Orange Blossom

Group: Flowers

Orange Blossom is a fragrant distillation of fresh bitter-orange flower. This orange, also known as sour orange, is usually too sour to be enjoyed out of hand, but this very same bitterness makes this type of orange much more aromatic than the rest of the orange varieties. Almost all parts of bitter orange are used to produce beautiful and aromatic materials for the fragrance industry: the essential oil is derived from peel of a fruit, orange leaves are used in production of Petitgrain oil, while delicate white flowers serve in production of Neroli and Orange Blossom absolute.

The bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium) is widely grown in the western parts of India, eastern Africa and Himalayas. Spaniards brought sour orange into St. Augustine, Florida, in the mid-1500s. By 1763, sour oranges were being exported from St. Augustine to England, setting the grounds for what is Florida today - one of the world’s largest producers of oranges. This state even uses the orange blossom as the official state symbol since May 5, 1909. During the orange blossom time, in spring, millions of delicate waxy white flowers scent the air throughout central and south Florida. Being one of the most fragrant flowers, orange blossoms are an indispensible material in perfume industry.

Orange flowers have been used in wedding traditions since the times of ancient China. In Chinese tradition, orange flowers were omens of purity, innocence and moral virtue, but also a symbol of fruitfulness and fertility. Brides of all nations have always worn some kind of a floral embellishment on their wedding day, and the tradition of using orange flowers has spread from the East to Europe, during the times of the Crusaders. Maidens have used fresh orange blossoms to decorate their hair on a wedding day, and this custom was so widespread that that the expression "to gather orange blossoms" took completely different connotation by starting to mean "to seek a wife".

Fragrant flowers of bitter orange are used in production of Orange Blossom and Neroli extracts. Even though these fragrant notes possess different olfactory characteristics, the only thing that distinguishes them one from another is a different process of extraction. This example clearly illustrates the importance of technology used in production of raw materials since these two materials, even they originate from the same type of flower, have completely different properties. Orange blossom absolute is obtained by solvent extraction as a concrete, and using alcohol washing and filtering in the form of an absolute. Neroli is obtained by steam-distillation of freshly picked flowers.

Neroli oil has beautiful aromatic fragrance that leans a bit towards fresh and green petitgrain. Orange blossom absolute, on the other hand, has deeper and sweet fragrance that strongly reminds of the heady scent of fresh flowers, intoxicating and overwhelming, it feels close to the scent of jasmine (as it actually shares some of the common chemical components with this flower, Methyl anthranilate, for example).

Orange blossom absolute is used in many different types of fragrances and especially in colognes, chypres, ambers, floral bouquets, and heavy orientals. It beautifully complements all other citrusy notes and acts as a natural fixative, allowing the original composition to last longer while keeping its true fragrance.

An amazing orange blossom fragrance is Fleurs D'Oranger by Serge Lutens. Sweet, delicate, soft and feminine, this fragrance offers an intoxicating bouquet of white flowers coupled with a single fresh greeny rose. Jo Malone's Orange Blossom cologne, with its heart of orange blossom and water lily, is another great example of this note, while Yardley’s Orange Blossom, designed to highlight modern notes of fragrances inspired by English flowers, offers wonderful and sophisticated combination of orange blossom and sensual musk. Fleur du Mâle by Jean Paul Gaultier, named after the Baudelaire’s collection of poems, uses orange blossom in a decadent and flowery, slightly feminine composition, designed especially for men.

To find more amazing fragrances with Orange Blossom note, please use our search by notes. To learn more about neroli and orange blossom raw materials, check out Sandra’s informative article Orange Flower or Neroli.

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