I've always associated the name “geranium” with the hardy plants that my mother grew in pots on our backyard patio: red-petaled flowers, fuzzy leaves, and a slightly sweaty scent. The “geranium” most often present in perfume and other fragranced products, it turns out, is more specifically the rose geranium (species perlargonium graveolens), whose leaves can be distilled for fragrance. This smell is something much more pleasant and wearable: sort of green, sort of lemony, and yes, sort of rosey — but still more “herbal” than “floral.” I find it an easy note to wear year-round, especially in fragranced body products.
I recently grabbed a small tube of Origins Lime & Geranium Hand Lotion at an Estée Lauder outlet store when I needed hand cream, and it ended up inspiring this post. It has a quick-absorbing texture, and its scent is delightful: true geranium, with an accent on its green aspect, and an added zingy lime note. Geranium is believed to have balancing and stabilizing effects on the mood, and this product always lifts my spirits. I wish it were still available in purse-size tubes, but the pump bottle would fit well next to a kitchen sink. ($13.50 for 7 oz. at Origins)
Soap & Paper Factory’s Geranium Shea Butter Soap, cut in a creamy-looking bar, is a moisturizing soap that smells like geranium with a sweet hint of ylang ylang. It’s wrapped in beautiful paper printed with an Arts-and-Crafts-like design, and it would make a more unexpected and sophisticated gift than the typical lavender- or vanilla-scented toiletry. ($9 for a 4 oz. bar at the Soap & Paper Factory website)
I can’t resist the labels of Bonny Doon Farm Rose Geranium Body Wash and Body Lotion: they look like illustrations from a nineteenth-century “book of flowers.” (In the traditional language of flowers, incidentally, the geranium signifies “preference.”) Their formulas are simple, without any sulfates or parabens, and their fragrance brings out the minty-green dimension of geranium essential oil. ($10 for 8 oz. each, at Beautyhabit)
AustralianScent’s Lavender Geranium Balm of Gilead sounds so venerable: its name refers to an ancient balsam blend mentioned in the Old Testament. It’s an intensive fix for any dry or irritated skin, as well as a natural treatment for eczema or psoriasis. Since it's so highly-concentrated, I’ve been using it as a bedtime hand cream and as a healing ointment for small scratches or cuts. It combines essential oils of geranium and lavender for a scent that’s bright and soothing at the same time. ($36 for 3.8 oz. at the AustralianScent website)
Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm is another multi-purpose product. It's an excellent lightweight, petroleum-free lip salve, packed with shea butter, calendula, beeswax, and jojoba for moisture and protection, and it's available in a tube with a slant-tip dispenser, which also makes it an excellent portable fix for rough cuticles or dry, flyaway ends of hair. It's lightly scented with natural geranium, just enough to give you a whiff of freshness when you're applying it. ($6 for .33 oz. at Beautyhabit)
Lastly, Colibri Classic Sachets are a time-tested means of bringing subtle geranium fragrance into your home while repelling moths from your woolly clothes. They tuck neatly into drawers or the corners of closets (the company also sells hanging sachets), and they exude an all-natural scent of geranium with vetiver, lavender, lemongrass, and other botanical essences in a base of fine sandalwood powder. ($1.39 each at Auroville)
Any geranium-scented favorites of your own? Feel free to share in the comments section.
Note: top rose geranium image via Wikimedia.
Have you been to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden? There is a rose geranium (or was when I used to go there) in the fragrant garden:
http://www.bbg.org/exp/stroll/fragrance.html
You rub it in your fingers and it smells beautifully lemony-rosy!
I love that garden. It’s where I first smelled fresh patchouli leaves, heliotrope, lemon verbena and siberian wallflower, among other things. They also have apple geranium and peppermint geranium. Oh, those clever geraniums.
T, I will definitely search out the geraniums (geranii?) next time I visit the BBG! I’ll never forget seeing their bluebell grove in early spring; really breathtaking. And don’t they have a small Shakespeare-themed garden, and a medicinal-plants garden? I don’t get out to Brooklyn nearly often enough…
Gasp of pleasure! I love the bluebell field! Better than dreams.
I developed the same early association with the scent of geranium – and all of these sound decidedly more pleasant! I’ve never tried anything from Soap & Paper or AustralianScent, but this definitely inspires me.
Wondermelmo, I enjoyed our family’s geraniums, but I wouldn’t have wanted to wear their scent! And S&P Factory and AustralianScent are both small, personalized companies that I was happy to learn about.
Jessica, I love scented geraniums! Thank you for the reviews. I have a White Barn rose geranium candle. I think that fragrance has been discontinued. Too bad, because it’s wonderful!
Hanuami, It does make a wonderful home fragrance, because it’s so clean but lively! I had a Diptyque Rosa Geranium candle once; expensive, but nice.
Ooh, I might have to look for that one. Diptypque candles ARE expensive, but they’re very good!
P.S. Beautyhabit. 20% off coupon. Sorely tempted.
I did use that code when I bought some of these products! (Am I allowed to mention it here, Robin? If not, just delete me.) It’s “instyle.”
Ooh, sorry if I broke a rule, too. Delete if needed!
LOL oh come on! all the time commenters are sharing coupon codes and the sites where to get items…. if Robin kicked everyone out who said “oh, you can get that at blahblahblah.com and it’s on sale!” there’d be precious few left to comment!!!
Besides, for once it’s not ME doing it.
Oh, of course people can mention codes!
Sorry, false alarm! I’m just running very low on sleep right now.
Sorry, false alarm! I’m just running very low on sleep right now.
I love the look of that soap and such pretty packaging! I would also like to try the Origins lotion, it sounds lovely. It’s funny, I also associate geraniums with my mom growing them on our front porch.
