Why Is Jasmine Oil So Expensive?

 

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Before blooming, the Jasmine buds don’t smell like anything, but once they bloom, producers in India process their coveted aroma into one of the priciest oils in the world. Just one kilogram of Jasmine oil can cost $5000. 

It's a key ingredient in luxury perfumes. But to get one kilogram of some Jasmine oil, the working women need to plug over 5000 buds. So, what does Jasmine smell like? And why is oil so expensive? For hundreds of years, Jasmine has been used in India to make garlands and headpieces for special occasions.

Its scent is sweet, fruity and floral, blending well with other fragrances. And while India grows over 80 varieties of Jasmine. Jasmine grandiflorum and sambac are two.of the most commercially valuable. 

It's been considered very divine and samba especially, even amongst other flowers is considered one not superior is the most preferred flower. Jasmine sambac has ease, friendliness, and happiness. It is a joyful scent.

Jasmine sambac thrives in Madurai, the Jasmine capital of India. Like any flower, Jasmine produces a strong scent only after it blooms. But Local sellers don’t want Jasmine flowers, they want the buds. 

That’s because once the flower blooms the scent only lasts a few days. The Buds last longer, so they’re easier to transport. Whether it be for garlands or oil eh reaction. In Jasmine oil companies, before producing the oil, they’ll need to wait for the day’s harvest.

Jasmine is the night-blooming flower, to maximize the harvest and ensure the buds make it to the market in time, harvesters head to the field early. Harvesters tasked with plucking the buds. It is not simple to grab each bud they see. 

Only the right bud blooms that day. Otherwise, it's not going to bloom. So If it doesn't bloom, no fragrance. Deciphering which buds to harvest requires a keen eye.

How To Select The Quality of Jasmine? 

The work must be done gently by hand so as not to damage the buds. Damage or wilted buds mean more work. Jasmine is a very laborious picking process. 

A kilo of Jasmine, just to give you perspective, will have about 5000 to 6000 independent flowers. So to pick one kilogram, harvesters have to move 5000 times in the hand, moving back and forth 5000 times to pick just one kilo of flowers.

But that’s still a tiny fraction of the buds needed to produce a kilogram of oil. For one kilogram of Jasmine flour, they need one metric ton or 1000 kg of flowers. 

After harvesting the buds, head to the local market. The best quality one is selected and sent to the company. Practically all corners of the market are full of buyers, bags of Jasmine buds, and scales to determine the proper quantity for sale. 

Before taking into the company, an executive will check the quality and size to determine if the size will be worth the price. Jasmine buds with smaller size don't give the best smell when it opens. The fragrance is too little. 

They don’t use it for perfume. Jasmine with a bigger size is the best quality that is used for fragrance. It opens up well and the fragrance will be good.

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How is Jasmine Oil Extracted? 

After reaching the factory, the first step is to spread them out with rakes, and then again with the hands and feet. Spreading out the buds is crucial to preserving them. Leaving them in a big pile would generate heat which would again cause them to wilt.

Then the minute it starts blooming, it starts emitting the fragrance. And after some time, it emits some bad fragrance, so you know there is a constant chemical reaction that's happening to the flower.

For the workers, it's so important to capture the fragrance at the right moment, which is soon after it blooms, which is best in terms of yield and smell. Jasmine is rich in Indole. Ironically, indole is found in feces too. 

When the Jasmine is bloomed, they load the flowers into four 5000-liter extractors. The flowers then soak in the solvents. Once the solvent absorbs the smell of the flowers, they remove all of the liquid. 

They are left with a waxy hard substance called Concrete that is separated by adding alcohol. Today, Jasmine oil extracts travel from India all the way to Paris, where they'll be used in many high-end fragrances, particularly ar Guerlain. Jasmine Sambac is the star of Mon Guerlain. 

Eminence Of Jasmine Sambac

Jasmine Sambac is the most coveted of all Jasmine flowers, hence the high price. At its peak, jasmine sambac flowers can cost 10 times more than other types of Jasmine.

And when it comes to the final price of the oil, the majority of it depends on the cost of the flower itself. About 60% of the bulk of the cost is attributed to the flower cost itself. So, it varies depending on the price of the flowers every year.

Written By- Madhumitha. R

Edited By- Rumela Gupta