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Origin and use of tuberose
Tuberose comes from Mexico, it arrived in Europe and Asia around the 16th century. It was cultivated a lot in Grasse before but this is no longer the case today, except for garden tuberoses. India is the country that produces the most tuberose in the world, ahead of Egypt.
Tuberose continues to diffuse its scent two days after picking.
To avoid the deterioration of the tuberose smell, harvesting is done by hand. Steam distillation is not used for tuberose. Its gasoline is obtained by extraction using a solvent such as ethanol. It has a heady, persistent smell, while developing a note of honey, wax, cream and heat with aspects of honeysuckle and orange blossom.
Tuberose absolute is intended for the manufacture of prestige fragrance with an oriental and floral character.
Anecdote
Louis XIV's mistress, Madame de La Vallière, placed tuberose flowers in her room to prove that she was not pregnant. At the time, tuberose was considered unbearable for pregnant women.
In Italy, young girls were prohibited from evening walks in the gardens. The tuberose flowers that were there would have led them to temptation.
Tuberose-based perfumes
Since the 1930s, tuberose has been used to concoct essential fragrances such as Fracas by Piguet, released in 1948. It is a perfume, now classic, with opulent smells with an overdose of tuberose. It must be said that its creator, Germaine Cellier, is a woman of character. Apart from the tuberose scent, Fracas also gives off a surprising fruity note made from a combination of materials of natural and synthetic origins.
In 1985, it was Dior who put tuberose in the spotlight with the timeless fragrance Poison. It is made up of intense tuberose, sandalwood, apple, patchouli, labdanum, rose, spices and honey.
The perfumes of the 1980s have always been overloaded with intense and heady materials like tuberose. Women especially, displayed aggressively at the time by claiming a certain modernity. Tuberose suited this state of mind perfectly.
In 2014, the fragrance White Tubéreuse de Réminiscence has a harmonious scent but not monotonous. Tuberose associated with cumin is persistent, it is softened by a honeyed note which gives a sensual impression. Its composition with coconut milk, banana, spices and especially its creamy bath, balances the scent which becomes almost tropical.
