Geranium in Perfumery: “A Different Take on Rose” + AEDES de Venustas Pelargonium Giveaway

 

geraniums in perfumery

 Oakleaf Geranium from Wikimedia

Almost a perfume in itself, geranium essential oil smells of roses, flowers, mint, and green herbs with subtle hints of wood. The flowers are small on this herb but that’s okay because they do not yield the bulk of the fragrance—the soft and fuzzy leaves are full of tiny glands packed with aromatics. If you grow them in your yard you know to brush them as you pass so you can enjoy the waft of scent they release. The essential oil is contained in tiny glands at the base of the velvety hairs on the leaves and is released when leaves are crushed or bruised, even rubbed between your fingers. What we commonly recognize as geraniums belong to the genus Pelargonium.

geranium botanical print

 Rose Geranium Botanical illustration Pierre Redoute common use

Because the plant hybridizes readily, there are many different hybrids and cultivars with flowers and leaves of different colors and patterns. For essential oil production just, a few types are used—you may find essential oils of geranium, rose geranium, or Bourbon rose geranium, all of which have a distinctive rosy-floral fragrance. (Note: you will find different species names for your Pelargonium with graveolens, asperum and roseum among those listed). Rose geranium essential oil has a pronounced rosy note and is wonderful as a less-expensive substitute for rose otto or absolute. Bourbon Rose geranium is specifically grown on the island of Reunion and can be lovely. Solvent extraction yields the absolute of geranium that is somewhat greener and sharper that evolves to a nice long-lasting rose with mint tones. The concrete is similar but seems softer to me and may be used in solid perfumes.

Rodrigo Flores-Roux of Givaudan

 Rodrigo Flores-Roux © Givaudan

 Master Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Vice President of Perfumery at Givaudan reminds that geranium is one of the four important ingredients in a fougère-structured perfume along with lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin. He further comments “… but I think it’s very risky to say that its first usage is Houbigant’s Fougere Royale, as I am almost sure that geranium and geranium essence had been used before that… its use has been documented in pharmacopeas from the Renaissance and after...” In terms of perfume use, he tells us that “It is true geranium essence is used widely in men’s fragrances. But it’s certainly present in numerous women’s fragrances. I have to mention Vent Vert de Balmain, accompanying galbanum and hyacinth, YSL’s Paris and Christian Dior J’adore, where it plays ricochet with Bulgarian rose and a sophisticated, elusive litchee note. Geranium is unforgettable in my adored Maja de Myrurgia soap. It’s also in Puig’s Agua Brava and overdosed in Venezia Uomo by Laura Biaggiotti. More recently, the gorgeous Geranium Odorata by Diptyque, with notes of fresh cologne, comes to my mind.”

  Garden Geranium by Michelyn©

Scented geraniums were collected in their native South Africa by ships sailing the trade routes around the Cape of Good Hope and returning to the Netherlands and England in the 1600s. There was an active trade in unusual plants at the time between European nations and exotic locations like Africa. Quickly becoming popular, Pelargoniums were bred and hybridized to produce a wide variety of types and fragrances. For today’s gardener, the list of fragrances produced by Pelargonium geraniums is long and includes rose, coconut, peppermint, various citruses, strawberry, nutmeg, spice, apricot, mint, apple, almond, and ginger.

Geranium Leaves

Geranium Leaves by Elise Pearlstine

Victorians adopted the unusual plant, putting fresh leaves on the table as decoration or in finger bowls for scent. They would grow the plants where the long skirts of ladies would brush up against them and release scent. Recipes from the time use fragrant leaves in puddings or gelatins or to flavor sugar for desserts. Victorian-style pound cake may be made with geranium-infused butter and infused sugar. Also passionate about flower arranging, Victorians found all kinds of messages in flowers. While they appreciated the more flamboyant flowers, they would tuck the fragrant leaves of a scented geranium into their Valentine bouquets for a touch of unexpected aroma. In the language of flowers, a rose geranium meant ‘preference’, a lemon-scented one stood for ‘unexpected meeting’, and a nutmeg scent portended an ‘expected meeting’. There was also apparently a fish-scented geranium that translated to ‘disappointed expectation’. Americans also adopted the plant when it arrived on their shores and Virginia housewives would add a rose geranium leaf to a bottle of sugar syrup. To this day, those who enjoy a rose-scented pipe tobacco can find rose geranium in some Lakeland blends.

