Orange Blossom: Perfect for a Warm Summer Day
101 on Orange Blossom in Perfumery
A bitter orange tree that is undeniably one of the most popular white florals in perfumery is widespread and holds a handful of other uses outside the world of scents, such as within beauty and medicine. These include being a sedative, an anti-depressant and having anti-bacterial and anti-spasmodic properties. The essential oil is also popularly used in aromatherapy. On another note, it holds spiritual and holistic meaning, as it is considered a guardian of marriage and family and a symbol of virginity and innocence.
The plant's scent profile is soft, delicate, light, with a honeyed-floral aroma: unravelling the fascinating hybrid of fresh citrus accords that draws you in for a second sniff.
Considered a highly prized ingredient among all perfumers, you will find the deliciously fragrant notes of orange blossom in some of the most renowned perfume bottles, including Frédéric Malle, Tom Ford, Guerlain, Hermes, Dior and L’Artisan Parfumeur.
So why wait any longer? A flower that has been a favourite amongst perfumers and royalty for centuries, regardless of changes in olfactory fashion, can now easily be one of your chosen ingredients for your custom perfume that you create with us at Maison 21G!
A Little History
Despite the tree’s origins and journey to the West remaining somewhat of a mystery, with predictions that its origin does root back to India or China, it is no secret that the tree travelled through land and seas to become native to Italy. Prominently used since ancient Rome, attesting to its fragrant and medicinal virtues, its rise in popularity was unquestionably prompted.
Part of the Rutaceae family and known as Citrus Aurantium in Latin, the cultivation of orange blossom spread to different corners of the world. From southern Europe to even Florida and France, where it is popularly grown. They are mainly cultivated for perfumery in the Arabian lands like Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, which remains the No.1 country, as the world’s leading producer!
Commonly referred to as the Seville tree, it is relatively small, evergreen, and stands approx. 3 to 10 meters in height, with glossy, oval alternate leaves and petite white flowers. Just as you thought we would only be getting the scent of orange blossom, we have some news for you. in fact, this one tree gifts a whole FOUR products! Petitgrain from the leaves and twigs, Bigarade from the fruit's cold-pressed peel, whilst the flowers give us Orange Blossom Absolute by solvent extraction or Neroli oil by steam distillation.
From Plant to Oil
An oil that every nez dreams of having truly isn’t one that is easy to gain. Usually taking around 15 years for the bitter orange tree to fully mature, the harvesters can approximate that only 10-15 kg of blossom yield would be collected from them. After 3 to 4 weeks of harvesting, the flowers are hand-gathered in the spring season.
Did you know that it requires a jaw-dropping 1 ton of obtained blossoms to create only 1.1 to 1.3kg of neroli oil, or similarly, 1.2 to 1.4 kilograms of orange blossom absolute!? Therefore, I guess we can’t be surprised by the extremely high costs of this ingredient!
Our Recommended Mixes
Such a precious, multi-faceted, intriguing treasure that needs to be in your fragrance wardrobe! At Maison 21G, our ORANGE BLOSSOM perfume is exactly what you need, and here are a few suggestions!
Our first recommendation would be blending ORANGE BLOSSOM with any of her white floral cousins, such as our JAZZY JASMINE fragrance or with the scent of TUBEROSE TRIBUTE. Whilst the Jasmine adds an alluringly bright touch with some musky and green character, the tuberose creates a more explosive bouquet of white floralcy. This allows you to experience the milky, sensual and velvety notes as they complement and wrap themselves around the alluring green scent of the Orange Blossom. Either way, both these fragrances will enhance our protagonist's freshness, creating sophisticated, feminine masterpieces!
If you prefer a more powdery profile, we recommend mixing ORANGE BLOSSOM with our MIMOSA MANTRA perfume. The lovely, delicate florals of mimosa are a match that comes hand in hand with Orange Blossom. With an olfactive fusion that transports you to a Mediterranean fairy-tale, a few sprays of this perfume and it will undoubtedly brighten, freshen, and uplift your mood and day!
Lastly, we suggest combining ORANGE BLOSSOM with either our scent of VETIVER VIRTUOSO or with the OUD OUTSHINE perfume. Both suited for our gentlemen, they bring fresh intensity and smoky, dry, woody notes that screams desirable elegance to the mixes! The vetiver's profile would be more dry, earthy and leather in comparison to the oud's complex scent, bringing forward a much sweeter, aromatic and balsamic accord. Two mysterious elixirs dancing across your skin, just like magic, so why not try them both to see what is best for you!
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