Sweet orange essence brings a luminous, sweet and optimistic freshness, making the fragrance immediately welcoming, joyful and easy to wear.
It is often used in eaux fraiches, colognes and floral fragrances, but also as a contrast in more intense fragrances.
Sweet orange oil is extracted by cold expression from the zest of the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), without distillation, to preserve its fresh, sweet, zesty notes. This mechanical process recovers the essential oil contained in the glands of the peel, separating the oil from the juice and pulp by centrifugation.
The essence obtained is fluid, yellow to orange in colour, and very faithful to the smell of fresh fruit. It is mainly produced in regions with a warm climate, where oranges are grown in large quantities. The main producing countries are Brazil (particularly the state of São Paulo), the United States (Florida, California), Italy (Sicily, Calabria), Spain (Valencia, Andalusia) and Mexico. Italy is particularly prized for the quality of its essences used in fine perfumery.
Originating in southern China, the orange was used as an offering to emperors for centuries.
It was in the 16th century that Vasco da Gama, returning from India, introduced the sweet orange to Portugal. It quickly replaced the bitter orange, which had been grown there for a long time.
Brazil, People's Republic of China, Spain, Israel, Italy, United States of America
The sweet orange is now the most widely grown citrus fruit in the world. Its essence and juice are extracted with the same machine, making it a profitable and therefore cheap raw material.