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The karo karoundé is a rare species, resembling a species of jasmine, except when we know how to recognize its sweet scents Because the particularity of the karo karoundé flower is to have both floral and floral scents. spicy, two facets that perfumers have been able to highlight in both feminine and masculine fragrances.
The flower of karo karoundé, often confused never equaled!
The delicate karo karoundé flower grows in South Africa on what people call the rock shrub. Discovered during the colonial times of the early 19th century, botanists were initially interested in its resemblance to jasmine, believing that this shrub was a new variety. Thus the essence of karo karoundé was initially sold and named under the name absolute essence of bushy jasmine from Guinea. Fault !
Indeed if the shape like the flower of the karo karoundé can make think of jasmine, the perfume cannot be totally comparable to it. The karo karoundé notes recall the sweetness of gardenia and jasmine, while being more flowery on its ylang-ylang facet and more powerful in its green notes while maintaining a slight spicy touch.
This karo karoundé flower could not be ignored by noses curious about new raw materials, so from its discovery we imitated the production and manufacturing principles used in Grasse to make it an essence ready to be used in great perfumes.
The karo karoundé note in perfumery: a star with many faces
The karo karoundé note is a luxury raw material in perfumery both because of the scarcity of the flower and its low yield. Thus, the creators used for a long time this magnificent flower from South Africa in rare bottles or in a very sparse way.
It was not until Cartier's floral oriental Panthère released in 1987 to discover karo karoundé as a heart note given to jasmine, gardenia and tuberose. The same year Nino Cerruti pour femme also uses karo karoundé in heart notes to match it with rose and tuberose in a woody oriental fragrance.
A few years later, in 1993, Azzaro's Oh Lala exhibited karo karoundé this time as a top note associated with peach, orange blossom and mandarin to offer aromatic, floral and then typically oriental scents. A bewitching fragrance for some, a little too powerful for others
Until the 2000s, the karo karoundé note was mainly used in oriental or chypre perfumes for its exotic floral facet and the power of its fragrance. Once the new millennium has passed, karo karoundé will go well with lighter and mainly woody fragrances, such as Marron Chic from Nez à Nez or Timbuktu from L'Artisan Parfumeur, but also flowery and fruity to the example of Paco Rabanne Pour elle where karo karoundé is softer and more powdery
