Neroli

Citrus aurantium

Top note Floral Citrus Essential oil

Honeyed orange blossom, green and slightly bitter, with a clean, almost metallic sparkle. Delicate and fleeting.

Made from: Steam-distilled from the fresh blossoms of the bitter orange tree.
Strength: ●●●○○
Cost: Luxury
Moods: Calming Romantic Uplifting
Seasons: Spring, Summer
Rooms: Bedroom, Bathroom, Living room

Blend with it

Cautions

Fades quickly — weak in cold-process soap or at hot throw

Not phototoxic, unlike bergamot. No special cautions at normal use.

How it behaves

CandlesWorkable

Far too precious for candles; it flashes off in hot wax. An orange blossom fragrance oil throws better.

Wax meltsWorkable

Reed diffuserGood

Room & linen sprayGreat

Where neroli shines in home fragrance — a few drops in a linen spray.

Electric (water) diffuserGreat

Cold-process soapWorkable

Fades in cure and the price makes cold process a poor use; petitgrain gives a similar feel cheaply.

Melt-and-pour soapGreat

Laundry & cleaningWorkable

Pairs well with

Base · Resinous & amber

Don't have it? Try Petitgrain.

In these blends

Orange Blossom Water

A Mediterranean courtyard where the orange trees are in bloom.

Petitgrain · Benzoin · Neroli · Mandarin · Palmarosa · Jasmine

Top 31% Middle 46% Base 23%

UpliftingRomanticSpringSummer

A little lore

Orange flower water, used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern pastries, is the fragrant hydrosol that comes off the still alongside neroli.