Soft, waxy-creamy floral with a coconut-almond whisper. Frangipani smells like a tropical flower that grew in a pastry shop — sweet, milky, with a green stem freshness at the edges.
Opens with a gentle green-waxy sweetness. The heart is soft, creamy, and unmistakably tropical — coconut-almond-lactonic with jasmine and rose undertones. Less narcotic than tuberose, less sharp than ylang-ylang. The coconut-butter quality is unique among floral absolutes. Dry-down is powdery-balsamic, soft, and persistent.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Gentle green-waxy sweetness, slightly tropical.
After a few hours
After a few hours
Creamy coconut-almond-floral heart. Jasmine and rose undertones emerge. Lactonic warmth.
Extracted from the flowers of Plumeria species, primarily Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa, native to Central America and the Caribbean but cultivated across tropical Asia and the Pacific Islands. The absolute is pale yellow to amber, with a soft, waxy texture.
The scent is particular: creamy, sweet, with a coconut-almond-lactonic quality that sets it apart from other tropical florals. There is a gentle green-leafy top note, a jasmine-like floral heart with rose and peach nuances, and a soft, balsamic-vanillic base. The lactonic character — a milky, coconut-butter quality — is the signature. Key arom a compounds include benzyl salicylate, linalool, geraniol, phenylethyl alcohol, and various esters.
Frangipani absolute is relatively rare in commercial perfumery due to the low extraction yields and the difficulty of capturing the scent faithfully. Synthetic reconstructions often rely on combinations of benzyl salicylate, hydroxycitronellal, and lactones (gamma-nonalactone, delta-decalactone) to approximate the effect.
In Balinese and Hawaiian cultures, the orientation of a frangipani flower worn behind the ear signals relationship status — behind the right ear means 'looking for a partner,' behind the left means 'taken.' The same flower is the national symbol of Laos, where it is called 'dok champa.'
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Solvent extraction of fresh flowers, or increasingly, CO2 extraction for a truer scent profile. Yields are extremely low — less than 0.1% from flower to concrete. Enfleurage was historically used in tropical regions to capture the scent, as the flowers continue to emit volatiles after picking. Principal production in the Comoros Islands, India, and Southeast Asia.
Molecular Formula
Complex mixture (no single formula)
CAS Number
94350-02-4
Botanical Name
Plumeria alba
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
plumeria absolute, frangipani oil
Physical Properties
Appearance
Dark amber to brown viscous liquid
In Perfumery
Heart note in tropical and exotic floral compositions. Frangipani absolute provides a particular lactonic-creamy floralcy that cannot be easily replicated. It works in monoi-type accords, tropical-gourm and blends, and exotic ambers where coconut-floral warmth is desired. Reconstructions use benzyl salicylate for the waxy-floral backbone, gamm a-nonalactone for coconut creaminess, and traces of indole for depth. The material bridges white-flower and gourm and categories.
