Narcissus and Daffodil

17 Narcissus in perfumery
HISTORY
Christian Remy
The olfactory qualities of the narcissus flower have made it a valuable component
of luxury perfumes since time immemorial. Originally the flower perfume was
extracted by the method of enfleurage, in which the substance was absorbed by
animal fat. The fat was then washed with alcohol, filtered and concentrated to
obtain a material called absolue des pommades. Later, extraction was carried out by
using a solvent, generally hexane, which allowed better extraction and faster
processing. This procedure, equally applicable to other flowers such as rose,
jasmin, orange-blossom, etc., was perfected towards the middle of the nineteenth
century, but it was at the start of the twentieth century that it began to be used on
an industrial scale.
When first used, wild narcissus flowers were harvested in Provence, in the
hinterland of the Côte d’Azur, where the growing of lavender, lavandin and sage
is now predominant. Narcissus grow in grassy areas (Figure 17.1), and the gradual
decline in livestock farming in the region and its replacement by arable farming
resulted in the scarcity of the flower, to a point at which its harvesting was no
longer profitable. From 1950, it has been necessary to look elsewhere for supplies.
The manufacturers in Grasse, who already knew the southern Auvergne well for
its lichen (tree moss) growing on forest pine, also turned towards this area for
narcissus (Narcissus poeticus) and Jonquil (N. jonquilla). Jonquils are used in perfumery
as well as narcissus, but in smaller amounts. The Auvergne is traditionally
a land of flower, herb and mushroom gathering, indeed the very phrase ‘flower
gathering’ evokes a complimentary, almost trivial activity, or in any case an activity
on the fringes of agriculture. But it is nothing of the sort here, if one takes into
account the volumes involved and their commercial importance. In the Auvergne,
flower gathering must be considered as a vital source of revenue, and a real part of
the overall rural economy of the region. But there was a time when flower gathering
was done just for the sake of it, as much as for sale, selling at the fair what was
surplus to the family’s needs.
A major change came about at the end of the Second World War, when there
was a rise in flower gathering specifically for sale. In many cases, and especially
with medicinal plants, this was linked with the development of the pharmaceutical
industry, but other crops have remained stable right to today. It was at this time
that plant collection was organised into a network, leading to the advent of
collectors and gathering teams. As well as narcissus, they also gather violets, wild