Ylang-ylang: a journey to solar lands

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Estéban offers us the most paradisiacal of emotional journeys. A collection that pays homage to ylang-ylang, "the flower of flowers" which, with a fleeting passage under our nostrils, transports us to a distant paradise. Languid under exotic foliage, ylang-ylang introduces us to a whole new harmony where the heat of the sun mingles with the caress of the spray. A journey to the borders of the Indian Ocean from which our senses return transformed ...

The tree of earthly paradise

The word Ylang-Ylang is derived from the Filipino “alang – alang,” which refers to the flowers that dance in the breeze. This flower with golden petals is even nicknamed the "queen of flowers" in Malaysia, so much its unique fragrance, of an extreme sensuality, is synonymous with femininity.

The tropical tree that produces them is no less fascinating: generous and prolific, it flowers all year round, generously diffusing its solar fragrance in the wind. The sea air suits him so well that it seems to have inspired the shape of its flowers, whose disheveled petals resemble the branches of a starfish ... An unexpected marriage between sea and nature, for a flower as if suspended between two worlds.

A flower that is unlike any other

The ylang-ylang has this strange appearance, halfway between the leaf and the flower, which intrigues us as much as it fascinates us. The beautiful ingenuous continues her lure until she chooses her color: green throughout her growth, she will only take on her gold color at the dawn of her maturity. This does not mean that she will have revealed all her secrets, because the beauty conceals in her heart an astonishingly colored ring: a red nuanced with fuchsia, visible only to attentive observers. Whether by its appearance or its astonishing scent, the indecisive ylang-ylang has the allure of a young girl: its raw, almost naive scent hides a fascinating subtlety for those who give it the means to express itself. A treasure of life and cheerfulness capable of warming any composition: this is what the flower offers to the perfumer's palette.

The sunshine of perfumery ...

Often used in bouquets of white flowers (it sublimates jasmine particularly well), ylang-ylang enjoys the company of vanilla, with which it shares its "animal" and bewitching facets. From an olfactory point of view, the essence of ylang-ylang offers fruity tones reminiscent of banana or peach, before revealing a slightly spicy flowery heart pulling towards cloves. An incomparable smell, between tuberose and jasmine, reminiscent of Tahitian "monoi" with its creamy side and light leathery inflections. The suave and powdery scent of ylang-ylang quickly became an essential ingredient in perfumery, where it instills warmth and the promise of escape through its simple presence.

... gives us its perfume

Ylang-ylang essence is obtained by distillation, a process traditionally carried out in copper vats. Depending on the heating time (the process can last up to 20 hours), several qualities / fractions of essential oil are obtained: the oil collected in the first 2 hours of distillation has a particularly fruity and dense smell. It is this quality of essence, called "the extra", that we recover for fine perfumery. If Estéban has long included this solar flower in the composition of its perfumes (Fare Tahitien, Balinese temple, White orchid, White tea & ylang-ylang), “Ylang-ylang” is the first of his creations to be entirely devoted to it. A sign that does not deceive as to the richness of its floral heart ...