IN DEEP:

TRAVEL BY FRAGRANCE

WORDS: CASEY GERARD

Have you ever wanted to hop on a flight to a destination far away without leaving the comfort of your own home? With the right fragrance, you can. Soft vanilla from Madagascar, fresh lemons from the Amalfi Coast, sweet rose from Turkey; scents have the ability to transport you with a single spritz.

With scent so closely linked to memories, a whiff of a nostalgic scent can instantly transport you back to a place, a person, an event. Of all the senses, smell is the one that most can make you laugh, cry and reminisce (sometimes all at once), but why? The answer lies in brain science, and lots of words that are hard to understand, but in essence: smells go directly to, and are processed by, the part of the brain related to emotion and memory.

A summer spent by the sea, a night in a far-flung town, a family holiday to remember; fragrance IS memory. With that in mind, we’ve explored some popular summer fragrance ingredients and the places they come from. Allow your senses to transport you around the world with our edit of the best summer fragrances and the ingredients that made them.

1. Destination: Madagascar with vanilla

Not just delicious in ice cream. Vanilla, in its raw form, is the second most expensive spice after saffron. The world’s best vanilla beans are harvested from Madagascar’s Sava region, the humid northeast of the island, where rainfall is aplenty and the temperature warm.

Why so expensive? Growing and harvesting vanilla is an artform and takes time. Each vanilla orchid flower is pollinated by hand by the people of Madagascar, taking around three years for a newly planted vanilla orchid vine to flower. The flowers open for 24 hours only, during which time they will produce one single vanilla bean each. See, vanilla is anything but boring.

Our favourite vanilla perfume? It’s hard to choose, but to name a few, Aerin’s Tangier Vanille is a fragrance whose vanilla note most closely resembles natural vanilla pods. Acqua di Parma’s Signatures of the Sun Vaniglia combines the note with musk and cedarwood for a great everyday scent, while Juliette Has a Gun’s Vanilla Vibes is a beachy, salty, summer vanilla.

2. Destination: Philippines with ylang ylang

Pronounced ‘e-lang e-lang’, ylang ylang is an essential oil that derives from the Cananga Odorata, a tree that originated in the Philippines. With long, curved petals, the ylang ylang flower begins green, and develops into a beautiful yellow colour. Most comfortable in the acidic soil of Central Luzon’s rainforests, the Cananga Odorata can be cultivated in other temperate climates.

What does it smell like? Found in many tropical-smelling perfumes, ylang ylang is soft and creamy, with hints of a floral aroma similar to that of jasmine.

Want to go to the beach? Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc will take you there. Combining ylang ylang with notes of coconut, pistachio and tonka bean, it’s a sensual, sun cream-y dream. Want to smell a true ylang ylang? Le Labo’s Ylang 49 is a celebration of the tropical flower, made more earthy with patchouli and oakmoss. Plus, it’s extremely long-lasting.

3. Destination: Spain with orange blossom + neroli

Picture this: a colourful Spanish villa set high up on hill, surrounded by greenery; grasses, flowers and fruits. And the smell? Fresh, clean citrus.

One of the most popular notes in perfumery, orange blossom is the flower of the citrus sinesis tree, commonly found in Spain. As well as smelling as incredible as our summer spritz, orange blossom water is used to treat and upset stomach and to aid digestion, and in Spain, people even dry out the leaves to make tea. A true power player.

What do you get when you take orange blossom and turn it into an essential oil? Neroli. Another very popular note in fragrances, neroli oil is the tangier, sharper and more citrusy version of orange blossom. What they both have in common is the ability to conjure up images of blooming citrus trees, sun-soaked hills and gently lapping waves.

Where to start? Look no further than Jo Malone London’s Basil and Neroli for an herbaceous take on the essential oil. Parfums de Marly’s Oriana is an orange blossom option suggestive of sweet, roasted marshmallows.

4. Destination: Amalfi Coast with lemon

Looking for the true Amalfi Coast experience? Turquoise waters, white linen, a plate of pasta and… lemons.

Whether in fragrance or sorbet, the power is in the peel, where the essential oil is extracted from. Much like the taste of a lemon, the note in perfumery is used to brighten and freshen a scent. Whilst lemons are most associated with summer fragrances, they also form the basis of the classic ‘cologne’ category. Falling into this scent family is Creed’s Aventus; a classic, gentlemanly fragrance that’s fit for any occasion.

Or try Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino, a burst of lemon, bergamot and orange combine with neroli and musk for a refreshing Italian experience.

1. DESTINATION: TURKEY WITH ROSE

Smokey bazaars, agriculture and Turkish Delight. You guessed it, we’re going to Turkey with the most famous, and most polarising fragrance note, rose.

Love it or hate it, we can all agree rose screams poise and elegance. Whilst there are over 300 species of rose recognised in the world, only a few types are used in modern perfumery. Rosa centifolia is very popular, but the species we’re looking at is Rosa damascena from Turkey. A full-petalled, fluffy looking rose, it’s harvested from May to June in the early mornings when the scent is at its strongest.

There’s a rose for every mood, but BDK’s Bouquet de Hongrie, which combines Turkish rose with pear, strawberry and cassis, is a fun, fruity take. Looking for an evening rose scent? Jo Malone London’s Velvet Rose and Oud is the one, pairing the note with a soft, easy oud. And finally, cult favourite Delina by Parfums de Marly puts rose front and centre, supported by rhubarb, litchi and bergamot for a tart, fresh zest.