The complex aroma of our Flouve Absolute is powerful, sweet, herbaceous and coumarin-rich, with notes of freshly cut hay, honey, mild tobacco, and gingerbread. This diffusive, multi-layered and very tenacious absolute is a rare and intriguing addition to the perfumer's palette. Flouve Absolute is known for its high concentration of coumarin, an aromatic lactone which gives it its characteristic 'new mown hay' aroma.

Flouve, also known as Sweet Vernalgrass, is a close relative of North American Sweetgrass[1] and grows wild in grasslands in most temperate regions of the world. Our French producer has developed an exclusive partnership with farmers in the Landes region of southwestern France, who cultivate fields dedicated entirely to this crop. Over several harvests between May and September, the plants are cut and air-dried for several days, then baled before extraction.

'New mown hay' or foin coupé perfume was popular at the turn of the 20th century, with coumarin comprising an important part of the sweet, hay-like aroma.[2] Foin coupé is French for ‘cut hay’ and is often specified as the botanical name of another closely related grass from the Poaceae family that is the source for Hay Absolute. Flouve Absolute is significantly higher in coumarin than Hay Absolute, and also contains trace amounts of vanillin, resulting in more gourmand aromatic qualities.

Coumarin is 'glycosidically bound' and not volatile when grasses are living and green but is only liberated when the plant material is cut and dried. This is when enzymatic action occurs, breaking the chemical bonds and releasing the fragrance of a thousand blades of vernal grass.[3],[4] Tonka Bean is another aromatic material that is noted for its coumarin content and shares scent nuances similar to some found in Flouve.

In natural perfumery compositions, Flouve Absolute delivers a very powerful herbaceous odor with gourmand facets, wielding persistent ethereal effects that allow it to combine well with opulent floral notes like Jasmine and Orange Blossom.[5] Arctander calls it “unquestionably one of the most interesting ‘natural’ perfumery materials” with an odor “so rich and complex that one can keep finding notes in it.”[6]

PLEASE NOTE: Flouve Absolute is intended for use in perfumery only. This product is 40% Flouve Absolute diluted in 60% TEC (triethyl citrate), a natural ester of citric acid that aids solubility.