Episode 112: Kintana: An Exquisite Personal Aroma

doTERRA: In 2003, archaeologists uncovered what are believed to be the world's oldest surviving perfumes in Pyrgos, Cypress. The perfumes date back more than 4,000 years. While perfumes are nothing new, modern perfumes that we have today are full of synthetic fragrances and chemicals, but doTERRA offers something better: a personal aroma created from pure, potent, essential oils.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you.

Today, we're excited to talk about Kintana and the incredible essential oils that make up this beautiful scent.

The sun rises on a market in Madagascar. As you walk through the many stalls, you're enchanted by the beautiful wares around you. The sounds of people selling their products blend together in a chaotic symphony. You pass a stall and smell dried chilies, vanilla, and other curious spices.

As you continue on your way, you suddenly catch a whiff of something incredible. It's enchanting, light, and floral, but with a richness, a depth that you can't quite place. You follow your nose until you come upon a stall filled with flowers, roots, and greenery that have combined to create this intoxicating scent.

Smells have the power to drive your behavior on an instinctive and subconscious level. The art of perfumery began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further refined by the Romans and Persians. Creating a fragrance requires the harmonious mixing of potentially hundreds of individual natural and synthetic aromatic chemicals. The perfumes of today, however, can come riddled with various synthetic fragrances and harmful chemicals.

Thankfully, there's a better way. doTERRA created Kintana, a beautiful personal scent inspired by the beauty and nature of Madagascar. So let's take a look at the powerful plants that combine in this incredible blend.

Ylang Ylang

First, we have Ylang Ylang. Now, the scientific name for the ylang ylang tree is Cananga odorata, but it's also sometimes referred to as the fragrant Cananga, the perfume tree, and the Macassar-oil plant. Ylang Ylang comes from the Tagalog word ilang, meaning “wilderness.” And it may also be related to the term ilang-ilan, meaning “rare.” Ylang ylang is also sometimes translated as “the flower of flowers.”

Now, everywhere that ylang ylang grows naturally, the flowers are a popular decoration, whether placed into the hair, woven into wreaths or placed in rooms to fragrance the air. The pleasing floral scent of the flower, which has been described as both delicate and powerful, is cherished.

Ylang ylang appears in many cultural traditions where it grows naturally. In Indonesia, ylang ylang flowers are spread on the bed of newlywed couples. In the Philippines, its flowers are strung into a necklace and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.

Also in the Philippines, there is a myth about the origin of the ylang ylang tree. The myth says the lovely flowering ylang ylang tree came about when Ylang, a beautiful girl, fell in love with a boy she was not supposed to marry. Before they could come together, she was transformed into a tree, and her lover cries for her, “Ylang! Ylang!”

Ylang Ylang Traditional Uses

In Ayurvedic tradition, ylang ylang essential oil is believed to have many benefits, including helping vata imbalances by encouraging self-esteem. Ylang Ylang is also thought to be beneficial for those with pitta imbalances.

In the Molucca Islands, the oil was used to make a popular hair pomade called macassar oil. From perfumes and pomades to traditional medicine, ylang ylang has become popular around the world for its many incredible benefits, and it brings a delicate floral note to the Kintana fragrance.

Gardenia

Next, we have another beautiful flower: gardenia. This flower is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. And although roses may be the flowers best known for their beauty, gardenias are not far behind. Their beauty is known almost everywhere throughout the world, and their scent is incredibly captivating. These flowers are eye-catching and full of personality, especially because of their bright green color and leaves, among other aspects.

The gardenia is a flower that symbolizes purity and gentleness. The gardenia can also symbolize secret love between two people and also joy, or the gardenia has been known to symbolize everything related to the spiritual world, especially pure attraction. It's a mystical flower associated with the power of attraction and positive energy. And finally, it's also known to be associated with feminine elegance and deep feelings. Tradition also said that Gardenia could bring good luck, and it has been traditionally placed in the rooms of sick people.

