Jasmine

About Jasmine

Jasmine is an evergreen climbing shrub that is native to the temperate regions of northern India and China. It can grow to around thirty feet tall and has tiny, white star-like flowers and small, dark green leaves. It was brought to Europe in the 16th century and is now also commercially cultivated in France, Spain, Japan, Morocco and Turkey. The name of this shrub comes from the Persian word ‘yasmin,’ and it is also known as ‘Queen of the Night’ because it only releases its glorious fragrance once the heat of the day is over and the sun has gone down.

Why is Jasmine essential oil so expensive?
One of the reasons perfumes containing jasmine are so expensive is that around 7.5 million flowers are required to produce only one kilogramme of the essential perfume oil. Another reason this fragrance commands such a high price is that it is extremely difficult to capture this rich floral note in a perfume. 

The flowers are very delicate and are only picked at night to preserve the fragile scent. An experienced picker can harvest more than 10,000 blossoms in one night, and the flowers are carefully placed in special baskets and processed as soon as possible to keep the valuable fragrance fresh.
 

White Jasmine Flower