Violet Flower Extrait from Enfleurage

Adam Michael has this to say “So as I write it is Tuesday 12th May 2020 and today is one of the most significant days in my 14 plus years at Hermitage Oils. Today marks the moment in my own journey whereby I can finally say I have produced my own natural aromatic, none other than violet flower extrait by enfleurage. From leaving the UK in late 2017 up until today, so much work has gone into achieving this moment.

It is important to state that this material within its short lived lifespan, is a very potent and incredibly saturating aroma. Such that smelling ionones can be a tricky affair as they do tend to saturate the receptors in the nose thus making it hard to impossible for some people to detect this aroma – which is chiefly alpha-ionone rich. Eleonora for example struggles to smell this aromatic on my wrist, something I find hard to comprehend as for me this is a really obvious rich violet flower blast – especially when you have first applied a swipe to the wrist. Should this happen when smelling the aroma on a smelling strip, my advice is take a break, go outside for 5 or 10 minutes of fresh air and then come inside and try again.  A more relatable example here is the fresh bread bakery experience. When any of us go into our local bakery, you will likely get that instant hit of the freshly baked bread aroma. After 5 or so minutes you find yourself not being able to smell the bread anymore! And the only way is to go outside and re-enter after a few minutes.

Lifespan on the strip is about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, applied to my skin type, I am able to detect the aroma for slightly less than 25 minutes making this a top note within perfumery. And to be clear this is an extrait, meaning it contains alcohol and is thus not oil soluble. This is not the concentrated absolute by enfleurage. 

Applied to my skin, the aroma is very child-like floral sweet, extremely floral powdery, chalky with a fruity berry quality, and finished with green aspects in the background. This material is exactly like smelling the flowers albeit the aroma whilst it lasts is very concentrated, intimate heady, intimate diffusive, fresh bright and sparkling. And as always this aroma experience forever fondly reminds me of eating parma violet sweets off elasticated bands on my way home from school each day as a young boy.

I know nowadays we have the synthetic alpha-ionone and with good reason as it does a job and only costs 8 to 12 Euros per kilo from the big cheese in Switzerland, but I sincerely encourage all to try this material, if for nothing else than your own aromatic education and to smell and enjoy this material in its natural form.”

Mark Evans has this to say “The violet, a flower with a scent so delicate, so fleeting and yet also the most beautifully heart rending of all the flowers on this Earth. The shrinking violet does not offer up its fragrance easily and you will not find a purely natural extract of the violet’s shy beauty anywhere except here. This enfleurage has truly captured the violet’s hidden lesson of feminine beauty and strength and has also revealed a secret. A secret revealed only to those privileged enough to smell this essence of the flower’s true nature…

On the mouillette, you are greeted with a burst of freshness, citrus and leafy green which quickly makes way to the classic ionone smell of violet which we all know and love. The mildly powdery, velvety, sweet woody delight that is violet. But then the secret! This shy and pretty violet has been hiding a raunchy side. This extract has undressed the fair maid and what do we smell? Jasmine, tropical ylang ylang, tuberose, rose and musk. An animalic, horny musk which nonetheless compliments the green and the pretty ionone violet. In many countries, the violet is associated with death and mourning. Could this be why? The death of virginity? The end of innocence? The lesson may be subtle but it is there for all who wish to listen closely and pay attention to this delicate flower, so often trodden underfoot.

Overall, the radiance of this extract is subtle. Like the flower, it hides its beauty close and when used, care must be taken to ensure that the lesson this flower offers is not hidden behind others with a more brash message.”

“The violets whisper from the shade
Which their own leaves have made:
Men scent our fragrance on the air,
Yet take no heed
Of humble lessons we would read.”
Christina Rossetti

Botanical Name: Viola odorata

Origin: Italy

The 1ml volume is provided in a clear glass vial with a swipe stick screw cap, and hand written label. 2ml and 10ml volumes are provided in amber glass bottles with dropper inserts and screw cap. No blind buys of 10mls are allowed for this material. Should you purchase, evaluate and approve of the sample sizes, please get in touch and you will be welcome to purchase the larger volume.