The word “Frankincense” comes from the term “franc incense”, which means pure incense in Old French. Frankincense has been associated with many religions, especially the Christian religion and it was one of the first gifts given to Jesus by the Magi. This precious resin called sometimes “the pearl of the desert”, is collected either by making an incision in the tree and allowing the resin to flow and harden, or by collecting hardened resin that has flowed naturally from the tree which belongs to Boswellia family. Frankincense has been (and still is) one of the world’s most treasured commodities since the beginning of written history. At its peak its value…

The world’s rarest perfume ingredient Ancient Greeks and Romans bottled it as essential oil. Innkeepers scented their linens with it centuries ago. Today, orris can be found throughout the world: as a flavour in tinctures, medicinal syrups and spice mixes; as a base note for aromatic spirits and cosmetics; as an iconic fragrance in perfumes and potpourris. And it can cost more than gold. Shades of raspberry, violet and pepper make up this rare scent, which is distilled from the root of the iris – not the slender ‘Siberian’ iris typically found in florist shops, but the ‘bearded’ iris, the type famously painted by Vincent van Gogh. These flowers grow…

Widely known and used since Antiquity, vetiver (or vetyver) is a perennial plant originating in southern India, whose name is derived from the Tamil word vettiveru (Tamil is the language spoken in Tamil Nadu). The people of India were the first to recognize the vetiver aromatic and medicinal properties, as attested in ancient ayurvedic treatises written in Sanskrit around the year 1,000 B.C.. Until the last century, this tropical aromatic plant remained largely unknown in the West, outside of the perfume world. In fact, the word vetiver did not appear in the French language until the early 19th century. This was an important period because, in 1809, the first chemical…

The word “frankincense” comes from the term “franc incense,” which means pure incense in old French. Frankincense has been associated with many different religions, especially the Christian religion, as it was one of the first gifts given to Jesus by the Magi. This precious resins called sometimes “the pearl of the desert”, is collected either by making an incision in the tree and allowing the resin to flow and harden, or by collecting hardened resin that has flowed naturally from the tree which is produced by an unusual tree, genus Boswellia. Frankincense has been (and still is) one of the world’s most treasured commodities since the beginning of written history.…