Peony

Flowers have been used in perfumery for a very long time. Moreover, they are the first plants to have had their heyday in Ancient Egypt, thanks to Queen Cleopatra. In fact, she liked to take baths filled with rose petals. Nevertheless, roses are no longer the only flowers to grace our cosmetic products today, far from it. Also, among the most seductive plants on the planet, the peony can boast of enhancing a great many feminine fragrances.

The history of the peony

The peony is a plant native to various regions from Europe to the Far East. It is notably very present in China and today encompasses about forty different species. In that country, it is associated with the city of Luoyang. The peony is a flower belonging to the category of plants with tuberous roots. For a very long time it was classified in the buttercup family, but since the 1950s it has belonged to a family of its own, the Paeoniaceae. Its green leaves contrast with its ball-shaped flowers, whose colors vary depending on the category. The peony was already known to the Greeks as a remedy. It was notably used in cases of miscarriage. Likewise, many magical properties were attributed to it. Although these may seem entirely bewildering today, Theophrastus wrote that this plant had to be pulled up at night; if it was pulled up during the day, and one was seen by a woodpecker while picking the fruit, he said, one risked losing one's eyes, and if the root was cut, one risked prolapse of the anus. Similarly, the Chinese believed that the peony enriched the blood and strengthened the yin. It was also supposed to regulate the liver and soothe pain. Finally, it should be noted that Greek astrologers held that there was a unity between the cosmos and the elements of the earth. They thus described a kind of vertical chain linking deities, stars, stones, animals, plants and parts of the body. For them, the peony was directly linked to the moon. Thus, it waxed and waned according to the solar phases, and it was from this power coming from the heavens that it drew its many virtues. Today, all these practices seem to have disappeared. What remains to us, nonetheless, is its subtle scent…

The refined scent of peony in perfumes

The peony is one of the most famous flowers in perfumery. It is generally very much appreciated for its floral, tender aroma. Nevertheless, this aroma cannot be captured directly from nature and must be recreated in the laboratory from other raw materials. Moreover, the scent of peony is fairly costly to produce. This makes it an ingredient used exclusively in fine perfumery. In many respects, peony closely resembles the scent of rose. However, it pairs this with lighter green accents that are somewhat reminiscent of lily of the valley or dew.

Today, countless feminine fragrances contain this radiant flower. Among the most famous, however, are the iconic Alaïa Paris by Azzedine Alaïa, Amethyst by Lalique, Amor Amor Forbidden Kiss by Cacharel, and Ange ou Démon by Givenchy.