Geranium is used for protection

Geranium for Protection from Wikimedia

Witches have long been associated with geraniums, both the traditional red and the more subtle scented types with their small pink or white flowers. With a feminine gender, geraniums are ruled by Venus and are used for fertility and protection. Red geraniums (the traditional type) warn of coming visitors and orient towards the direction of the coming visitors. Pink scented Pelargonium geraniums may be used in love spells whereas white are for fertility. Rose geraniums are for protection—rubbing fresh leaves on windows and doorknobs protect a home’s entrances. Cut flowers in the house will also guard those within. Folklore tells us that “snakes will not go / where geraniums grow” and that scented geraniums on a windowsill will repel insects. Nutmeg scented geranium may bring prosperity and luck while oak-leaved geraniums represent friendship.

Legend has it that the prophet Mohammed once hung his shirt on the branch of a mallow plant to dry after bathing in a nearby river. In celebration of this high honor, the mallow plant transformed herself into the richly perfumed rose geranium.

Geranium Petals from Wikimedia

Geranium essential oil is especially good in body care products, providing nourishment and healing to the skin while holding its fragrance well, even in the harsh process of soap-making. In Chinese medicine geranium is considered cool and moist, strengthening for Qi energy, and all-around good for heat, inflammation, nervous feelings, and anxiousness. In Africa, where the plants originated, Pelargonium geraniums are used for a variety of folk remedies, particularly respiratory problems. Geranium is a hormone-balancer and is useful for women in all stages of their menstrual cycle and also through menopause. Rather than moving emotions one way or another, geranium essential oil is a balancer, helping to stabilize emotions, de-stress, and create a sense of stability and open-ness to communication.

Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer

Nathalie Feisthauer courtesy of the perfumer

Master Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer, who composed AEDES de VENUSTAS Pelargonium (and the first woman to sign an AEDES perfume in 2017), appreciates the unusual, rosy note provided by geranium and describes her use of scented geranium. “Geranium oil has many facets: the rosy part, but also a crushed minty part from the leaves that gives a more aromatic, more genderless tone” that also adds resinous and incense notes.” She adds “In AEDES Pelargonium I gave geranium the master place: I like to look at things in a different way, you find beauty in all things and in AEDES Pelargonium it’s the feeling of “patina-raw ingredients.”

If you are looking for a different take on rose, the bright and lovely, herby/minty scent of geraniums will win you over!

Elise Vernon Pearlstine, Editor and Author of Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance

Please read former editor Gail Gross’ review and Lauryn’s review of Aedes de Venustas Pelargonium 

Aedes de Venustas Pelargonium

art courtesy of AEDES de VENUSTAS

Thanks to the generosity of Aedes Perfumery, we have a 100 ml tester of Pelargonium for one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment about what you learned about geranium in perfumery. You must register here. Draw closes 10/1/2022.

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24 comments

  • FC says:

    I agree that geranium can smell like many different things from a rose to a plant and may even give a woody smell to some. I did not realize it was in so many classic perfumes like Maja and J’Adore because it is very prominent in some perfumes but looks like it plays a supporting role in others or reveals a facet one does not instantly recognize. AEDES de Venustas Pelargonium seems to emphasize the rosy aspect of geranium. I am in US.

  • INYA says:

    I absolutely love geraniums. It’s amazing how their scented leaves are all so uniquely different. I enjoyed reading about the Valentine bouquets, how fun. Thanks for the history of the pelargonium trade. Mich USA

  • ianbradleyandrews says:

    I love the smell of geranium! I was interested to know about its essential oil being beneficial to the skin. I would love to win this!!

  • Anita says:

    Learnt so much about geranium including they are used for respitory problems and in many famous perfumes

  • HiMyNameIsWaste says:

    I wasn’t aware that geranium oil has minty facets to it. Interesting to learn more about the composition of the oil. I live in Nashville, TN USA.

  • roxhas1cat says:

    Absolutely fascinating information about this flower. My grandmother always grew these. I didn’t know there were so many varieties, she just grew the red and orange ones. I don’t think I would enjoy one that smelled of fish. I think I need to get my hands on some geranium essential oil to add to my body lotion. Great article. Thanks for the chance to win this. USA.

  • Torax says:

    Such a great article about geranium. I found amazing how only some types of geranium are used in essential oils and they were collected in South Africa in the 1600s. I love the amount of information this article provides.\
    Would love to win this Perlagonium by Aedes Perfumery, looks amazing!
    USA here.

