What is Monoi?

Monoi is a natural product of the coconut and is used as a moisturising skin oil, hair conditioner and massage oil.

Translating literally as “scented oil”, monoi is simply pressed coconut oil macerated with the flowers of the native gardenia, known locally as tiaré.  

It is a preparation that is not only supremely beautiful in itself, but has been demonstrated to possess beneficial qualities that were long known to the islanders but are only now beginning to be appreciated in the West.

The pressing of oil from the flesh of the coconut, and its maceration with gardenia flowers, is an ancient tradition of the Pacific which pre-dates any European contact.   The first European to describe monoi was Captain James Cook when he visited Tahiti in the Endeavour in 1769.   The origins of this preparation are indeed lost in the mists of time.

We are fortunate that monoi is still made today in Tahiti in the traditional manner.   Its status as a natural and unadulterated product was enormously enhanced when the French government gave it the official stamp of “Appellation d’Origine”, as a guarantee of authenticity and quality, raising monoi to the level of wine.

We are privileged to offer the range of monois made by the Parfumerie Tiki, a long-established firm in Tahiti, whose products are the most traditional and characteristic of their type.  

Monoi, redolent of the South Seas, is surely one of the most beautiful creations of the Pacific.