The Perfumer
Delphine Moreau
“I learned to smell before I learned to speak. My grandmother would blindfold me in her garden and ask me to name each flower by its scent alone. That is still how I work — eyes closed, trusting the nose.”
From Grasse to
the Lowcountry
Delphine Moreau was born in 1986 in the village of Cabris, perched above the perfume fields of Grasse in the south of France. Her grandmother, a retired flower farmer who had spent her life harvesting jasmine for the great perfume houses, became her first teacher.
“She would take me into the garden at sunrise,” Delphine recalls, “and name every scent on the wind. Lavender from the hill. Jasmine from the trellis. The rosemary we had crushed underfoot. She taught me that perfume is not something you make — it is something you listen to.”
After studying Botanical Sciences at the Universite de Montpellier and completing a two-year apprenticeship under master perfumer Lucien Beaumont in Grasse, Delphine graduated from the International Perfumery School with a specialization in natural fragrance.
But it was a chance visit to Charleston in 2011 that changed everything. Walking through the historic gardens, she encountered Confederate jasmine for the first time — a scent that stopped her in her tracks.
“I had spent my life surrounded by the finest jasmine in the world, in Grasse. But this was different — wilder, sweeter, with something untamed in it. I knew immediately: this is where my perfumery would be.”
She returned the following year, rented a small studio, and began exploring the Lowcountry's extraordinary botanical palette — sweetgrass, tea olive, magnolia, Carolina jessamine, wild roses from the barrier islands.
In 2014, the first three Rosehip perfumes debuted at the Charleston Farmers Market. They sold out in two hours. By 2017, Delphine had opened her atelier on Queen Street, a sun-filled studio surrounded by her own cutting garden.
Today, Rosehip Botanical Perfumery offers six signature fragrances, custom consultations, and hands-on workshops — all guided by the same philosophy Delphine learned from her grandmother in Cabris: listen to the garden, and it will tell you what to make.
The Journey
A Life in Scent
Born in Provence
Delphine Moreau grows up in the village of Cabris, overlooking the perfume fields of Grasse. Her grandmother teaches her to recognize plants by scent before she can read.
Studies in Montpellier
Enrolls at the Universite de Montpellier for Botanical Sciences, spending summers working the jasmine harvest in Grasse.
Apprenticeship in Grasse
Begins a two-year apprenticeship under master perfumer Lucien Beaumont at one of the last remaining artisan houses in the perfume capital.
The International Perfumery School
Graduates from the prestigious school with specialization in natural and botanical perfumery. Learns the techniques of enfleurage, distillation, and cold expression.
Arrives in Charleston
Drawn by the subtropical gardens, the wild jasmine, and the roses growing along the Lowcountry coast, Delphine relocates to South Carolina.
Rosehip is Born
The first Rosehip perfumes appear at the Charleston Farmers Market. Three fragrances, hand-labeled, sold from a wicker basket. They sell out in two hours.
The Atelier Opens
Delphine opens her studio on Queen Street, a space with tall windows, a cutting garden, and shelves lined with hundreds of botanical essences.
Recognition
Rosehip is featured in Garden & Gun magazine and Vogue as one of the South's finest artisan perfumers. The collection expands to six signature fragrances.
A Decade of Scent
Rosehip celebrates ten years with a limited anniversary fragrance and the launch of bridal scenting services. The atelier now welcomes over 2,000 visitors annually.
Philosophy
What We Believe
Botanical Only
Every ingredient in a Rosehip perfume comes from a plant, a flower, a tree, or the earth. No synthetics, no nature-identical molecules, no shortcuts.
Locally Rooted
The Lowcountry is our palette. We forage, grow, and source as close to home as possible, celebrating the unique botany of coastal South Carolina.
French Technique
Our methods — enfleurage, steam distillation, cold expression — come from centuries of perfumery tradition in Grasse. We honor the old ways.
Small Batch, Always
Each fragrance is made in runs of 50-100 bottles. This is not scarcity for its own sake — it is the natural limit of working with living, seasonal ingredients.
Come Find Your Scent
Whether you know exactly what you want or have no idea where to begin, Delphine will guide you.