Orange Blossom

Information

Orange blossom is one of the most beautiful floral notes found in perfumes. Orange blossom grows on bitter orange trees native to China and India. Its Latin name is Citrus aurantium and it belongs to the plants of the Rutaceae group. They are relatively small trees, 3 to 7 meters tall, with glossy oval leaves and tiny white flowers with yellow centers. It takes about 15 years for the bitter orange tree to reach full maturity. From one tree you can harvest a maximum of about 15 kilograms of flowers.

Orange blossom in perfumery

The bitter orange tree is used to produce neroli, orange blossom absolute, orange blossom water, and petitgrain, which is extracted from the leaves. The world's largest producers of neroli and orange blossom absolute are currently Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, with Tunisia accounting for half of the market. About 1 ton of freshly picked flowers is needed to produce 1.2-1.4 kg of orange blossom absolute. The price of 1 kilogram of absolute can reach amounts between $ 4000 and $7000. While neroli and orange blossom water are obtained by distillation, orange blossom absolute is produced by using volatile solvents.

What does orange blossom smell like?

It is a very beautiful and complex fragrance that could be a perfume on its own. Sometimes it strikes with its power, its sharpness and its animalic accent, and sometimes it soothes with its floral nature associated with whiteness and innocence. Whiteness, luminosity and purity are also attributes of orange blossom, which is also the domain of neroli, which is extracted from the same flower but with a different method. However, orange blossom is slightly warmer, sweeter and at the same time without the hint of "metallicity" that Neroli has. The scent of orange blossom also has citrus notes, honey and green accents. It is definitely a fragrance that is more common in perfumes for women.