Like the sharp smell of uncut grass on a warm day, lavender is simultaneously relaxing and reviving. The cool and herbaceous scent has a masculine feel that is particularly evocative when interlaced with more feminine floral notes. Its earthy, aromatic notes evoke dream-like summer evenings in Provence, among the sweeping fields where these delicate purple flowers are grown. Traditional cultivation techniques are still in use, and only the finest young buds are picked on sunny days to capture the full allure of the fragrance.

With flower buds so delicate they must be hand-picked, orange blossom provides a soft, sweet complexity. At once clean and heady, it's considered by some as an aphrodisiac. Its honeyed scent is as warm as the Tunisian, Moroccan and Egyptian landscapes it grows in.

The creamy fragrance of vanilla is temptingly sensual as well as comforting and soft, like an embrace. With a smooth complexity, its darker sweet notes are reminiscent of treacle. It originates from Mexico where, according to old Totonac lore, it is believed the daughter of a fertility goddess turned herself into a vanilla vine to become the epitome of pleasure. Vanilla pods are harvested only once a year and go through a long and delicate drying process that lasts up to 18 months, making it one of the most precious ingredients in perfumery.