What makes a flower have the smell of perfume.

We've all stopped to smell the roses so to speak, and found them to have a wonderfully aromatic and appealing scent, and so too have perfumeries and manufacturers identified this key aspect in flowers. Perfumes have therefore been created from the aromas and essences of various flowers, and not vice versa. The flowers don't smell like perfume, but rather that the perfumes and fragrances smell like flowers. For the natural distillation process to obtain the essences of a flower vast quantities of that particular flower are used and the natural pleasant aromas extracted from the flowers scented oils. Solvents, which are usually a combination of ethanol, or alcohol and water, are utilised to dilute the flower oils. This process eventually results in the scented liquid, that when applied to the skin, takes on the flowers scent. Some of the more popular flowers selected for the perfume industry are magnolia, lilies, lavender, chamomile, jasmine, rosemary and violets, with roses being the most commonly used. Rose oil is well known for its strong aroma that is easy identifiable, and its tendency to long outlast other women fragrances. Many men think of the aromatics of roses as attractive and as such, women equally adore the scent of rose and it was widely used in perfumes for women. Certain perfume houses such as Estee Lauder, Chanel, Bvlgari, and Escada, offer a wide variety of products with a rose scent.

Another flower that stands out from the rest is the herbaceous flower, lavender. This flower exudes a cool, sweet but provocative and playful aroma, and is a favourite with young women and teenagers. Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein amongst others, love using lavender in their fragrances and products. Just as the rose and lavender hold their own, the distinctive aroma of magnolia makes one think of time gone by, due to its classic scent and truly sophisticated aroma. Magnolia perfumes and fragrances are often seen in the perfume houses of Yves Rocher and Revlon.