Neroli – Everlasting over time

Typically, Italian

By the end of the 17th century, Anne Marie Orsini, duchess of Bracciano and princess of Nerola, Italy, introduced the essence of bitter orange tree as a fashionable fragrance by using it to perfume her gloves and her bath. Since then, the term “neroli” has been used to describe this essence. Neroli has a refreshing and distinctive, spicy aroma with sweet and flowery notes.

Neroli & Orange blossom

Neroli oil is an essential oil produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium). Its scent is sweet, honeyed and somewhat metallic with green and spicy facets.

Orange blossom is also extracted from the same blossom and both extracts are extensively used in perfumery. Orange blossom can be described as smelling sweeter, warmer and more floral than neroli.

The difference between how neroli and orange blossom smell and why they are referred to with different names, is a result of the process of extraction that is used to obtain the oil from the blooms.

Harvesting and perfume usage

The blossoms are gathered, usually by hand, in late April to early May. The oil is extracted by steam distillation. Neroli is one of the most widely used floral oils in perfumery. Like many raw materials, neroli can cause sensitization due to a high content of aromatic terpenes, e.g., linalool, limonene, farnesol, geraniol and citral. It blends well with any citrus oil, various floral absolutes, and most of the synthetic components available on the market.

Saigon Elixir Neroli

Italy has mastered its long tradition of perfumery through its roots in the flora of its natural and unique landscape. In the late Middle Ages, Venetian merchants brought back precious spices, fragrant oils and exotic resins from their long trips to Asia, the Middle and Far East, and North Africa. It was here that master craftsmen started to create their “sweet waters”, inventing new production techniques to blend the delicate substances, and opening perfume boutiques across Venice.

Saigon Elixir Neroli is a typical yet traditional Italian neroli blend for the ones prefer heritage perfume blends in a modern way.