Culture & Nature Collection by Jardin de France

Jardin de France (i.e. Garden of France) is a perfume and cosmetics house that boasts a nearly century-old history. It was founded in 1920 in Amboise, in the Loire Valley, area called at the time “the garden of France“. Then the perfumery was relocated to Bourbon Lancy, a small spa town on the bank of the Loire in Burgundy, France. Hot mineral springs, the medicinal benefits of which have been known from the Roman times, are the town's main tourist attraction, and those springs are the base of the entire Jardin de France cosmetics line.

The company's name stems from the Loire Valley region's very own nickname, since that particular locale is otherwise known as 'the garden of France', due to its beauty, mild climate and a great variety of the local flora. No wonder French royalty built their numerous chateaus there!    

  

Jardin de France is renowned for their classic eau de colognes, which were the company's main focus until the 1970s. Spring water and natural essential oils became the basis for developing a bath and body line, SPA ESSENTIELLE, while the house's new endeavor, a collection Culture & Nature, is an introduction to exotic essential oils used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes throughout history by different cultures around the globe. India, Brazil, China, Madagascar, Russia and Morocco each share their secrets and introduce us to their special fragrances. Each line has its own fragrance (in eau de toilette strength), plus bath and body products.

Anadita, the collection's fragrant representation of India, is bright, which is an absolute must if anything aims to be considered beautiful in that country. It is also sunny and warm, enticing us with its oriental, floral and powdery accents. Cotton flower and the fuzzy angelica compose the heart of the composition. This is a fragrance for someone who enjoys sweet florals.

Brazil, with its sultry Inahe, seduces us with warm, exotic aromas of sweet rosewood, balm of Peru and flax flower. It is a fragrance for those who enjoy sweet, woody, balsamic scents.

We learn about China when catching a whiff of Shaiming: it smells like a soft flowery breeze, redolent of fruity osmanthus and tender linden flower. Light and transparent, Shaiming would please someone who is into fruity florals.

Russia is represented in the collection by a fragrance named Svetlana. First impression: lush greenery of the country's seemingly endless fields and meadows and first flowers pushing through the snow.  Siberian larch and primrose share their best aromatic nuances with Svetlana, while fig leaf, a 'guest' note from much warmer climates, smells here of (very Russian) forest-green nettle. Svetlana is a great choice for those who prefer their fragrances green and natural.

Diamondra, the fragrant ode to the island of Madagascar, is very fresh, fruity and floral. Apart from its juicy motifs of various ripe fruit, it also boasts notes of white lily and the paperbark tree.

Morocco conjures up images of the hot African desert, yet it is also associated with heady flowers and the green shade of its trees. That is exactly the Morocco we encounter in Hassana, the fragrance. We suggest Hassana to those who prefer green floral scents.

 The complete Culture & Nature line includes a shower gel, a body lotion, a body butter, massage oil, bath oil and, of course, an eau de toilette, rendered in each of the 6 fragrances. The line was launched in September 2008.