Grapefruit

lat. Citrus paradisi

Group: Citrus

Odor profile: tart, tangy, with bitter aftertaste, clearing elegant aroma, happy smell, uplifting.

Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi) is the only citrus fruit that doesn’t originate from the Old World. Lemons, Oranges, Mandarins and all other wonderful juicy citruses were brought to the Americas by adventurous European explorers, but grapefruit is a relatively young species, originating from the late 18th-century Caribbean. Grapefruit is most probably a natural hybrid between the pomelo and the orange, first bred in Barbados. This hybrid fruit is today listed as one of the “Seven Wonders of Barbados,” where Citrus Paradisi is still mentioned as the “Forbidden Fruit.” This intriguing name was not given by the locals, but by the Reverend Griffith Hughes, an 18th century naturalist, who was on the quest of finding the origin of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from the Garden of Eden. Unusual orange fruits hanging from the lush green branches appeared to him similar to the biblical Golden Apples - the fruit with the promise of knowledge.

For many years, grapefruit was known as shaddock or shattuck, possibly in reference to certain Captain Shaddock, who was the one that brought pomelo seeds to Jamaica. The name we use today name refers to the manner in which grapefruit grows – in a clusters, resembling a shape of big yellow grapes.

Grapefruit was first introduced to Florida in the 1820’s, where it is still widely grown. The United States is the world’s major producer of this fruit and Florida alone generates about 1/3 of the world's grapefruit harvest. This wonderful fruit comes in many colors, ranging from pale white to ruby red. What is common for all of the varieties is that they are rich in juice and have a tangy-sweet to bitter flavor. Grapefruit is mostly eaten out-of-hand or in the form of a fruit juice. It holds as one of the world’s healthiest foods, loaded with beneficial nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals.

The essential oil of grapefruit is extracted from the peel of the fruit. It is historically known for its aromatic scent and widely used in aromatherapy. The composition of the oil, and its sensory properties, may widely vary with the cultivar. The extraction method involves cold pressing of the outer peels of the fruits and delivers a distinctively colored greenish-yellow liquid with a sharp citrusy scent. The odor resembles the one of the sweet orange oil, but it is slightly more bitter and herbaceous. The oil is used mainly for flavoring fruit beverages and as a common fragrance material.

It is one of the main ingredients in a range of perfumes with a fine citrusy accord. Same as the rest of the citrus notes, grapefruit is predominately powerful in top notes, it lends a zesty and fresh start to the composition, and provides lively introduction to the middle and base notes. Depending on the sort of the grapefruit, the olfactory properties of the oil may vary from bitter and sharp notes of white grape, to sweet, delicate and milder nuances of red and pink sorts. Recently, the grapefruit 'bitter-green-woody' nuance has become popular in perfumery as a variation of the classical Eau de Cologne theme and it is used for creation of both female and male perfumes.

Perfect examples of two grapefruit-influenced unisex fragrances are Jo Malone’s Grapefruit and Assam and Grapefruit, from the Tea Collection. The former is inspired by the British tradition of daily tea ritual, and delivers refreshing and invigorating scent of grapefruit as from the first morning cup of tea. Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune is a sparkling and fresh eau de toilette for women, designed to be reminiscent of taking a walk in the garden.

More delicate, sweet and fresh interpretation of grapefruit is offered in the sparkling composition of Pink Grapefruit by Floris. This unisex fragrance combines notes of pink grapefruit, grapefruit blossom and sandalwood. Another lovely fragrance based on pink grapefruit is Pink Grapefruit by Bath and Body Works. It delivers a splash of freshness in the top notes, which are composed of orange and pink grapefruit.

If you’re looking for a fragrance that’s just about grapefruit and grapefruit only, try Antica Farmacista’s Grapefruit for women. The nose behind this fragrance, Paolo Vranjes, processed the grapefruit essence to create a clean, fresh and spicy fragrance that truly invigorates our senses.

More wonderful fragrances featuring grapefruit note can be discovered in our search by notes.

Author: Marina Milojević (Mary)
Fragrantica Writer, Translator & Editor