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Tuberose, Jasmine and Orange Blossom. Your thoughts please r/o

post #1 of 11
7/30/11 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
So I know that BN is chock full of highly discerning noses and to that end, you may find the following contents of this post to be abominable LOL! I dunno but here it goes. I noticed that jasmine, tuberose and neroli/orange blossom smell pretty much like monozygotic triplets. Their main difference is in strength. Granted, I have never sniffed tuberose essential oil and the jasmine e/o I have is cosmetic grade so perhaps my impression is somewhat skewed. I am not sure if my neroli is therapeutic or cosmetic grade since it was a free gift with purchase. Anyways, I would like to know your thoughts on these flowers (and/or essential oils). Do you think they are very similar, have nothing in common, or have just enough to make a solid distinction like you would between say a rose and a lavender? Are there other flowers that untrained noses like myself would confuse with these three? If so, which ones? Thanks for sharing..
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post #2 of 11
7/30/11 at 3:05pm
Aside from being floral in nature, the absolutes (essential oils) are DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT!! Jasmine (grandiflorum) is deep, sweet, complex, rich and, at full-strength, will smell fecal. Its about the most floral of florals that exist really. Tuberose is a higher-pitched sweet tea scent, similar to tagetes in a way. Neroli is much more a citrus floral, lightly sweet, clean with a delicious top. I doubt, if you have smelled all three of these, that you would ever confuse them.
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post #3 of 11
7/30/11 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
That is really interesting. Thank you so much for your input! I have always been suspicious of most tuberose scents because even when not listed, I can smell jasmine! I would really LOVE to sniff some high quality therapeutic grade e/o of these three. The cosmetic grade jasmine (and gifted neroli) I got was off ebay LOL! I know it's questionable but it works for my wallet right now .
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post #4 of 11
7/30/11 at 3:34pm
some jasmines and orange blossom are somewhat similar, but tuberose is I think more different.
what they all have common is indole.
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post #5 of 11
7/30/11 at 3:39pm
You're not wrong per se, you're noticing shared details of a group often called ''white flowers''. All three blend with each other and share certain chemicals in common, but all have unique facets.

I love all three ( and others ) to the point of obsession, so I'd describe the differences between the three thus:

Orange Blossom: fresher, hint of citrus, honeyed quality.

Tuberose: rubbery, medicinal, cool-smelling, rather ''smooth'' in feel.

Jasmine: fruity, dirtier ( certain animal note ), incense-like.

What they share in common: heady, sweet, very full-smelling, indolic side ( kind of overripe, animal, inky smell hidden in the background ).

The best way to get to know these is to smell the real flowers, as even the best absolutes fail to capture all, and perfumes, even truly excellent recreations, can only hold a mirror to nature at best.

Another worth adding to the list is gardenia. Gardenia and tuberose share a lot in common, but swap out tuberose's chilly, medicinal side and add a cheesy, mushroomy, earthy quality and you've got gardenia.

Frangipani and Champaca are both linked to orange blossom, but come across as notably fruitier to my nose, especially champaca. Ylang-Ylang is cleaner, mellower, and spicier than jasmine, but is often used in jasmine perfumes anyhow.

Another group who share a lot in common are muguet, lilac, and hyacinth. To my nose the different is green, powdery, and spicy respectively.
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post #6 of 11
7/30/11 at 4:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarıpatates View Post

some jasmines and orange blossom are somewhat similar, but tuberose is I think more different.
what they all have common is indole.

Oooh thanks. Maybe that is what I smell

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugandaraja View Post

You're not wrong per se, you're noticing shared details of a group often called ''white flowers''. All three blend with each other and share certain chemicals in common, but all have unique facets.

I love all three ( and others ) to the point of obsession, so I'd describe the differences between the three thus:

Orange Blossom: fresher, hint of citrus, honeyed quality.

Tuberose: rubbery, medicinal, cool-smelling, rather ''smooth'' in feel.

