Heady scents fill the air as skilled pickers in India pluck white jasmine before the still fresh buds are rushed for processing into a valuable ingredient for global perfumes.
Jasmine only issues its powerful scent when it blooms at night, and pickers must select only the ones yet to open.
“We know which one to pick,” said Malarkodi as she snapped her fingers carefully to pluck the buds, tucking into her hair a few flowers that had already bloomed.
“There is no use of these... but I like the smell,” she said.
Jasmine’s fragrant flowers have been used for millennia in India and the scent is a key part of world-famous perfumes.
In the ancient city of Madurai in southern India, jasmine is omnipresent — attracting buyers from some of the world’s most recognisable perfumes, including J’adore by Dior and Mon Guerlain by Guerlain.
“It is one of the most expensive oils in the world,” said Raja Palaniswamy, a director of Jasmine Concrete, which squeezes vast quantities of jasmine to create a few precious drops of delicious-smelling essence.
The women picking the buds earn around $1.50 a day per day for about four to five kilograms — with each kilogram made up of around 4,000 buds. Once picked, the jasmine is rushed to market, selling for anything between Rs200 and Rs2,000 ($2.40-$24) a kilogram on special days.
The jasmine of Madurai, an Asian variety with the scientific name Jasminum sambac, was given a “geographical indication” tag from the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 2013, which noted its “deep fragrance”.
“It is lush, it is rich, it is vibrant,” said Thierry Wasser, perfumer and “nose” at French beauty house Guerlain, while visiting the jasmine operators.