Lemongrass

Moreover, the lemongrass note is typically tangy, slightly herbaceous, and above all knows how to adapt to a wide variety of fragrance blends, moving from florals to orientals and from woody notes to citrus notes with lightness and joy!

Lemongrass, this pretty plant from India that is anything but a verbena!

Typical of tropical regions, lemongrass has multiple properties that are as surprising as they are varied. First originating in Ceylon, today Sri Lanka, it was used to treat people across Asia through a decoction of its leaves, applied to infected wounds, cuts, and sore eyes. It was also commonly used as a tea, then called “fever tea,” to relieve stomach ailments and migraines. Perhaps this is why lemongrass was also given the nickname “Indian verbena”? Yet it has little in common with verbena...

Today lemongrass is mainly used in aromatherapy for its many properties (including keeping mosquitoes away…), in cooking where its tangy edge flavors Asian dishes, and in perfumery where the lemongrass note is particularly appreciated for its originality, its unique scent, and how easily it blends with numerous olfactory notes.

Fragrances based on lemongrass: original and unrestrained!

It is clear that the sparkling, fresh, tangy, and fragrant note of lemongrass leaves no one indifferent! However, aside from the pretty exotic floral “Pluie de Fleurs” by Cinq Mondes, lemongrass appeared in our fragrances relatively late, particularly between 2014 and 2016.

The year 2014 finally had the pleasure of welcoming to the market two masculine fragrances that would each carry lemongrass in the top notes to serve distinctive compositions. “Only The Brave Wild” by Diesel, an oriental fougère, uses lemongrass paired with grapefruit, pink pepper, and cloves to offer an entrance into its tonic, exotic fragrance.

As for “Vetiver” by Carven, it revisits the famous 1957 fragrance created by Caron, modernizing it while preserving its original accord. The lemongrass, citrus, and bergamot notes open with punch into the aromatic and floral hearts, while leaving behind that eternal sillage of vetiver, sandalwood, and benzoin so dear to Caron. Moreover, the following year, this great house once again used lemongrass in its amber aromatic fragrance “Pour un Homme Sport,” where the pretty herbaceous note mingles with mint and lemon for a definitively sporty entrance!

Lemongrass, a rather rare fragrant note, thus seems to flourish within masculine perfumery lines. However, some noses do not hesitate to venture down this pretty olfactory path by using it in a floral fragrance! “Chloé fleur de parfum” by Chloé, released in 2016, indeed dares to use lemongrass as a top note to bring sparkle and freshness to its lovely floral bursts. Lemongrass has probably not said its last word yet!