Gardenia

The gardenia flower belongs to a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to parts of Asia. 

Gardenia in modern perfume is a remarkable fiction. This delicate, ethereal flower is generally not harvested to produce the oil necessary for fragrance (essential, concrete or absolute). The reason? The price and scale of production. In order to obtain oil from these creamy, intricate flowers would simply require too much of the raw material to be sustainable. We're talking 300 pounds of gardenia petals for 1 ounce of oil. As such, the scent of gardenia is successfully recreated via the use of synthetic and natural isolates. 

Did You Know..? The Gardenia was made famous in the Jazz Age by none other than Billie Holliday, who wore the waxy petals as a signature in her hair. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, remarked that the gardenia was his favourite of all the flowers. 

Scent Profile: Heady and full white floral note with piquant green, earthy and warm nuances. 

Found In: Kai, Kai EDP (1999).