Many flowers are still used in perfumes as essential ingredients. Actually, the perfume comes from the essential oils extracted from the flowers. The oils are extracted by a special distillation process. Both soil and climate conditions affect the scents of the flowers.

The most popular flowers that are popularly used in perfumes include rose, jasmine, violets, lily, plumeria and orange flower.

Roses are undoubtedly the most popular flower for perfumes because it has valuable elements necessary for making a fine perfume. Rose fragrance peaks just before sunrise and that’s when they are gathered for perfumes. Rosa Centifolia and Rosa Damascena are the two species of roses popularly used in the perfume industry.

Jasmine is another flower which has a pure essence and gives a perfume a well-rounded quality. Jasmine flowers are picked just before dawn. They are processed immediately because their freshness fades quickly. Jasmine and synthetic versions of Jasmine are used in 83 percent of all women’s perfume.

Violets have long been used in perfumes. Victoria Violet and Parma Violet are the two varieties used in perfumes. They are not used as much as rose and jasmine because violets produce a smaller amount of essential oils.

Orange flower oil or Neroli was named after the Italian princess of Neroli because it is believed she was the first to use the oil for scented gloves. Neroli oil is plentiful and widely used in finer citrus colognes. Orange flowers are grown in the south of France, Spain, Italy and North Africa.

Lilies are also among the most used flowers for perfume making. There are over 100 species of lilies, each colored with different nuances. The Easter lily found in Japan and the Far East has a strong fragrance while the Madonna lily which is one of the oldest species found in the Balkans and the Middle East has a nice, light fragrance. The Easter lily has an intense scent and is widely considered utterly feminine and very noticeable.

Real rosemary oil extracted from the flower has a slight touch of menthol as well as a fantastic fragrance that lingers on. The pine like scent of rosemary is a mood elevator and it leaves a lasting fragrance. Any more however, a synthetic form of the oil has largely replaced the natural oil.