Gardenia Tahitensis
The Tiaré flower is a white, delicate and intensely perfumed gardenia, symbol of French Polynesia. It is part of the daily and ceremonial life of its inhabitants: it is woven into beautiful necklaces that are given as a sign of welcome, it is present in traditional natural scents and perfumes, and a single flower placed behind the ear is not only an ornament, but also a subtle way of expressing whether a person is free or engaged.
The best known product made from Tahitian Tiare is the natural oil of Monoï de Tahiti. Its origin is in French Polynesia and it is produced especially in Tahiti by maceration of the Tiare flowers in refined coconut oil extracted from the pulp of the fruit. This traditional process is strictly controlled and Monoï has an appellation of origin (Appellation d'Origine®), a guarantee of their authenticity and quality. According to this regulation, the flowers are harvested in bud stage and must be processed within 24 hours. This precious legacy of Polynesian tradition makes Anakena's Monoï de Tahiti a very special oil, made exclusively from unique ingredients from the island world of French Polynesia.
At Anakena we are especially proud to offer oils containing authentic Monoï de Tahiti made from the right flower, the Monoï de Tahiti. Gardenia tahitensis. Both Monoï de Tahiti Tiare and Monoï de Tahiti Tiare Monoï de Tahiti with Ra'ā Pura-Pura Shine contain real Monoï de Tahiti in their formulation. In the case of Monoï de Tahiti Tiare, in addition, each bottle contains a whole Tiare flower, a very beautiful and deeply symbolic detail that is part of the identity of this product and its link with the Polynesian tradition.
The characteristic aroma of Anakena® cosmetics is inspired precisely by Monoï: a floral and fruity fragrance, typical of Polynesia and still rare in cosmetics. In our Monoï oils, this connection with the Tiaré is part of the product development itself. In contrast, in the rest of our line, we use a fragrance inspired by Monoï, specially developed to faithfully reproduce its scent and ensure that it remains on the skin for many hours, as the flower's natural perfume alone would be too mild and ephemeral.
For this reason, we clearly distinguish between products containing authentic Tahitian Monoï made with Tiaré flower and those that carry its characteristic scent through a specially developed fragrance.
It is found as an authentic Monoï de Tahiti ingredient in the following products: Monoï de Tahiti Tiare and Monoï de Tahiti with Ra'ā Pura-Pura Shine.
It is found as a fragrance inspired by the scent of Monoï in the following products: exfoliating shower gel, face cream, body butter, Eau de Parfum, hand cream, mild soap, shampoo and nourishing balm.