  • cynthiaf says:

    Wow, this is packed with all things geranium. I learned it’s part of J’Adore, it originated in Africa and was brought too Europe in the 17th century. In Victorian times, it was used in desserts and the meeting “coded” bouquets. I also learned that germanium is a feminine plant ruled by Venus and is good for balancing hormones and emotions. I also love that they are protective when placed in the home and rubbed on doorknobs and windows. I will be seeking these plants!

  • GennyLeigh says:

    I love layering geranium essential oil with my floral woody fragrances. It adds a cool herbal freshness to the scent and even though there is a slight rose note, the overall effect is genderless. I was fortunate to try a sample of Pelargonium. It’s a masterpiece! There’s a clean, papery woody base to the fragrance which is augmented by citrus and spice and that lovely minty-rose provided by geranium. It’s very wearable and completely unisex. I’ve learned from Elise’s review that geranium oil is a hormone balancer and as a woman of a certain age, I need to check that out. MD, USA.

  • rmsssss says:

    It was so interesting to read how geranium can smell like so many different things, and how the different smells were used to send different messages! I love the smell of geraniums and would love to win a bottle of Pelargonium. I’m in MN, USA.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thanks for the fantastic review Elise. I love the scent of geranium and all its beautiful facets – rosy, green, slightly minty and just a few times waxy.

    This review was an education in all things geranium. I had no idea it has such a long history all over the world.

    Of particular fascinating was it’s use in food and making flavored butter and sugar.

    I also did not realize that you could get geraniums of different flavors. Going to be on the hunt for them.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • cnii says:

    Thank you for this botanical history! I remember crushing the leaves of my mom’s potted geraniums when I was little because I loved that sharp but rich scent. I did not know that the essential oil has been used since at least the Renaissance! I especially loved the story of Victorians planting geraniums where the plants would be brushed by a woman’s long skirts. I would LOVE to smell a geranium perfume like Aedes de Venusta Pelargonium. Thank you! I live in the USA.

  • IvanVelikov says:

    AEDES de VENUSTAS Pelargonium is what I call strictly dressed up occasions fragrance .
    Spicy, woody and aromatic fragrance with , rose and mint facets.
    Other than the geranium entertaining lecture, I especially the “feeling of “patina-raw ingredients.” comparison Elise Pearlstine made .
    During the early 1960s, slim fitting single breasted continental style suits , and skinny ties were fashionable in the UK and America. Like these suits, worn by Sean Connery as James Bond, and Frank Sinatra , Pelargonium also feels like it’s cut from the same cloth, and comes from the same time period.
    Thank you Elise Pearlstine, and AEDES de VENUSTAS
    USA

  • AdventurousFox says:

    Not from US so not eligible for the giveaway, but the article is very interesting and taught me a lot. It’s especially interesting to read about the folk usage and folklore related to geranium all around the world. My only contact with them (apart from perfumery) was with decorative Pellargoniums that always smelled unpleasant and had a strong mineral smell. Recently I visited a botanical garden that had different Pellagronium spp. and a note about all the different smells like rose, apple, citruses and coconut. Before that I had no idea they were that versatile!

  • Uncle1979 says:

    “For today’s gardener, the list of fragrances produced by Pelargonium geraniums is long and includes rose, coconut, peppermint, various citruses, strawberry, nutmeg, spice, apricot, mint, apple, almond, and ginger.”

    And also pineapple, peppermint chocolate….

    “Recipes from the time use fragrant leaves in puddings or gelatins or to flavor sugar for desserts. Victorian-style pound cake may be made with geranium-infused butter and infused sugar. ”

    Brighter, lighter, less sweet and a little less potent than” true” rose, the smell of rose geranium is like old rose blended with a touch of citrus, spice, green herbs and a tiny hint of resin. This heady blend happens to be edible, and Geranium can be used in the kitchen in vast amount of ways. The floral bouquet goes especially well with berries , peaches, apricot and lime, but is lovely on its own.
    Of course people should know it’s not the blossoms that possess the biggest dose of the heavenly rose scent — it’s the matte-green leaves, which you can use year-round.
    Elise Pearlstine take on Pelargonium made me think of making, and later eating Lemon Geranium Cheesecake.
    If you want to try some Rose Geranium Cakes, jams , and other desserts on your own, try to find Lindsey Remolif Shere’s legendary “Chez Panisse Desserts” cookbook
    Appreciate the review , all geranium information, culinary reference Elise Pearlstine made, and of course the giveaway campaign
    USA

