Ingredient Spotlight: Neroli & Orange Blossom

Asking me to name my favorite essential oils is a little like asking a parent to name their favorite child. They are all equally beloved, though each is special in its own way. Still, there are two essences that I could not imagine life without: neroli and orange blossom.

Neroli and orange blossom are among the most important and widely used floral essences in perfumery. Both essences are extracted from the freshly picked flowers of the bitter orange tree (citrus aurantium var. amara). The difference is in how they are extracted. Neroli, an essential oil, is obtained through steam distillation, while orange blossom, an absolute, is obtained through solvent extraction.

Neroli essential oil is an ethereal, sweet white floral with a radiant and mesmerizing top note and slightly green, refreshing citrus back notes. Legend has it that the hauntingly beautiful essence was named after Anne Marie Orsini, the Princess of Nerola, Italy, who in the 17th century used it to scent her gloves and bathwater.

Neroli finds much use in perfumery, providing a fresh yet seductive top-to-middle floral note. It's also quite helpful in aromatherapy blends, where its soothing, elevating effect aids in promoting relaxation and relieving stress. A truly hypnotic and uplifting scent, it's considered to be an aphrodisiac.

Orange blossom absolute, a middle note in perfumery, is an indispensable white floral that's similar in character to neroli but is warmer, headier, more full-bodied. Its intoxicating scent is lush and sultry but at the same time fresh and green, with a long-lasting radiance that helps round out heart notes in many perfumes. It's a beautiful note on its own as well, with a vibe that is at once light-hearted and seductive. Like neroli, it's considered an aphrodisiac.

Cultivated in France, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, bitter orange trees are prolific multi-taskers. In addition to being the source of neroli essential oil and orange blossom absolute, they produce three other essences.

The first is petitgrain absolute, which is solvent extracted from the leaves of the bitter orange tree. A fascinating middle note in perfumery, petitgrain absolute brings deep, fresh, green complexity to the heart of a fragrance.

Then there’s petitgrain essential oil (steam-distilled from the leaves and twigs) and bitter orange essential oil (expressed from the orange peel). These bright yet sophisticated citrus oils are used as top notes in perfumery, and in aromatherapy blends for their refreshing, uplifting qualities.

CUSANI perfumes that feature neroli and orange blossom as key notes are Neroli Noir, Love Lavender, Sanctuary, Haute Bohème and No. 9. — Claudia