Magnolia in Perfumery: A Solar Flower with Lemony Notes

An Artisanal Harvest

Picking is manual. Harvesters climb trees using bamboo scaffolding and the flowers are picked one by one. They are smaller than those we know in Europe. The name given by the Chinese is Michelia Alba (botanical family Magnoliaceae).

The harvest takes place in two periods:

• May/June: main period when flowering is most abundant.
• September to November: second harvest and distillation period, less abundant.

Botany and History

The magnolia is a tree that possesses flowers with thick petals, pink, cream-colored, or white; they have a delicate tulip shape or star shape pointing towards the sky.

The variety Magnolia Grandiflora is one of the many fragrant varieties of this family of flowering trees. The name magnolia comes from the name which was a tribute to the renowned botanist of the late 17th century: Pierre Magnol.

The essence is distilled on-site, in a rather artisanal way, and is traditionally sold on the local market for aromatic consumption. Only part of the production has been exported for the perfume industry since the 90s.

Magnolia in Perfumery

Magnolia is actually a flower very little used in perfumery; Maurice Roucel introduced me to it during the creation of L’Instant de Guerlain, and it was during the development of this perfume that I encountered this flower.

It accompanies solar flowers very well, such as ylang-ylang, Sambac jasmine, frangipani flower, etc.

A Singular White Flower

Magnolia is a very pretty white flower that blooms in spring: in perfumery, it is classified in the category of white flowers which are flowers that are at once extroverted, luminous, and sensual, possessing a very feminine aura.

Many white flowers contain Indole: a molecule with an animal scent, thus deemed sensual. This molecule can be isolated and used alone to reinforce the natural side of a floral bouquet. Even though magnolia is classified in this “white flower” family, it does not possess powerful indolic notes.

Olfactory Description

Olfactory Family: Floral

There are two essences with very different scents:

• Flower Essence: floral, fresh, and voluptuous note. This essential oil of the flower possesses a facet almost more citrus than floral. Both light and voluptuous. It presents a great lemony freshness, with a slight accent of pear and rose, tinged with green notes. Then a soft solar floral facet with vanilla accents reveals itself little by little.
• Leaf Essence: herbaceous, floral, aromatic note. The leaves are also used in perfumery, even if the scent is a bit more difficult to use than that of the flowers.

Technical Reminder: The Olfactory Pyramid

The floral note intervenes in the heart note; magnolia intervenes both in the top and in the heart. Let us recall what the olfactory pyramid is.

Visually, for educational purposes, the architecture of a perfume is represented in the form of an olfactory pyramid where the summit constitutes the top notes, the middle part the heart notes, and the base the base notes. It is a “triptych” diagram often used by brands to ensure the description of a fragrance.

In reality, each part of this pyramid represents notes that interlock with one another and respond to each other. Thus, when a perfume is well constructed, from the start, one can smell the base notes.

It is then said that “the opening prepares its conclusion.” It is therefore a conceptual representation of the reality of perfume; in fact, everything evaporates at about the same time in a joyful disorder.

Definition of Heart Notes

These are the notes that escape after the flight of top notes; it is the middle part of the pyramid. They are also called the curves, the roundness of the perfume; these notes of medium tenacity are dragged along by the top notes.

On the paper strip called a blotter or olfactory touch or on the skin, one will have to wait at least 15 to 20 minutes to truly discover them. Knowing that through the top notes you may have been able to smell them. These notes, depending on the support, will not give the same effect.

Some Perfumes Containing Magnolia

• L’Instant De Guerlain
• Eau De Magnolia by Frédéric Malle
• Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder
• Sensuel by Bulgari
• Marry Me by Lanvin
• Magnolia Nobile by Acqua di Parma

Traditional Use

The Malays use not the petals but the leaves to perfume their homes, their baths, and their clothes, while the wood of this tree is often used in furniture manufacturing.