What is or is not hot this summer? What should be the keynote of your aroma in the coming months?
Do you want your sillage to be captivating, trendy, refreshing, discreetly sexy, uplifting and, above all, vibrant?
According to influencers and critical minds, Orange blossom is THE summer scent this year. Patchouli has had its day in the sun. Gourmand is the favorite. Zesty is inside. Did it ever come true? The best orange scent for summer is Houbigant Paris Orangers and Fleurs.
The orange tree is the symbol of fertility and abundance, and also the emblem of eternal love. The orange tree is eternally associated with weddings. One of the House of Houbigant’s historic clients, Queen Victoria, wore a silk headdress wreathed with orange blossoms and decorated her white, silk-satin bodice with flower petals at her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. From then on, Victorian brides wore pastoral orange blossom crowns. Top notes of orange blossom, rose absolute and Egyptian jasmine absolute; middle notes of tuberose, eau de brouts, ylang comores and nutmeg and base notes of cedar wood and musk.
But there are also:
The new Tryst from the Dutch Hiram Green, which uses 550 blossoms to make one 59 ml bottle. Green is a self-taught Canadian perfumer living in the Netherlands. He says: “A perfumer never picks favorites, but I can’t lie – orange blossom is a special material for me. There is a lot in the TRYST formula!”
Jo Malone London Orange Blossom Cologne
24, Faubourg by Hermès
Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger
Parfum d’Empire Azemour les Orangers by perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato,
L’Artisan Parfumeur
Parfums De Marly Valaya Eau de Parfum
Tweetyque‘s Eau Des Sens Eau de Toilette
Le Labo Fleur D’Oranger 27
Orange blossom can be used to create a wide variety of perfumes. It is also used as a natural “fixative” to extend the shelf life of other components in a perfume.
The Experimental Perfume Club says: “Orange blossom is a complex ingredient, almost a scent in itself. It has a complex scent and can be interpreted within a wide palette of notes. At times it builds on its heady, floral-animal note, while at the same time having a fresh, babyish, soapy, clean scent.
“Because natural extracts of orange blossom are extremely expensive, perfumers often reproduce the scent of the flower from a mix of natural and synthetic perfume raw materials. Synthetic components such as Aurantiol, Anthranilate de Methyl and Nerolidol can be used to recreate the scent of orange blossom as part of an accord.”
The evergreen bitter orange tree of the Rutaceae plant family is believed to be a hybrid, bred from the pomelo and mandarin trees. About 100 pounds of blossom produces approx 1 pound of oil.
Both Orange Blossom and Neroli oil come from Citrus aurantium. Petitgrain is extracted from the leaves. When steam distillation is used to extract the oil from the flowers, the oil produced is called Neroli. When solvent extraction is used, the byproduct oil is called Orange Blossom. Neroli tends to have green, spicy notes, while Orange Blossom is sweeter and more floral.
Anne Marie Orsini, Princess of Nerola in Italy introduced the essence of the bitter orange tree to the fashionable circles of the 17th century Italian aristocracy. To make their gloves smell.
The best high-end Neroli eau de toilettes and eau du perfumes include Czech and speak NeroliEauso, Acqua di Parma Colonia, Prada’s Infusion de Fleur D’Oranger and Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Acqua, launched in 2019 and the result of an expedition undertaken by Edward Bodenham, following in the footsteps of his ancestor Robert Floris. Inspired by a maritime voyage, Neroli and lemon combine with oceanic notes of sea salty, invigorating freshness in the top layer, while the dominant Neroli accord continues in the heart, enveloped in jasmine flower, ginger and aromatic fennel seed. Oak (native to Corsica), musk and amber create a warm, woody and aromatic base that is lastingly powerful.
North African countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt are highly regarded sources of orange blossom. As is increasingly the case in California.
Orange blossom is also indolic (an aphrodisiac) because it contains indoles. Tryptophan is found in the proteins of indoles. This is the same chemical in your Thanksgiving turkey that makes you feel full!