YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO
Our intoxicating white floral fragrance, Pearl Of The Wild, is inspired by the Mexican flower Tuberose and the Mayan civilization who cultivated it.
PERFUME A Tribute To Edith
YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO
The Mayan civilization had a very sophisticated knowledge of botany, cultivating numerous plant species for food, medicine and religious rituals and were probably the first people to grow Tuberose.
Not a rose at all, the Tuberose is a member of the Agave family and originated in Mexico. Each plant produces a long stem with clusters of white flowers at its tip, the buds tinged with a pink blush.
The Mayan civilization had a very sophisticated knowledge of botany, cultivating numerous plant species for food, medicine and religious rituals and were probably the first people to grow Tuberose. Later, the Aztecs cultivated it extensively, particularly in what is now the Yucatán Peninsula for its hypnotic and potent scent. They used it in religious ceremonies, making garlands from the blooms and they also flavoured chocolate drinks with the flowers.
Nowadays Tuberose is mostly grown in India and Indonesia where you may well come across fields of this most exquisite fragrant flower. And if you find such a field, try to visit at dusk or dawn, as this is when the scent is at its most intoxicating and when the flowers are picked.
The fragrance is rich, creamy and very potent. Almost hypnotic and considered an aphrodisiac in many countries, it was banned in Victorian England where rumour had that young ladies would be corrupted by the scent. For similar reasons, young Indian couples used to be forbidden from venturing near the flower fields after dark.
Parterre has been growing Tuberose since 2020 experimenting with growing conditions and extraction methods. In 2025 we reached our goal – to produce a signature perfume containing our own Tuberose oil.
To achieve this, we used the traditional French method of extraction known as ‘enfleurage’. This is a painstaking process involving harvesting over a period of several weeks, choosing each flower at the optimum moment, placing it on a layer of vegetable fat, and replacing it after a few days with a new bloom.
Over a period of several weeks, the precious scented oil accumulates, is separated from the fat and then matured. The resulting ‘absolute’ is now a key note in our perfume, Pearl of the Wild, Edition 1.
Sustainably Produced
Vegan. Cruelty Free. Phthalate Free
At Parterre Fragrances we produce rare perfume defined by the unique natural ingredients that we grow and distil on our botanic, sustainable estate, and expertly crafted by our Master Perfumer in Grasse.
We create these genuinely rare fragrances by working with the natural elements of the environment and the extraordinary world of plants and their botanical properties. Each year a finite number of bottles of perfume are created from each extraction, to offer a true limited edition eau de parfum.