Once in a while, a certain ingredient attains sudden, widespread popularity, appearing in so many products that it seems to go from obscure to ubiquitous in a matter of minutes. The common ingredient in Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Soins de Plaisir line of scented body products is tiaré, the fragrant Tahitian gardenia (“gardenia tahitensis”). More specifically, the three products in the line all include monoï, a liquid produced by tiaré flowers slowly macerated in coconut oil.

Tiaré is traditionally woven into floral garlands and crowns, and as a single bud worn behind the ear it declares the wearer’s romantic status (single if it appears behind the right ear, and attached if it is worn on the left). Monoï has been used as a beauty aid by women in the South Pacific for centuries, to soften and nourish the hair and skin. Even recently, both tiaré and monoi were still unfamiliar to North American or European consumers, but companies ranging from Christian Dior to Bath and Body Works, Yves Rocher, and The Body Shop have all launched monoï-themed products within the past year. Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Soins de Plaisir may be the most sophisticated collection of the batch…

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