One Note

created with Ideogram AI, Adobe Photoshop, and lots of patience

Why am I so obsessed with certain notes that I own multiple variations of a similar scent? For instance, orange blossom/neroli. (Yes, I understand that they are two different perfumery notes, but I'm going to group them together. They are inanimate, so not likely to get their feelings hurt if I do so.) Orange blossom and neroli both come from the flowers of the bitter orange tree. Orange blossom tends to be sweeter and creamier and is extracted from the flower by solvent extraction or enfleurage. Neroli, on the other hand, is fresher and greener, and primarily obtained through steam distillation. Though they have differences, they are alike enough for me to consider them as a single fragrance category. For the duration of this post, I'm just going to refer to both scents as "orange blossom," so please don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not a perfumer or a scientist, just someone who likes to smell good.

I've always been a bit of a collector. Over the years, I've been into Matchbox cars, Barbie dolls, baseball cards, teddy bears, Native American jewelry, cookbooks, and various collectibles related to mermaids, Frida Kahlo, and chile peppers. Currently my sickness includes scented candles and perfumes. I own 16 orange blossom fragrances and am always lusting after another. Among the orange blossom and neroli scents in my collection are Armani Prive Orangerie Venise, Celine Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Clean Blossom, Chanel Eau de Cologne, Elie Saab Essence No. 7 Neroli, ELDO Divin'Enfant, ELDO Une Amourette, Essential Parfums Neroli Botanica, Guerlain Eau Secrete, Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur, Lush Orange Blossom, Memoire Liquide Soleil Liquide, Minois Paris Minois, Monotheme Venezia Zagara, Profumum Roma Battito d'Ali, Serge Lutens Fleurs d'Oranger, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, and Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie, and I'm sure I will fall in love with and purchase other vaguely similar perfumes in the months and years to come.

I'm not saying that all perfumes with a focus on orange blossom are similar. Well, they do actually share a similarity, but they are not the same. Even if multiple of them claimed to have the same notes, the actual aromachemicals involved can be very different, as well as the amounts of each that are used to create the overall perfume. And of course every perfumer has his or her own style. Still, there are probably more similarities within the family of orange blossom fragrances than between the vast number of rose fragrances. Some rose perfumes I love, others I hate; most I find uninteresting at best. But when I smell a primarily orange blossom fragrance, I am immediately attracted. But why?

It's possible that orange blossom is connected to an early scent memory of mine, but that's doubtful. It's true that I received a set of Tinkerbell floral fragrances when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It included small bottles of rose, lily of the valley, and apple blossom scents, and perhaps honeysuckle, but I do not recall orange blossom specifically. It took a long time for me to get into any sort of floral perfumes, so at that young age I wasn't fond of any of them. Living in Maryland didn't put me anywhere near fresh orange blossoms of any sort. Neither my mother nor my grandmother wore orange blossom, so it's not maternal nostalgia. It's just...I don't know what it is. (We're allowed to not understand things from time to time. Even about ourselves.)

While I'm trying to figure things out, let me tell you about a few of my favorites. (Three of them have already been mentioned on this blog and are linked above.)

Elie Saab Essence No. 7 Neroli 

Neroli, Orange Blossom, Musk, Cloves, White Cedar Extract

I think of this sparkling beauty as a more "grown-up" orange blossom fragrance. The greenish neroli notes make this somewhat dry and chypre-esque, definitely indolic, while the orange blossom warms it up just a little bit. The clove both adds to the warmth but also causes a tiny frisson of coolness. I love to wear this in the evening, on a night out, all year 'round, but I will also wear it on a winter's day.

Guerlain La Cologne du Parfumeur

African Orange Flower, Citruses, Amalfi Lemon, Rosemary, Lavender, Mint, White Musk

I am a big fan of cologne-style fragrances, those fresh citrus bombs that are so deliciously cooling in the sweaty summer. I first encountered La Cologne du Parfumeur at a Sniffapalooza breakfast at Bergdorf Goodman some years ago. There was something special about the orange blossom and herb combination that knocked my socks off; as soon as the breakfast concluded, I was on my way to the Guerlain counter to make a purchase. Few fragrances hook me in such an immediate way, so I had to have it. 

Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie

Neroli, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine Sambac, Frangipani, Beeswax, Vanilla

Sadly, I cannot remember what fragrance I wore for my own wedding, but I can tell you what I wore as Matron of Honor for my BFF Andree's 2021 nuptials. She wore the fluffy, marshmallow-y, orange blossom scent By Kilian Love Don't Be Shy. I thought California Reverie would be a nice companion scent, similar because of the neroli, but much less sweet. I didn't want to out-smell the bride. Some might argue that this is more about jasmine than orange blossom, and that might be true. I've never been drawn to a straight-up jasmine fragrance, indolic or not. However, the lovely neroli/orange opening drew me in and keeps me wearing this lovely scent.

-----------------------
Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.