Pua Keni Keni (Pua-Lulu)

NaturalFLOWERSfloral · creamy · sweet

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

—Tenacity

5Origins

Specimen

Pua Keni Keni (Pua-Lulu) perfume ingredient — Heart

Fagraea berteroana

Definition

Rich, creamy-sweet tropical floral. Pua keni keni blooms smell like a blend of gardenia and frangipani, narcotic and honeyed, turning from white to orange as they age.

FLORAL GREEN SWEET FRUITY WARM FRESH CREAMY HONEYED

YLANG-YLANG PUA KENI KENI

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Creamy woods
Cluster: Creamy woods
Source: flowers
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Producing countries

Fiji Polynesia Samoa Tonga United States (Hawaii)

Scent

Rich creamy-sweet with a gardenia-like narcotic quality and frangipani warmth. Honeyed and thick, intensifying as the flower ages. More carrying than jasmine, warmer than tuberose. The aging progression from white to orange is mirrored in the scent: it darkens and sweetens over time.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Origins

The Full Story

Pua keni keni (Fagraea berteroana) is a tropical tree native to the Pacific Islands, producing intensely fragrant tubular flowers. The flowers open white and deepen to orange-gold over two to three days, their scent intensifying as they age. The name means 'ten-cent flower' in Hawaiian, referencing its historic price when sold as lei flowers.

The scent is rich, creamy, and narcotic: a heavy tropical white-floral with gardenia-like sweetness, frangipani warmth, and a honeyed depth. The flowers contain terpenoids and benzenoid compounds that contribute to their intense, carrying fragrance.

In perfumery, pua keni keni is a natural note but rarely extracted commercially. The accord provides a specific Pacific Island tropical-floral character distinct from Hawaiian plumeria or Southeast Asian ylang ylang. It functions in the heart of tropical, island, and white-floral compositions.

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Related: Almond Tree · Ambrox Super · Amburana Wood · Amyris · Blonde Woods · Caoutchouc · Cashalox · Cashmir Wood

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Enfleurage or solvent extraction is possible but rarely practiced commercially. The flowers are too fragile for steam distillation. Most representation uses related tropical white-floral materials.

Formula: Complex mixture — contains methyl salicylate, linalool, benzyl benzoate
CAS: N/A — natural floral extract
Botanical: Fagraea berteroana
Appearance: Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Synonyms: YLANG-YLANG PUA KENI KENI

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Flash point: ~158.00 to 185.00 °F. TCC ( ~70.00 to 85.00 °C. )
Specific gravity: ~0.92 to 0.97 @ 25.00 °C.
Note: Absolute (rare); pale yellow to amber; intensely sweet floral scent; soluble in ethanol; extraction by enfleurage or solvent extraction

In Perfumery

Pua keni keni is a natural heart note in tropical, Pacific Island, and white-floral compositions. It provides intense creamy-sweet floral character between gardenia and frangipani. The flower's scent evolution (white-fresh to orange-rich) offers compositional range. Rarely extracted commercially; typically represented through gardenia-frangipani accord combinations.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02signature note

03volume builder

04freshness

Available as

essential oil