Bitter Orange

lat. Citrus aurantium

Group: Citrus

Odor profile: inedible tart citrus, known as "bigarade", full of aroma of proper marmalade, tart and citrusy with an elegant base note.

Bitter Orange, also known as Seville orange (Bigarade orange), is one of the many types of oranges, and one the most important citruses used in modern perfume industry. Bitter orange is a main source of orange blossom and neroli extracts, prized for their delicious fragrance and wonderful and fresh bitter-sweet citrusy aroma. Bitter Orange grows in warm parts of the world, but the best quality oil is produced of peel from Spanish and Guinean orange. The odor of bitter orange is fresh, tart and hot and bitter.

Bitter oranges originate from northeastern India and certain regions of China and Myanmar. The fruit has spread to the rest of the world by the 1st century CE, when the Romans first started cultivating bitter oranges to use them in natural remedies and as a delicious treat. With fall of Roman Empire, the cultivation of Bitter Orange has staggered for a while in Europe. It was the Arabs who spread it all the way to Spain, where they grow even today, lining the streets and spreading the wonderful aroma of the fresh citrus blossoms. Some of these trees are more than 600 years old, but oldest live bitter orange tree is supposedly one planted back in 1421, and still growing at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.

When the Americas were discovered, Spanish people brought the seeds of bitter orange to North America, namely to Florida and the Bahamas. Florida is today known as the world’s largest producer of oranges, and the fragrant blossoms of the orange tree are listed as Florida state symbols.

Bitter orange is mainly used for production of essential oils, which are used in perfume industry and as a flavoring. This sort of orange is not edible like the rest of the commonly grown oranges, however it is frequently used processed, especially in production of bitters, jams, marmalades, and to flavor tea. The extract of bitter orange is rich in synephrine which is known as very good appetite suppressant. Bitter orange has been used as a stimulant and herbal remedy for a long time, but recent studies have linked this substance with the increased risk of premature death from myocardial infarction (heart attack). Today, consumer groups advocate avoiding medicinal use of the fruit, but its sweet side is still preserved in perfume industry and poses no harm at all.

Bitter orange is a precious fruit for all perfumers, used for production of Orange blossom and neroli. The orange blossom absolute is obtained with the volatile solvents, while neroli is produced obtained by careful steam distillation of the freshly picked flowers. Neroli has a wonderful and heady refreshing but spicy floral aroma, which makes it a great addition to all kinds of floral compositions, eau de colognes and skin-care products. The orange blossom absolute is an intensively floral brownish liquid with a delicate and fresh scent that closely resembles the natural fragrance of fresh bitter-orange. The leaves of bitter orange, as well as the flower buds, are steam-distilled to produce petitgrain, an essential oil that has a greenish woody orange scent.

Another derivate from bitter orange, which truly marks this note in the world of perfumery, is the bitter orange oil. This oil has a distinctive citrusy aroma placed somewhere in the middle of sweet orange and bitter grape. Bitter orange oil lends a distinctively zesty and bitter flavor to the fragrance, and it is mostly used in production of eau de Colognes. This essence is obtained through the process of cold extraction from the orange peel.

Bitter Orange note is found in Miss Dior Cherie L`Eau by Dior, a clean and fresh composition designed to accentuate beauty of simplicity. It also emanates from Moschino’s Moschino Funny!, lively and cheerful fragrance designed especially for young girls. More sophisticated interpretation of bitter orange is offered in elegant and romantic Chopard’s Happy Spirit, as well as in optimistic and floral “Marry me!” by Lanvin. Cartier uses Bitter Orange in the top notes of Declaration, which is a woody floral musk fragrance for men, while Boucheron does the same in floral oriental fragrance for women – Boucheron.

Other fragrances containing Bitter Orange note can be found listed below this article.