Jasmine: fruity, dirtier ( certain animal note ), incense-like.

What they share in common: heady, sweet, very full-smelling, indolic side ( kind of overripe, animal, inky smell hidden in the background ).

The best way to get to know these is to smell the real flowers, as even the best absolutes fail to capture all, and perfumes, even truly excellent recreations, can only hold a mirror to nature at best.

Another worth adding to the list is gardenia. Gardenia and tuberose share a lot in common, but swap out tuberose's chilly, medicinal side and add a cheesy, mushroomy, earthy quality and you've got gardenia.

Frangipani and Champaca are both linked to orange blossom, but come across as notably fruitier to my nose, especially champaca. Ylang-Ylang is cleaner, mellower, and spicier than jasmine, but is often used in jasmine perfumes anyhow.

Another group who share a lot in common are muguet, lilac, and hyacinth. To my nose the different is green, powdery, and spicy respectively.


OOooooo thank you SOOOO much for such a detailed response and for the extra tit bits !!! Very helpful indeed! Gardenia, Fragipani, Ylang-Ylang and Champaca! I am adding those to the e/o list. So would you say all white flowers have some olfactory similarities or is it just the main ones used in fragrances? I am thinking there should be a few odd white flowers (perhaps not used much in perfumery) that have zero in common with the ones mentioned so far, no? Or maybe the organic compounds responsible for the flower colour (white in this case) also produces certain odours thus causing them to have both visual and olfactory similarities? I'm clueless lol!
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post #7 of 11
7/30/11 at 5:23pm
Tee Tee, I don't have anything to add to the wisdom imparted by the boys. I just gotta say I LOVE your ZEST for knowledge!
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post #8 of 11
7/30/11 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by knit at nite View Post

Tee Tee, I don't have anything to add to the wisdom imparted by the boys. I just gotta say I LOVE your ZEST for knowledge!

Thank you knit at nite. You are too kind. You put a big smile on my face with your words
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post #9 of 11
7/30/11 at 8:20pm
How about some hemi-semi-demi "reference scents" for each?
Carnal Flower for tuberose.
Jo Malone's Orange Blossom for same.
And maybe...just maybe...Jasmin de Nuit for same.
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post #10 of 11
7/31/11 at 4:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by knit at nite View Post

Tee Tee, I don't have anything to add to the wisdom imparted by the boys.

Me neither, except to say that l am a huge fan of white flowers in fragrance, & it's great to read that you are so interested in them! Gardenia is my absolute favourite, & l will add that many fragrances described as "gardenia" are actually a combination of tuberose & jasmine, so do be wary of this. l agree with Suga that the best way to comprehend the differences is to smell the real flowers. Even essential oils do not usually reproduce the true scent accurately.
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post #11 of 11
7/31/11 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeeTee View Post

So would you say all white flowers have some olfactory similarities or is it just the main ones used in fragrances? I am thinking there should be a few odd white flowers (perhaps not used much in perfumery) that have zero in common with the ones mentioned so far, no?

The name comes primarily from the three you mentioned in your first post. It's not botanically very accurate at all, just one of those terms that gets used in perfumery a lot because those flowers are used a lot. There are white violets ( violety ), white magnolias ( tart, almost apple-like smell ), white heliotrope ( smells almondy ), none of which really fit into the white floral type of smell, then there are things like frangipani ( very orange-blossom like ) that are actually orange-colored!

When perfumers build a perfume, they don't just make them out of the natural ingredients, but out of the chemicals that either smell like or already exist in the flower. I know very little about perfume chemistry, but from what I've gathered from perfumers, it's like there are many common smells between the three white flowers, and one can add certain notes to make it more like one or another.

I think of it like an artist drawing a circle. They can add a stick and swirls and make it a lollipop, they can add continents and seas and make it a planet, and so forth. What these flowers share is like the circle, what makes them unique are the details.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Tuberose, Jasmine and Orange Blossom. Your thoughts please r/o