The floral scent of blossoms meets the delicious tang of citrus fruit in an intoxicating celebration of fragrance. Neroli is particularly powerful—as the most fragrant of citrus flowers. It sparkles as a top note with an utter freshness that is mellowed only by its subtle sweetness.
Neroli derives from the Bitter orange tree, otherwise known as the Seville or bigarade orange tree, and is native to Southeast Asia. Its delightfully tangy fragrance is appreciated the world over—growing in the warm climates of Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Italy and Tunisia. In spring, the trees’ petite neroli blossoms are handpicked before being steam distilled to reveal a divinely floral scent.
The rejuvenating, citrus scent of neroli has long been appreciated for its health, wellbeing and spiritual benefits. Ancient Egyptians were enraptured by the delicious fragrance of hesperidic fruits—associating the scent with divinities and dousing places of worship with neroli oil in ways not dissimilar to the use of incense in churches today. However, it wasn’t until the 17th century that Neroli truly took center-stage as the à la mode fragrance, when Princess Anna Maria de La Trémoill of Nerola fell in love with the scent. Thereafter, the princess donned the fragrance as her signature scent—perfuming her gloves, clothes and bathwater with the fragrance and thus igniting a neroli craze.
Neroli is one of the most popular fragrance notes to date. Globally renowned perfumer, Giovanni Maria Farina, began experimenting with the delightfully tangy note which eventually found its way into the original Eau de Cologne of 1709. Since then, neroli has been widely used in floral perfumes—most notably making an appearance in the iconic Chanel No.5.
