8 of the Rarest Fragrances and Ingredients You Need to Try

Words by Jennifer George, Nasreen Osman

Acclaimed perfumers travel far and wide to source rare ingredients from all four corners of the world. For while aesthetically-pleasing bottles and the storytelling behind them can render a prized perfume all the more special, it's the rare and often elusive ingredients within a crafted blend that can instantly transform an ordinary scent into an extraordinary one be it the ingredients that are scarcely found or those that require intricate and often timely extraction. So between frankincense and oud, saffron and amber, discover the most precious fragrances and ingredients to elevate your perfume wardrobe.

Combining powdery, woody and violet notes, orris is an instantly recognisable ingredient. Yet it’s among the rarest in the world of perfumery. The material obtained from the rhizomes of the iris plant – known as orris butter – requires between three and five years to mature before it can be used, it is extremely precious, with some varieties costing more than three times as much as gold.

Frankincense is an aroma you might recognise from incense – in other words, that distinctive earthy and aromatic scent with spicy undertones. It’s been used for 5,000 years, yet these days the trees that produce Frankincense (Boswellia trees) are scarce making it a highly rare ingredient. To this day, Oman’s Dhofar region produces what is considered to be the highest grade of frankincense in the world.

Oud is one of the most expensive fragrance ingredients in the world. Very powerful, oud oil is in fact created when a fungus attacks the bark of the aquilaria tree, and then the ingredient is produced by the tree as a defence mechanism. It’s estimated that only 2% of aquilaria trees will create oud oil, which makes it all the more expensive – with some varieties of oud priced at around ￡75,000 per kilogram.

A rare example of a spice that manages to smell both hot and cold, warm and spicy, cardamom has long been prized as a vital addition to perfume. But appealing as it is, it’s also the third costliest spice in the world. It’s usually grown in the Ghat mountains in India and has to be harvested by hand – making it all the more rare and expensive.

Due to the way it’s harvested, some of the varieties of saffron can cost almost ￡8,000 per kilogram. It’s often referred to as ‘red gold’ and is among some of the most ancient ingredients used in perfumes. With soft and earthy notes, it adds warmth and spice to fragrance blends without ever being too overwhelming or strong.

Naturally warm, cacao bean is equally sweet and spicy and renowned for its gourmand scent. With the versatile play between a bitter allure and a creamy sweetness, it’s a sheer pleasure on the nose.

Warm and sweet, amber usually consists of a combination of different ingredients given how rare and how long it takes to form in its natural state. Usually in synthetic form, amber is blended with different ingredients, such as vanilla, tonka bean, and patchouli, and varies in its aroma depending on the creation.

Jasmine is thought to be one of the world's rarest floral extracts. And while many perfumes do indeed harness this precious floral aroma for its fruity, powdery scent, it’s also one of the most expensive ingredients you can find on the back of your bottles. This is simply because of the amount of Jasmine flowers – approximately 2,000 pounds of the flower produce one single pound of oil – that is needed to produce it.