Neroli
Citrus aurantium (flower)
The essential oil of bitter orange blossom. Fresh, floral and soapy, with a green edge.
The note’s label
- Family
- citrus note; among fragrance families, citrus
- Position
- top to heart note
- Impression
- Pairs with
- Evokes
- cologne · white cotton · spring blossom
- Raw material
- bitter orange flowers, steam-distilled
- Natural or synthetic
- The natural oil is used but expensive; in cheaper products it is supplemented by synthetic materials with a similar profile.
One tree, three materials
The bitter orange gives perfumery several materials: neroli, distilled from the flowers; petitgrain, from the leaves and twigs; and orange flower absolute, extracted from the flowers. Distilling the flowers also yields orange flower water.
Neroli is lighter and fresher; orange flower absolute is sweeter and more “white floral”. That is why you will meet both names in perfume descriptions.
In perfume
Neroli is a classic ingredient of eau de cologne. It sits on the border between citrus and flower, so it links the top notes to the heart of a fragrance.
On the label
Bitter orange flower oil (Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil) has been on the list of allergens to be named above 0.001% / 0.01% since 2023.
In the fragrance archive
Our archive does not yet contain a fragrance whose published pyramid lists this note.
The archive is for reading only. Nothing in it is for sale.