The Parma Violet represents, for the world of the Italian Perfumery, an historical and cultural patrimony to be proud of. Actually, in modern creations, the olfactory representation of the violet is obtained via the use of synthetic molecules called ions (from the Greek ion, violet) discovered in 1893 by the German chemists Tiemann Krüger, which diffuses the delicate perfume which is both discreet and elegant with a graceful touch of retro. Violet leaves do nonetheless undergo vapour distillation or solvent extraction in order to obtain the odour which, as well as the “powdery” effect typical of the flower, also give it a fresh greenness with a hint of vegetal. But at least in the past, was it possible to use the delicate petals of the violet in perfumed compositions?
Even if known about since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean basin, it was only at the beginning of the XIX century that the violet reached its universal notoriety and began to be appreciated mainly for its perfume. Napoleon loved it immensely and his wife even more than him. The Empress Maria Luigia d’Austria, when she became the Duchess of Parma, wanted to plant a cultivation of violets which took their name from the Emiliana town and which then became one of its symbols. The monks of the Annunciata Convent in Parma managed to obtain an essence from the flowers and the leaves of the violet which entered into the secret formula of the fragrance used exclusively by Maria Luigia. In 1870 Ludovico Borsari obtained the heredity from the monks and organised a level of production which meant it was destined for a wider public: the first great Italian fragrance industry was created.
During the course of the XIX century Violet cultivation(among which the “Parma” variety remained the most appreciated) widely spread throughout Europe, but above all in the area of Grasse. In October and March, when the violet bouquets cost less, teams of workers coming from close to Piemonte hand-picked the violet corollas, which then underwent “enfleurage”. It is a very long, costly and elaborate extraction method, because it can only be done by hand and for these reasons, today it has been almost completely abandoned. The flower petals are placed in frames covered by a layer of fat into which they leave their perfume. This operation is repeated 30/40 times. Once saturated with perfume, the fat is removed from the frame and washed with alcohol until the olfactory principle is dissolved into it: once the alcohol evaporates an Absolute pomade is obtained.
Since 1935, due to a disease which almost completely destroyed the Parma violet cultivations in the Grasse area, and to the more and more frequent use of ions, and the production costs which had become exorbitant and also because of a change in consumer taste, the use of this violet absolute in perfumed compositions has gradually decreased up until it was rediscovered in 2005.
The delicate perfume of the violet has been interpreted in women’s fragrances since the beginning of the 20th century above all by Caron, with Violette Précieuse, Fleurs de Rocaille and Pharnesiana. In1983 Sophia Grojsman created for Yves Saint Laurent Paris, a fragrance constructed around a rose-violet accord from North African inspiration. There then follow in 1999 J’Adore by Dior, with fresh green and fruity hints which encircle the Violet notes, and Lolita Lempicka Eau De Toilette, enveloped0. in a warm oriental embrace with juicy greedy tones. In 2006 Guerlain launches Insolence, an intriguing blend of rose and orange flower with powdery notes of Iris and Violet, also declined in the successive versions of this fragrance. During 2007 the violet entered in compositions such as Armani Code Elixir de Parfum, embracing and mysterious, and Zen by Shiseido, characterised by the sober refinement of the chypre accord, fruity notes and touches of violet; Moschino Funny (2007) and Hippy Fizz, by Moschino in 2008, cover it in the liveliness of citrus accents and fresh floral bouquets. Among the new proposals of 2009, the violet flower appears in Cascade by Chopard, a fragrance with its seducting amber personalità, together with floral and powdery shades of iris and violet; in Velvet Forest Wood by Dsquared2, with an unpublished mix of violet leaves and wood; in Collection Extraordinaire Orchidée Vanille by Van Cleef & Arpels, where the amber character is made saucy by the tasty gourmand notes revealing a delicate touch of tonka bean and violet; and finally Blv II EDP by Bulgari, with the elegant charm of flowers, the caressing harmony of the powdery and musk notes and the light freshness of a touch of green.
But the use of the violet hasn’t been exclusively reserved to the women’s universe. Traces can be found in Equipage by Hermés, from 1970 or in Grey Flannel (flowers and leaves) from 1976, until culminating in 1988 with Fahrenheit by Dior, a fragrance in which hawthorn and honeysuckle flowers and the notes of violet leaves confer a delicate shade which softens without taking away the elegance of the woody personality.