History of the Gardenia

The gardenia got its name in a rather unique way. Now, it's quite an honor to have a plant named after you. It's an even bigger honor when that plant sports a flower with the most intoxicating fragrance in the world. The gardenia owes its name to the famous Scottish botanist Alexander Garden. Garden exchanged letters with an English merchant named John Ellis, who just happened to be a very good friend of Carolus Linnaeus—a famous Swedish botanist who developed the genus and species system for scientifically naming and classifying plants.

In 1758, Ellis visited a garden outside of London to inspect an evergreen shrub thought to be a jasmine and blessed with powerfully scented double white flowers. Now, Ellis doubted that it was a true jasmine, and his friend Linnaeus agreed. Ellis convinced Linnaeus to name the new find for his pen pal Alexander Garden. Enter the gardenia: Gardenia jasminoides. Fittingly, in 1762, the New World's first gardenia was planted in Dr. Garden’s garden. And now, gardenias bring a truly exquisite floral scent to this blend.

Patchouli

Next, we look at one of the deeper, herbier notes in this fragrance, patchouli. The word patchouli itself means “green leaf” and is an important ingredient in East Asian incense. Patchouli is also used widely in modern perfumery by individuals who create their own scents and in modern scented industrial products, such as paper towels, laundry detergents, and air fresheners.

However, though patchouli was utilized in Asia for centuries before, it wasn't introduced into Western culture until the 1840s. As beautiful, luxurious cashmere and silks made their way through trade routes from Asia and Egypt to Europe, they were packed with fragrant patchouli leaves to protect them. When European trade merchants would open these trunks on arrival, they would be met with the warm, earthy aroma of patchouli, and the scent would linger on the fabric even after it had been purchased.

In fact, the smell of patchouli became completely intertwined with the luxurious exotic materials. After a time, it became so strongly linked that if a silk or a carpet didn't smell like patchouli, merchants along the trade routes would doubt that it was authentic. People just fell in love with its rich scent that was distinctively all its own: exquisite and beautiful. So in Europe, patchouli went from simply a way to protect fabrics to an upscale fragrance and continues to be utilized in colognes and fragrances around the world.

Patchouli Traditional Uses

Patchouli has also been used in traditional medicinal practices where it grows naturally. In the Philippines, an infusion of patchouli leaves has been used internally and given to women. In Thailand, blends of patchouli with other herbs were often recommended for many different reasons.

In Ayurveda, patchouli has also been heavily utilized in many instances. And finally, in traditional Chinese medicine, patchouli was often used in many situations and was thought to nourish the yin and calm the spirit.

In the Kintana blend, patchouli brings a rich base note that lingers with you throughout the day.

Vetiver

Finally, to complete this fragrance, we have Vetiver. Vetiver is a holy herb that has its name etched in the oldest sacred book of the Hindus known as the Bhagavad Gita, where the Lord Krishna says, “I am the fragrance of the soil.”

Vetiver has had a long and storied history. Its name comes from vetiver, a Tamil word meaning “root that is dug up.” In India, mats weaved with vetiver roots are trusted to cool, protect and refresh their homes during the scorching summer season. Additionally, gods and idols in India are honored with garlands made of vetiver grass.

In African countries where vetiver grows, the grass is used in making roof thatches, as well as making rugs, baskets, and certain other parts of their homes.

The sweet, woody, earthy, and reviving fragrance of vetiver instills confidence and kindles the aura of the human body by transforming the aura of nature flawlessly. And in the Middle Ages, vetiver was commonly used in scents.

Vetiver Traditional Uses

Vetiver is also a staple in many ayurvedic practices. It's considered as a sacred oil that has the potential to open the crown and root chakras, where chakra is considered as the vital center of power of the human body. Among the seven basic chakras, the oil of vetiver is trusted to kindle the root chakra and pass the vital energy to other chakras as well.

The historical practices and medicinal values of vetiver have also made it a principal part of Abhyanga or the Ayurvedic massage therapy. Beyond its usefulness in traditional medicine, the woody aroma of vetiver rounds out this romantic blend in the perfect way.

This year, bring the magic of Madagascar with you, wherever you are, with the enchanting fragrance of Kintana. We put so much care and love into crafting this incredible blend, and we know that it will become your go-to personal aroma.

Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Also, if you want to try any of the products you learned about, go to doterra.com or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.