Limited Edition Hyacinth Perfume | Victorian Handkerchief Scent

Bouquet Royale is fresh and airy. It’s akin to a royal wooded bouquet of flowers

LIMITED EDITION:
Small Glass Spray Bottle .3oz
The height of bottle 3.3″ Tall

We have had this perfume ready for some time, but I held it back because I felt I lacked a complete understanding of what the scent was made to mimic or represent. Some historical ideas said it was the general scent of a royal bouquet, but in our version, the final notes were not what a physical royal bouquet was supposed to smell like historically, so it had to be some other type of royale bouquet. So I was confused and went back to the original recipe numerous times to see if I had mis-figured something, but I didn’t. I even compared innumerable recipes, some of which had lemon and even orange blossom. The fact that the recipes vary is common and typical for many historical recipes. Each chemist, apothecary, or perfumery had their unique recipe. We used an original recipe from the 1890s that touted it was superior to all the rest!

To me, it is subtle with a strong, sweet, spicy, and slightly earthy fragrance. Either way, this was a popular scent that went back to 1842, and versions of it were still available in perfume and toilet water in 1927. I haven’t found it further back, but these things are never done being researched. Let’s move ahead to my big discovery. While studying, I came across an article from April 4th, 1850, which talked about double red hyacinths and listed them under the name “Bouquet Royale”. I was interested, and I looked into what hyacinths smell like. To my very shocked and happy surprise, the notes I was smelling from the 1890s matched the scent profile that hyacinths are said to have.

A Bit About Hyacinths.
Hyacinths have a strong, sweet, and slightly earthy fragrance. They are often described as rich and floral, with a hint of green freshness reminiscent of spring. Depending on the variety, the scent can be considered sweet and slightly spicy, with a damp, vegetal quality. The name comes from the Greek prince Hyacinthus, who was killed by the god Zephyrus. Mourning his friend, Apollo, transformed Hyacinthus’ blood into the hyacinth flower, symbolizing their tragic love story. The bulbs were introduced to Western Europe in the late 1500s. They became popular among the European nobility in the 17th and 18th centuries, and many of the varieties we know today were developed during this time. Today, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are the primary producers of hyacinths.

To Note:
All the recipes I found for this Royale Bouquet are listed under “Bouquets and nosegays.” Nosegays are small bunches of flowers, typically sweet-scented. The word originated in the 15th century. Middle English speakers joined nose (which meant then what it does today) with gay (which, at the time, meant “ornament”).

Handkerchief perfumes are so-called because they are heavily scented and made to be applied to handkerchiefs, which retain the scent longer and more substantially instead of being applied directly to the skin or clothing as we do now. Many of us are used to seeing them as pocket squares. In the old black and white movies, they are used to wipe tears and cover the mouth or nose of coughs. They also helped circumvent putrid smells. But what most people don’t know is that they were usually perfumed. This history of perfuming the handkerchief is very old. They were also given as expensive gifts by Queen Elizabeth I, who was rumored to have invented coded gestures for the hanky – how cool is that!

So how should you wear this:
Historically, it would have been on a handkerchief or an article of handmade or natural flowers. Look up Victorian Silver Tussie Mussie Nosegay Posy Holder; you will see what I mean. If you don’t want to use a handkerchief, you can spray it on your skin and pulse points. It has a high oil concentration, so test an area first.

What does it smell like:
Hyacinths have a strong, sweet, and slightly earthy fragrance. They are often described as a rich, floral scent with a hint of green freshness, reminiscent of spring; depending on the variety, their fragrance can be considered both sweet and slightly spicy, with a damp, vegetal quality.
It will smell different for everyone. It reminds me of damp wooded ground with hints of warm cassia cinnamon and wild violets dotted with jasmine, bergamot, and a very light rose. Bouquet Royal dries down with leathery notes, reminding me of a dimly lit library and old books with a warm fireplace. For some reason, it also reminds me of one of my favorite novels, Wuthering Heights.

UNISEX Perfume:
Also, it should be noted that these are unisex perfumes. Differentiating perfumes for men and women didn’t happen until later in the 20th century.

Ingredients: SVR, Bulgarian Rose Essential Oil, Rose Fragrance Oil, Jasmine Fregapani, Violet Essence, Cassia, Synthetic Musk, Synthetic Ambergris, Verbena, Lemon, Bergamot, Styrax