In this new episode of “On Tour with Nose,” Aurélien Guichard, co-founder and perfumer of the house Matière Première, welcomes us to his organic flower farm to present French Flower — a tuberose fragrance built from field to formula, guided by a logic of transmission and rare precision.
Seven generations of perfumers, an organic farm
The Guichard family has worked in perfumery since 1800. Aurélien is the seventh generation. In 2016, he created an organic flower farm — not as a marketing initiative, but as a way to preserve a craft: one that spans from harvesting an ingredient to its formulation.
It is on this farm that the French tuberose used in French Flower is grown. It is a distinct variety from the Indian tuberose mostly used in industry: softer, more floral, and described by Guichard as “more addictive.” Harvesting is done by hand, flower by flower, over two months — August and September.
From petal to absolute: two extraction methods
The harvested petals are used for two distinct extractions. The first is an absolute, obtained through volatile solvent extraction — a classic method in modern perfumery. The second is enfleurage: the petals are placed on a layer of wax that gradually captures their scent. This nearly forgotten technique produces, according to Guichard, “an incredible natural tuberose fragrance.”
This dual process is not just a sourcing argument. It defines the material Guichard then formulates — a tuberose he knows in every nuance because he has harvested it, extracted it, and then built it into a perfume.
A modern tuberose: luminous, vegetal, nocturnal
The great tuberoses of the past century — Giorgio Beverly Hills, Fracas — were dark and sensual. French Flower takes the opposite approach: Guichard wanted a “modern and luminous” tuberose. He uses ginger where others might have chosen clove, which is darker. Green tea leaf expresses the plant’s fresh, vegetal dimension.
Why French Flower?
French Flower is not just another tuberose. It is a fragrance built on a rare vertical mastery — from soil to formula — and on a clear point of view: tuberose can be fresh, vegetal, and nocturnal without being overpowering.
Discover French Flower and the world of Matière Première in our selection below.