  • mmerline says:

    This review makes me want to seek out geraniums in my neighborhood to get a whiff of the real thing, up close, from flower, to leaf, to stem, to soil. I’ve noticed this note listed in fragrances I enjoy, but didn’t have a sense of how it smells in isolation, and now I can seek out its rosy, minty, herbaceous signature. Thank you for including a detailed description of geranium’s utility in perfumery, some history of its origins and cultivation, and its use going back to the 1800s. (The notes about geraniums in Victorian culture was especially interesting.) Thank you for this extremely informative guide to geranium in perfumery, Elise.

    I’m in the U.S.

  • Michael Prince says:

    I loved learning more about the note of geranium and the many facets that it comes across in such as sweet Rose and crushed Mint, Lemon, and even Nutmeg. Geranium has many medicinal properties to include cool and moist, strengthening for Qi energy, and all-around good for heat, inflammation, nervous feelings, and anxiousness, hormone balancer, stress reduction, and respitory problems to name a few. Geranium has been used in perfumery for a long time and is one of the four main notes that are used for Fougere style fragrances and has been traded around the world since the early 1600s. I would love to win Aedes Perfumery Pelargonium. I am from the USA.

  • Bryant Worley says:

    This was very educational. There was a lot I didn’t know about geraniums – – . they belong to the genus Pelargonium; that its easy to get the fragrance out, by rubbing it between your fingers; that they quickly hybridize into different varieties; that they are used in folk remedies, and can even help with Qi energy and fertility, and that its possibly sentient, in that, when the prophet Mohammed once hung his shirt on the branch of a mallow plant to dry after bathing in a nearby river, the mallow plant ‘decided’ to celebrate this high honor by transforming herself into the richly perfumed rose geranium. So many different applications.

    When I wear a geranium-dominant fragrance again, I won’t look at it the same.

    I live in Waldorf, Maryland, USA.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I appreciate botany, perfumery, geography, and history so I appreciated this article/review. I appreciated learning about geraniums and I appreciated Flores-Roux’s historical info. Also, I appreciated Feisthauer’s insight into the making of “Pelargonium”. I hope that I win. I live in the U.S.A.

  • Bubeto_GG says:

    I learned quite a lot about Geranium from Elise Pearlstine, I never knew you can use scented Geranium in the kitchen, and of course some words from Rodrigo Flores-Roux are very much valued.
    I own one Aedes de Venustas fragrance, Iris Nazarena , beautiful Iris I bought because of Carlos BFL YouTube video, RIP . My bottle is different , I guess at one point Aedes de Venustas changed the presentation.
    I’m looking forward of trying Pelargonium the spicy, minty rose .
    Thank you for the opportunity
    USA

  • Gig84 says:

    I’m not such an expert on geranium like Elise Vernon Pearlstine , but since distant relatives of mine are involved in geranium harvesting, distillation, the whole thing, I’d like to say that
    “For essential oil production just, a few types are used—you may find essential oils of geranium, rose geranium, or Bourbon rose geranium, all of which have a distinctive rosy-floral fragrance.”
    Is not exactly true. There also Zdravetz essential oil , the so called “Bulgarian geranium” , coming from steam distillation of Geranium Macrorhizum plant.
    Zdravetz is a small, perennial plant (in the geranium family) which grows on on rocky soil at high and medium altitudes only in Bulgaria.
    It actually means “health” , and it’s used in very expensive skin care products since the supply is limited . Zdravetz essential oil does not have the “distinctive rosy-floral fragrance” , it has herbal and sweet-woody aroma, with hints of rose and spice. I know all of this because my 3rd cousin is the the supplier for Bruno Fazzolari fragrance called Zdravetz, and I believe also for one of Jorum Studio fragrances.
    Other than the surprising fact some geranium species are edible, how many hybrids are there , i wad surprised by its usage in rose-scented pipe tobacco
    Thanks for the draw
    USA

  • sephrenia300 says:

    Wonderful article Elise! What I learned about geranium in perfumery is how many different types of geranium there are produced due to the fact that the plant hybridizes easily, and what a wide variety of types and fragrances they produce. I knew that geranium combined both rosy and earthy/peppery notes but I had no idea there were varieties of that produce notes of coconut, peppermint, strawberry, nutmeg, spice, and even almond. What a versatile and interesting raw material! I live in the US.