Osmanthus may not be a flower which you’ve heard of if you live in Europe like me. The Osmanthus flower produces a beautiful fragrance which is the main note in on of my favourite fragrances, Gucci Flora (now discontinued). This article takes you through the origins of Osmanthus as well as outlining the best Osmanthus perfumes and where you can get them.
Table of Contents
- Osmanthus History & Origins
- Gucci Flora
- L’Occitane Osmanthus
- Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
- AERIN
- Signorina Eleganza
- Britney Spears Naked Fantasy
Osmanthus History & Origins
Osmanthus is a flower which originates in China; where it has been grown and cultivated for thousands of years, it remains an important flower and scent in modern Chinese culture. There is even a a city named after it; Guilin which means ‘forest of sweet osmanthus’.
Osmanthus sits within the violet and olive family although to be its scent is reminiscent of apricot and peach.
Although Osmanthus is grown in Japan and Malaysia, Osmanthus concrete (the output of the fragrance extraction process) is only produced in China. Osmanthus flowers in the summer for around 10 days and is harvested in the early autumn. Unusually, once the Osmanthus flowers are picked they’re kept in brine water to preserve the scent, this also allows them to be stored for months before they’re washed and soaked in chemicals to create the Osmanthus concrete.
Gucci Flora
Gucci Flora is one of my favourite perfumes of all time; I was devastated when I found out it was discontinued in 2022.
In my view, Gucci Flora was the perfect Osmanthus fragrance; because Osmanthus us quite a delicate scent it can often get lost in a fragrance, bit in Flora it was the star of the show.
Gucci Flora is still available in the US at Walmart. In the UK it can be found at Notino, Amazon. In Australia it’s still available at Fresh Fragrances.
L’Occitane Osmanthus
L’Occitane’s Osmanthus range includes an Eau de Toilette and a fragrance gel. I find it to be a good representation of Osmanthus; it’s like a lighter version of Gucci Flora.
If you want to make the fragrance stronger then I recommend layering the scent with the different Osmanthus body products.
Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus has Osmanthus as its second most prominent note after a sharp Lemon. Most of the Atelier Cologne scents have a strong citrus top note and Love Osmanthus is no exception.
AERIN
I love the name Paradise Moon! The branding too is beautiful. Paradise Moon is part of the Estée Lauder Luxury Collection which I have an article on here. But what does this one smell like? Well, Paradise Moon is a leather fragrance. This perfume gives me very unisex vibes with the strong and long-lasting leather note evoking leather jackets and an edginess which only leather can make you feel.
The Leather is accompanied by Osmanthus and Laburnum, however, the Leather is very much the star of the show.
I’d say this fragrance is suitable for any occasion or time of year; you just need to want to smell of leather.
Signorina Eleganza
In Signorina Eleganza a fresh Pear top note combines with Osmanthus and a Patchouli base. The name Eleganza is spot-on because it certainly does have a sophisticated feel to it; I’ve even heard it called a more affordable version of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.
The Signorina range is very affordable and quite underrated; check out my article on the entire range.
Britney Spears Naked Fantasy
For an affordable Osmanthus perfume I recommend Britney Spears Naked Fantasy Eau de Parfum. I’ve been really impressed with the newer releases in the Fantasy perfume line (my article on the entire Britney Spears Fantasy fragrance range) and this 2022 release is no exception. The fragrance builds upon the typical Peach scent of Osmanthus to create a sweet fruity fragrance which is a true celebration of the Osmnathus scent.
