Broom

Broom: The mythical flower of Grasse perfumes our essences abundantly. Broom and its delicate honeyed flowers perfume the valleys of Grasse where perfume flowers have been traditionally cultivated since the very beginning of the 20th century.

The small yellow shrub has existed in the wild for centuries, which is the origin of two lovely legends… Today broom and its slightly bitter honey notes make it possible to create great floral and fresh fragrances that have propelled broom absolute among perfumers' favorite raw materials.

Broom: the pretty perfumed flower with a taste for fine legends!

For a long time, broom was a wild plant that grew wherever it pleased, all while crossing paths with the great figures of this world… The Celtic legend, for instance, tells that the imaginary woman with the “face of flowers,” Blodeuwedd, a pure creation of King Math, a magician, was fashioned from broom and meadowsweet flowers combined with oak.

Later, more was said about broom's properties than its beauty… hallucinogenic properties! Thus Geoffrey V, called “the Fair,” encountered, during one of his rides near Le Mans in 1128, a unicorn with a woman's head in the middle of a broom field. Overwhelmed by this “encounter,” he decided to make broom the emblem of his dynasty, hence the nickname “Plantagenet” for this branch that reigned supreme for a large part of the Middle Ages!

Broom is therefore a symbolic flower whose very particular scent captivates and enchants its admirers, won over. Quite naturally, perfumery seized upon broom absolute and the fine mythical production of Grasse to create floral as well as fruity fragrances.

Broom absolute for floral and fruity fragrances

Between citrus and floral fragrances, the heart of broom hangs in the balance! In the end, the broom note pairs as well with citrus notes through its bitter facet as it does with floral notes through its honeyed facet.

Thus the broom note made a first notable appearance thanks to “Eau Sauvage Extrême” by Christian Dior in 1984, which used broom as a heart note paired with top citrus notes and chypre base notes. Despite the fine success of this fragrance, the broom note would not appear again for a long time in an exclusively masculine perfume…

From “Dune” by Christian Dior to “Grand Amour” by Annick Goutal or even “Premier Jour” by Nina Ricci, the broom note finds its place in fine feminine floral fragrances alongside white flower notes, fruity notes, or even woody notes. The touch of broom highlights, with its subtle scents, the heart of these fine fragrances…

Perfumery loves broom, and broom returns the favor. A flower typical of the tradition of perfume flowers from Grasse, broom expresses itself, depending on the pairings, through every facet of its beauty. Although it is no longer hallucinogenic, it remains as delicate as it is intoxicating!