- Latin name
- Cestrum nocturnum
- Family
- Nightshade family (Solanaceae)
- Origin
- the scent is created in the laboratory
- Parts used
- flowers (as the reference for the scent)
- Raw materials
- white-floral accords
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- floral (white flowers)
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- indole, benzyl acetate, jasmine bases
Night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) is a tropical shrub with small greenish-white tubular flowers. Despite its name, it is not related to true jasmine and owes its fame to a scent that opens only at night.
How it smells: dense, sweet and heady: lush white flowers, honey, a faintly spicy and tropical shade, a sensual “nocturnal” depth. Night-blooming jasmine sounds more intense and darker than ordinary jasmine.
Cestrum flowers smell at night to attract night-flying moths as pollinators — by day they are almost scentless. The scent is so strong that in warm countries a bush can be noticed tens of metres away.
What it pairs with: with tuberose and gardenia — lush nocturnal white-floral compositions, with sambac jasmine — a dense tropical jasmine, with vanilla — a warm sensual base, with coconut — tropical fragrances, with musk and sandalwood — a velvety base.
Good to know: in India the cestrum is called raat ki rani, “queen of the night”, and in Latin America it is often planted by houses so its scent can be enjoyed in the evening.
