Tuberose—which, despite its name, has nothing in common with roses—is a flower that bears a very particular status in the world of perfumes. I believe that many perfumers' fascination with tuberose comes from both the innocent aspect of this pretty white flower and the very powerful, fleshy, almost human scent that emanates from it. Like a demure woman with a husky, come-hither voice—Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not comes to mind—tuberose is an intriguing contradiction.
Following the Scent
Tuberose is considered the caviar of perfumery because of its price—around $8,000 a pound. It is a rich source for some of the most memorable perfumes.
• In the early 1900s, perfumers were only able to obtain the tuberose scent through "enfleurage": You lay flowers on top of a greasy surface. Once the grease is soaked with the scent, it is melted and filtered to get the oil. Because this was expensive and time-consuming, there were no primarily tuberose scents. Coty L'Origan from 1909 did contain a little tuberose, and later was the inspiration for Guerlain L'Heure Bleu, which has notes of tuberose.
• By the 1920s, perfumers had learned how to extract the flower's actual oil, which is known as its "absolute." White-flower scents were popular, resulting in some classic tuberose perfumes, including Caron Bellodgia, a spicy fragrance that has tuberose, but not as a main player.
• When Germaine Cellier created Fracas in 1948—a deep, animalistic blend of what perfumers then believed were the elements of natural tuberose—it hit a chord. Fracas has become so emblematic that most people think tuberose smells like it rather than like the flower. It inspired Jungle Gardenia (1950s), Chloé (1970s), Christian Dior Poison and Giorgio Beverly Hills (1980s), and the recent Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia.
• Some tuberose scents have gardenia connections. Michael Kors's namesake tuberose fragrance is often associated with gardenia because the two flowers are like cousins. Tuberose is raw and sensuous; gardenia is the soft, fruity version.
• The challenge in creating a new tuberose perfume is to get away from Fracas. Dominique Ropion and I went through 690 trials before we arrived at Carnal Flower because we wanted it to be as close as possible to the natural tuberose scent. International Flavors & Fragrances, a lab, uses Living Headspace Technology to detect the odor in the air around a flower and then list its chemical molecules. It's a fabulous base for perfumers who want to reproduce a natural smell.
Tuberose was first found in Mexico, but now is mainly grown in the warm climates of Morocco, Hawaii (where it is used in leis), South Africa, and India. The Aztecs harnessed the flower for its anti-inflammatory properties. And because it blooms at night, legends arose in France and India that a whiff could put a young woman in a romantic mood. It certainly has a sensual smell, combining milky, coconut-y, salty softness with spices and animal notes—the latter of which are responsible for the scent's almost raw aspect. But with all the intensity, the scent has a fresh top aroma. Perfumers can play up or down the different aspects of the flower, making it smell sexy, as with Fracas by Robert Piguet, or fresh, as with Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia Cologne.