What does tuberose smell like? The most seductive flower in perfume

Tuberose is the loudest flower in perfume. Its scent is so thick and creamy that for centuries people believed it was dangerous. Today it is the star of some of the most daring perfumes ever made. You rarely feel neutral about it: it is either glorious or far too much.

What does it smell like?

Creamy, buttery and intensely sweet, with a strange, almost medicinal edge. A good tuberose has many sides:

• Cream and butter: a rich, milky smoothness, almost like warm skin
• Coconut: a sun-lotion, tropical note that many people notice first
• Rubber and camphor: a cool, slightly rubbery or minty edge, like a pencil eraser or wintergreen
• Honey and spice: a warm sweetness with a hint of clove
• Flesh and animal: a heavy, sensual warmth that gives tuberose its reputation

The minty, wintergreen side comes partly from a molecule called methyl salicylate. The creamy, coconut side comes from lactones. The warm, fleshy side comes partly from indole, which tuberose shares with jasmine.

Tuberose belongs to the "white floral" family with jasmine, gardenia and orange blossom, and it is the boldest of them all.

Where it comes from

Tuberose is Polianthes tuberosa, a tall plant with spikes of waxy white flowers. Despite the name, it is not a rose. The name comes from Latin tuberosa, meaning "swollen" or "tuberous", because it grows from a bulb-like root.

It is native to Mexico, where it was grown long before Europeans arrived, and it is thought to no longer exist in the wild. Today it is grown for perfume mainly in India and Egypt, with smaller amounts from Morocco and other warm countries. In South Asia it is also hugely popular as a cut flower for weddings and garlands.

Tuberose has an unusual habit: it keeps releasing scent after it is picked, and its smell is strongest in the evening.

How tuberose is made

Heat destroys tuberose's delicate creamy notes, so it is not steam-distilled.

1. Solvent extraction (today). Fresh flowers are washed with a solvent to give a waxy paste called a "concrete". This is washed with alcohol to produce the absolute, a dark, thick liquid.
2. Enfleurage (historically). Because tuberose keeps giving off scent after picking, it was ideal for enfleurage. Flowers were laid on cold fat, which soaked up their perfume over many days. Grasse once made tuberose this way, but the method has almost vanished.

Tuberose absolute is one of the most expensive floral materials. It takes an enormous weight of flowers to make a small amount, so it is used in tiny doses, even in luxury perfumes.

A short history of tuberose

• Mexico: The flower was cultivated in Mexico long before the Spanish conquest and used to scent drinks and offerings.
• Europe (16th century onwards): Tuberose reached Europe after the conquest of Mexico and became a sensation in aristocratic gardens.
• The French court: Tuberose became fashionable at Versailles in the 17th century. A well-known story says that Louise de La Vallière, a mistress of Louis XIV, filled her rooms with tuberoses, which were then wrongly believed to harm pregnant women.
• A dangerous reputation: For centuries, tuberose was thought to be so intoxicating that young women were warned not to smell it after dark. The stories are colourful and probably exaggerated, but they stuck.
• Grasse: The flower was grown in southern France for perfume, though today most comes from elsewhere.

Tuberose in modern perfume

One perfume defines tuberose: Fracas by Robert Piguet (1948), created by the perfumer Germaine Cellier. It is a huge, creamy, unapologetic tuberose and has been in production ever since. Many tuberose perfumes that followed are, in one way or another, answers to Fracas.

Other landmarks include:

• Poison by Dior (1985), a dark, plummy blend with tuberose in its heart.
• Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens (1999), which opens with a cold, mentholated blast before turning creamy.
• Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle (2005), by perfumer Dominique Ropion, praised for its vivid, green, natural tuberose.
• Gucci Bloom (2017), which brought tuberose and jasmine to a new, younger audience.

Real vs synthetic tuberose

Because natural tuberose is so costly, most perfumes use an accord: a blend of natural absolute (in small amounts) and synthetic molecules. Perfumers typically add creamy lactones, methyl salicylate, methyl benzoate and other white-floral materials to recreate the effect.

Accords make tuberose affordable and consistent. They can also tone down the rubbery, medicinal side for a smoother, sweeter result.

What tuberose pairs well with

• Jasmine and orange blossom: create a lush white-floral bouquet.
• Coconut: plays up the tropical, sun-lotion side.
• Green notes: make tuberose fresher and more natural, like the living flower.
• Vanilla and amber: turn it warm and gourmand.
• Woods and leather: give it a darker, more grown-up feel.

Perfumes to try

From soft to bold:

• Gucci Bloom by Gucci: tuberose and jasmine in a powdery, modern style. A good first step.
• Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle (2005): fresh, green and realistic.
• Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens (1999): cold and minty, then creamy. A conversation piece.
• Poison by Dior (1985): dark, sweet and dramatic.
• Fracas by Robert Piguet (1948): the original. Big, creamy and glamorous.

How to wear tuberose

• Go easy. One or two sprays is plenty. Tuberose fills a room.
• Wear it in the evening or on special occasions if you are new to it.
• Warm weather makes it bloom even more, which can be beautiful outdoors and overwhelming in an office.
• Try it on skin. The medicinal opening often settles into something soft and creamy.

Who will love it

People who love bold, glamorous perfume, fans of rich white florals, and anyone who wants a scent that gets noticed. If you are unsure, start with a fresh, green tuberose before trying the full Fracas experience.