Jill, I haven’t used anything from Origins in ages, but this lotion has a great smell, and the ingredients list is fairly “green.” And the S&P Factory wrappings are so very pretty; well, they do specialize in paper as well as soap, so I suppose that makes sense!
I have a small but hardy rose geranium in my flower box. It has a flower on it even now. I love the fragrance, and have had a number of products with it in it. Nothing in particular comes to mind, though. Some of your recs are definitely worth checking out.
Ooh, lucky you!
I love and grow many different scented geraniums as well. Last summer I actually had a “chocolate” geranium – it was gorgeous. The leaves were quite dark and large which looked beautiful with the bright flowers and the scent was wonderfully dark and quite cocoa smelling.. I haven’t found too many geranium scents I liked other than a candle from Anthropologie. I must try the lotion from Origins it sounds beautiful and I love their products. Thanks Jill!
Sorry, I meant to say thanks to you, Jessica – wonderful entry!
Thanks, Lucy-Belle! I’ve never seen or smelled a chocolate geranium… but that sounds wonderful.
I also grow chocolate gernaiums – gorgeous and fun for the kids to cut and sniff.
PrettyThings, If I were a child, I’d be thrilled to see/smell one of those! Actually, as an adult, I’d still be thrilled.
Nice to read about the gentle, unassuming geranium. A refreshing change from grand French perfumery, and after reading your review this morning I took a glance at my dressing table – which has several examples of GFP on it – and think that perhaps I should start living more simply …
The Australian brand Aesop ( http://www.aesop.net.au/ ) does nice stuff with geranium. I have their geranium leaf body cleanser (geranium, mandarin and bergamot) which is lovely. Quite concentrated – you don’t need to use much. I think there is also a cream, or lotion, in the same line.
Aesop is doing some cool gift packs for Xmas named after poets – Blake, Shelley, Keats and Rossetti (Christina, not D.G.).
Ohhhhhhh now you’ve done it! Love Keats and Rossetti…going to have to go take a look.
Thanks, yes, do. Tho’ I think US and Canadian customers have to purchase through the the UK site tho.
Aesop is such a clever brand. And for me, there is (for once) a niche store at my local mall, about 10 minutes away and not on the other side of the world. Hoorah!
Ah, Aesop! Such a nice brand. I’ve only tried a few of their products, which I did enjoy very much. Excellent natural scents. And I love the Romantics and the Victorian Pre-Raphaelites, so I’ll have to browse the Aesop site for those gift sets!
I love Aesop’s hand cream/balm! I did seriously consider the 500ml bottle of it once …
And their mandarin face cream is pretty yummy too!
Have you tried their perfumes? I like Marrakech – it makes me feel warm inside, probabaly because I can smell tiger balm in it. It’s on my winter wish-list, it’s too heavy and warm for any other season.
Aesop has perfumes?! I’m really out of touch!
Yes! I tried Marrakech and Mystra and went for Mystra. Love it, tho’ I’ve read some very negative comment about it (its notes are frankincense, labdanum and mastic). I have to admit that it is so deeply sinister that sometimes it’s too much even for me, and I layer it with the graceful Lovely, from SJP. Sounds an odd combo, but opposites attract.
I thought I saw on the Aesop webiste that the fragrances have come out as creams or lotions? New products maybe, not sure. Something to plan for winter, as you say.
Nice piece, Jessica. I love the kicky, somewhat astringent scent of geranium. It’s so eye-opening.
You should really try the EO line of Rose Geranium Citrus products. I like the shower gel a lot and the scent doesn’t linger for those who worry about interference with their perfume choice. I also have the lotion, which you’ve reminded me I haven’t used often lately — I usually use unscented these days, but I just put some on after reading your piece. I think it would definitely layer really well with Malle Geranium pour Monsieur.
Thanks, Joe! I do think the Origins or Bonny Doon lotions would layer well with FM Geranium Pour Monsieur, which I’ve tested (but don’t own). I’m very fond of EO’s Rose Chamomile line, so I should check out some other scents as well.
Decleor have a lovely “uplifting treatment fragrance” called Arome Euphoric, which smells like pure geranium! It comes in a slim, geranium-coloured spray bottle and has the gorgeous, sweet, woody fragrance you get when crushing the leaves. It’s supposed to do you good, too, and has a matching body milk. You feel like you’ve had an aromatherapy massage after using them, but without the inconvenience. Now …. where can I buy that Diptyque candle ? ……
Jillie, These sound fantastic! I’ve only tested Decleor’s skincare so far. As for the Diptyque candle, you can find it at Beautyhabit.com, Smallflower.com, and possibly Aedes.com … if you’re so inclined!
Thanks, Jessica. I live in the UK (unfortunately!), but have tracked down the candle in our good old John Lewis stores and will look forward to being cheered by its fragrance and bolstered for the Christmas rush.
Ah well, sorry those particular sites aren’t useful for you, and I don’t think being in the UK is *totally* unfortunate… (based on my limited travels there!)… but I hope you can grab one at JL!
Oh…the Bonny Doon Farm Rose Geranium Body collection looks lovely! You know their rose creme parfum is one of my faves. Beautyhabit carries their line, off to check and see if they have this, 20% right now for Nov
~T
Yes! I bought my lotion from Beautyhabit with the code. And your post on ScentHive was one of the things that made me finally buy something from Bonny Doon!
Haha…we are enablers of each other aren’t we???
i love geranium and burn it in a water burner at home…also Miller Harris geranium bourbon is fabulous!!
That is such a good idea! I’m going to keep an eye out for some geranium essential oil for my tealight burner. Thanks!