What Is Tiare? The Tahitian Flower Behind Monoï

Tiare (Gardenia taitensis), also called the Tahitian gardenia, is a small, creamy-white, pinwheel-shaped flower that grows across the South Pacific. It is the national flower of French Polynesia, it is worn in leis and behind the ear, and it is the flower steeped in coconut oil to make monoï. Its scent is the soul of every true monoï.

What tiare looks like

A tiare flower is small enough to tuck behind an ear, which is exactly what people in French Polynesia do with it. It has between five and nine petals that fan out like a pinwheel, a soft cream-white colour and glossy dark-green leaves. The flowers open from slim green buds, and on a single branch you will usually see both: closed buds and open blooms side by side.

What tiare smells like

Sweet, creamy and warm, with less of the heady intensity of a garden gardenia. On its own it reads more like skin than perfume. Steeped in coconut oil, the two scents blend into the smell most people mean when they say "Tahiti": sun, salt and flowers at once.

Where tiare grows

Tiare is native to the islands of the South Pacific, in Melanesia and Western Polynesia, and today it grows all over French Polynesia. It is the national flower of both French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. You see it everywhere: in gardens, along roadsides, woven into leis and tucked behind ears.

The tiare in our photographs were growing in Rangiroa, an atoll in the Tuamotu islands of French Polynesia.

How tiare becomes monoï

Monoï is coconut oil that has had tiare flowers steeped in it until it takes on their scent. The tradition is centuries old, and since 1 April 1992 the name Monoï de Tahiti has been a protected appellation of origin under French law. The rules are specific:

• The flowers are picked as buds, just as they begin to open and before they are in full bloom.
• At least ten tiare flowers go into every litre of refined coconut oil.
• The flowers steep for at least ten days, slowly giving their scent to the oil.

That is why the buds in the photo above matter. The flower is picked before it fully opens, so the scent goes into the oil rather than into the air.

Is tiare the same as gardenia?

It is a gardenia, but not the one in most gardens. The common garden gardenia is Gardenia jasminoides. Tiare is Gardenia taitensis, a different species. If you're reading an ingredient list, tiare appears as Gardenia Taitensis Flower.

How to tell whether a product really contains tiare

Turn the bottle over. A product made with real monoï usually lists two ingredients together: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil and Gardenia Taitensis Flower. If the front of a bottle says "tiare" but the ingredient list has no Gardenia Taitensis, the scent may come from fragrance alone. That isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't tiare.

Where tiare is in our Tahitian Oil

Our Tahitian Oil is made with monoï: Gardenia Taitensis Flower and coconut oil are both on the ingredient list, alongside kukui, macadamia and passion fruit seed oils. It is also fragranced, with a scent developed in the South of France, so it doesn't smell of tiare alone. If you'd like pure monoï with no added fragrance, ours isn't that, and our guide to choosing a monoï body oil explains what to look for instead.

If you'd like to try it first, the 8ml mini is $15.

Questions about tiare

What is the tiare flower?

Tiare (Gardenia taitensis) is a small, fragrant white gardenia native to the South Pacific and the national flower of French Polynesia. It is the flower used to make monoï.

Why are tiare flowers picked as buds?

Under the Monoï de Tahiti rules, tiare is harvested just as the bud begins to open, before full bloom, and steeped in coconut oil so its scent is captured in the oil.

How many tiare flowers are in monoï?

For Monoï de Tahiti, at least ten flowers per litre of refined coconut oil, steeped for at least ten days.

Is tiare the national flower of Tahiti?

Tiare is the national flower of French Polynesia, which includes Tahiti, and also of the Cook Islands.

What does tiare smell like?

Sweet, creamy and softly floral, warmer and less heady than a garden gardenia.

Next: how to use body oil without feeling greasy.