“Crowned the ‘flower of flowers’ in the Philippines; evoking the vibrant colours of summer”
Ylang-ylang (pronounced “ilang-ilang”) has an exquisite scent profile that is rich, floral, banana-toned, sweet, narcotic and erotic. Coined as the poor man’s jasmine due to the similar scent and lower cost. The blooms of this flower are so delicate and as a result must be picked by hand at dawn, and distilled within two hours. It takes around 400 kilos of flowers to produce one kilo of essential oil. Each tree provides around 10 kilos of flowers a year. A highly labour-intensive process, which many people’s livelihoods depend on.
Some of the earliest recorded uses were as additives to coconut oil hair pomade, ceremonial decoration and personal ornamentation. Today, we use the flowers to scent clothes closets and bed linens. Ylang-ylang is a powerful aphrodisiac that we often use in aromatherapy treatments to relieve stress. Furthermore we use the tree to make boxes In Sri Lanka Boxes, and the bark to make rope in the Celebes. Lastly we also plant Ylang-Ylang along roadsides for shade In Malaysia. We use Ylang-Ylang in approximately 40% of perfume creations today. Made famous in the iconic Chanel No 5 and Joy perfumes offering bright and ethereal tops notes with a skin-like soft dry down. Ylang-ylang is native to tropical Asia, Australia, and several Pacific islands, and has been introduced into Africa, China, India and the Americas. The main exporters of ylang-ylang oil are Indonesia, the Comoro Islands and the Philippines.