Roman chamomile

Roman chamomile, a divine flower that exhales green apple

Roman chamomile, a small wildflower, was revered by the Egyptians as it was said to be dedicated to Ra, the sun god. Its name comes from Ancient Greek, meaning “dwarf apple,” recalling the pleasant scent it gives off.

While many old herbals note its noble existence, it was particularly the United Kingdom that made it a favorite among its nine sacred flowers. In fact, to delicately celebrate the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the English house Penhaligon’s created a famous perfume, Jubilee Bouquet, in honor of Her Majesty, enchanting with its chypre and floral notes and its Roman chamomile top note.

Today Roman chamomile is of course cultivated in the United Kingdom but also in France, Italy, and Belgium. Bearing a striking resemblance to a small daisy, the little flower is picked and then distilled to obtain an essential oil with medicinal properties, of course, but also olfactory ones.

Roman chamomile and perfumes with aromatic or fruity facets

While the very famous Anglo-Saxon perfume Jubilee Bouquet showcased the fine olfactory qualities of Roman chamomile, it nonetheless remains rather rarely used by perfumers.

However, its scent, at once very sweet and powerfully aromatic, draws great noses toward its use in top notes. Thus, Roman chamomile is found across two distinct olfactory families, the aromatic family (from which it originally derives) and the floral family, each working it to enhance its facet depending on the composition.

In floral perfumes, Roman chamomile takes on a sweet and gourmand character to develop, depending on the creation, fruity florals such as Romance by Ralph Lauren or Cerruti 1881 pour femme by Cerruti, marine florals such as Escape by Calvin Klein, or green and gourmand florals such as Bazar Summer Fragrance by Christian Lacroix.

Roman chamomile is also present, though more rarely, in masculine aromatic woody fragrances. Through its facet that is both sweet and aromatic, it lends power and originality to fougères seeking to renew the genre with modern compositions, as seen in L'Art de la Guerre by Jovoy.

Roman chamomile possesses numerous olfactory qualities that are timidly extending from floral perfumes for women and aromatic perfumes for men into other, more surprising fragrance families. It appears, for example, as a top note in the citrus Eternity Summer for Men by Calvin Klein, or in the original and oriental Chaos by Donna Karan, not to mention its presence in the famous floral chypre Aromatics Elixir by Clinique.