Different kinds of Jasmine..

Botanically speaking, the two most common jasmine species used in perfumery are Jasmin Grandiflorum and Jasmin Sambac. There is also Jasmine Auriculatum, which is less commonly used in perfumery, but is unique and quite different from the other two types. Than there is also star jasmine, which isn't technically a jasmine, thought he flowers look and smell very much like one. The latin name is Trachelospermum jasminoides (it's from the genus Trachelospermum, not Jasminum). I don't believe there is an essential oil of that, but it recently became quite a popular note in some commercial perfumes (i.e.: Opium Fleur de Shanghai). It can be tinctured or macerated or infused by hand though (which some artisan perfumers who are very skilled and crafty actually do themselves).

Jasmine Grandiflorum is the richest and deepest of all jasmines. It's very rich with indoles, and has a deep, penetrating aroma.

Jasmine Sambac is lighter and fruitier, and is reminiscent of gardenia in it's sheer heady tropical fragrance.

Jasmine Auriculatum is intesnely green, and only slightly floral. In fact, it has an almost grassy smell. It's very tenacious.

Star Jasmine (which as I mentioned earlier is not really jasmine at all) has a light, airy, white floral aroma, lighter even than the sambac. It is not surprising that it's only gaining interest from perfumers recently - because of the increasing demand for the "light" floral scents.

Now, I know I haven't truly answered your question, and didn't even give examples of perfumes - but to me, many of the perfumes that claim to be using jasmine smell too artificial. It's hard to find a good jasmine note in my opinion - unless it is highly natural, and this seems to become more and more rare. i am going to think up some examples and post more later...

these fragrances are certainly hediones, clean fresh jasmine, synthetic origin, I don 't think mass marketed fragrances use any other type of jasmine.

you will find animalic jasmines from India, Egypt or Morrocco with niche scents like 'A la Nuit', or the purest jasmine in the world, 'Jasmin de Grasse' only used by Jean Patou in Joy and 1000 extraits de parfum and Chanel No 5 also in extrait de parfum only.
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these fragrances are certainly hediones, clean fresh jasmine of synthetic origin, I don 't think mass marketed fragrances use any other type of jasmine, maybe some do?

you will find animalic jasmines from India, Egypt or Morrocco with niche scents like 'A la Nuit', or the purest jasmine in the world, 'Jasmin de Grasse' only used by Jean Patou in Joy and 1000 extraits de parfum and Chanel No 5 also in extrait de parfum only.

Ok, I thought about some good jasmine examples.

Fresh - i.e. hedionic:
Le Parfum de Therese
Eau Sauvage
asDiorella

Heady jasmine:
Diorissimo (even though it's a Lily of th Valley soliflore, the jasmine here is intense - particularly if you try the parfum, this will become evident)
Joy

Indolic jasmine (I disagree about it's similarity to ylang ylang though; indolic jasmine is just that - indolic - and there is no flower that truly smells like jasmine):
There are plenty of niche-houses' jasmines I haven't tried, so maybe there is an indolic jasmine lurking there. But the only indolic ones I've smelled were those which came from natural perfume houses, such as Aftelier (Fig, Jasmine solid perfume, Cacao), Anya's Garden (Fairchild) , Artemisia Perfume (Jasmine Tea), and my own jasmine scent Yasmin (it starts as a fresh, heady jasmine, but than turns into a sultry indolic jasmine).

I often read Le Parfum de Therese jasmine is animalic, I was never sure about it, to me it 's neither hedionic fresh like Blush nor animalic like A la Nuit

Ayala,

In which heading would you put Creed's Jasmin Imperatrice? I've been wanting to give this one a try, but haven't given it a smell yet...

I had a sample of this, and I tried it a couple of times before handing it off to a friend - I recall it having an excellent sandalwood drydown, but unfortunately I didnt pay much attention to the floral notes (I was in my "sandalwood testing" phase)...

I love this post, ladies!

This post is very helpful and informative for me because many perfumes contain some element of Jasmine, but I am highly allergic to some of them. It seems to me that the mass-marked fragrances that are labeled as containing Jasmine Sambac give me a headache. Is this actually Jasmine Sambac, or some synthetic interpretation that's bothering me, I wonder?

Some examples are Armani Code for Women, Flowerbomb, Michael Kors, D&G Light Blue, etc.

Another one that give me a headache is the Jasmine interpretation by Floris.

Ayala, do you think that the Jasmine used in Bvgari Voile de Jasmin (labeled Living Jasminum Sambac) is the real deal?

I'm not Ayala (too bad for me...) but I think when a note is described as "living" what they really mean is "completely synthetic." It refers to 'headspace' technology where in a thing is placed inside a closed container and the surrounding air is analyzed for a computer generated magic recipe of synthetics.

I second that

also jasmine that smells clean and fresh, it 's always synthetic except for Jasmin de Grasse (I said it above only used in Joy and No 5 extraits de parfum), the purest rarest most precious natural jasmine in the world. I wish the new Exclusifs by Chanel would have a Jasmin de Grasse theme perfume!

Thank you, Bois et Musc and Shycat, for your input. I had no idea that "living" might be code for "synthetic."

I guess I have probably never smelled real Jasmine, then. Which is weird, because several of the perfumes I own supposedly contain it, and I drink Jasmine Tea relatively regularly, although I suppose that's real.

This post inspired me to try my sample of Montale Jasmin Full and it is so much like the aromatic Jasmine tea that my Chinese father keeps in the cabinet that I am enchanted by it. There is nothing synthetic about this Montale frag, at least the impression is very natural and "real."

Jasmin Impeatrice Eugenie is one of my favorite fragrances, and I would also say that the sandalwood is quite dominant. It is a gorgeous gorgeous fragrance.

that sounds interesting, next time I buy something at Aedes I ll ask them to get a sample of Jasmine Full by Montale

Star Jasmine flowers smrll like being in love to me. They were blooming during my first real romance. I have tested YSL In Love Again Jasmin d'etoile, but its just not the same thing as the flower, sweet, but not that intense anticipation smell. Does Ayala know if it contains trachelospermum jasminoides, or just calls itself star jasmine?

Sambac jasmine is called pikake in Hawaii, and the Hawaiian perfumes available smell NOTHING like the real flower. It makes a soft creamy sweet smelling lei. Not stongly creamy like plumeria. I have yet to discover a perfume that smells like the flower. Perhaps it is one of those flower scents that can't be made, but have to be interpreted using other notes in combination??.....

I went through a pikake investigative phase. I ordered several different pikake perfumes --a couple from Hawaii, the Terra Nova Pikake, single note sample from ParfumsRaffy, and one I don't even recall.

What I recall is, and I believe our Eau Boy is from Hawaii and supplied the link, that one can experience the real thing and buy an actual lei that ships from Hawaii. If I was more awake I might search for the thread link to 'pikake'...

Here's one Hawaiian-Tropical-Flowers.com that I have recommended to my clients (I am a wedding coordinator - among other things ) You can Google for more.

Thank you, Taolady!

I want to do this when spring comes. I'll never go to Hawaii, but Hawaii can come to me! Easter might be a good time for a lei.