The 1972 hit "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts is a classic summer tune I recall from childhood. I love the chorus "Summer Breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind," even though I'm pretty sure I wasn't smelling jasmine during summer evenings in the city.
Lately, jasmine isn’t just blowing through my mind, it is most definitely in the air this summer with a host of personal care and home fragrance products featuring the heady scent.
Native to southwest China, the (mostly) white jasmine flower has a rich, sweet scent. It symbolizes beauty and femininity and is used in aromatherapy for its calming properties. It is a perennial favorite of perfumers and makers of personal care products.
Though in its purest form, it can be an overpowering scent for some, there are a range of products and formulations sure to suit even the most sensitive sensibilities. Here are a few products to consider:
Updated fragrance
Mon Jasmin Noir by Bulgari is the update of 2008’s Jasmin Noir. The lasting floral fragrance includes notes of lily of the valley, sambac jasmine, musky nougatine and vibrant wood. It is $83 for a 1.7-ounce eau de parfum at Nordstrom and other fragrance sellers.
Organic collection
The Body Shop recently introduced its first fragrance collection containing 100 percent organic alcohol and globally sourced natural extracts. One of the stellar scents in the New Voyage Collection is Indian Night Jasmine. This is a jasmine scent with added notes of sandalwood, violet leaf and orange blossom. It's not pure jasmine, but you can definitely smell it in there. The collection features body lotion ($12), shower gel ($10), fragrance mist ($14), perfume oil ($12) and eau de toilette ($22) at Body Shop stores and bodyshop.com.
A single note
Demeter, maker of more than 250 fragrances inspired by everyday objects and experiences, has isolated the scent of jasmine in one of its single note fragrances. This is like shoving your nose in a bunch of jasmine, which is to say, it comes on strong but gradually fades into the sweet, seductive scent we all know and love. In addition, products are made with no artificial colors, phthalates or extra packaging. The fragrance is available in a range of products including the Cologne Spray ($20), Bath and Shower Gel ($11.50) and Home Atmosphere Spray ($14) at www.demeterfragrance.com.
For your home
The reed diffuser by Home Scents in Jasmine Bouquet is not so much a bouquet as a faint whiff of jasmine each time you walk by. It is a good choice for anyone who wants a not-too-cloying jasmine scent in their home, and it is available at Target stores for $10.39.
Understated
A favorite of natural skin care aficionados, Jurlique's jasmine scented collection of products for hand and body comes with the slightest scent of jasmine. The hand cream ($25), body lotion ($38), body cream ($22.50) and shower gel ($22) have the light jasmine scent combined with oils and butters for moisturization. This is another good choice for those who wish to enjoy the scent of jasmine without experiencing olfactory overload. Buy the products online at jurlique.com.
Bath bar
The new Yardley London Jasmine Pearl Bath Bar features a fresh scent, but the smell of jasmine is very muted. It contains mother-of-pearl extracts to naturally brighten skin tone and sesame oil to moisturize skin. It costs $1.59 at Walgreens stores.
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