you.