Citrus perfumes

What is a citrus perfume?

A citrus perfume, or hesperidic perfume, is one dominated by citrus essential oils: bergamot, lemon, orange, mandarin, grapefruit. The name comes from the Hesperides, the nymphs of Greek mythology linked to Hesperos, the evening, and therefore called the “daughters of the evening”: in the far west they guarded the garden of the golden apples, watched over by the dragon Ladon, and stealing that fruit was one of the labours of Heracles. The golden apples were later identified with citrus fruits, and perfumery took the family's name from here.

Most citrus essences are obtained from the peel by cold pressing, one of the three methods of producing essential oils recognised by the ISO standard. Lime is also obtained by distillation, the same route as petitgrain, from the leaves, and neroli, from the flowers. Citrus notes are top notes: their small, light molecules evaporate quickly and give the fresh sensation you perceive first. To make them last longer, perfumers rest them on heart and base notes and on fixatives.

From the peel, the leaves or the flowers?

The world of citrus reaches the bottle in three different ways.

A single tree, the bitter orange, thus gives three different scents: the peel essence, petitgrain and neroli. And lime bridges the two techniques: it is obtained both by cold pressing the peel and by distilling the whole fruit.

From Cologne to Calabria: the story of citrus perfumes

Greek myth gave the family its name; its modern story begins with eau de cologne, the forerunner of the hesperidic family. The main milestones:

1. 1709In Cologne, Giovanni Maria Farina, from the Valle Vigezzo in Italy, creates the original Eau de Cologne. The recipe is still the original one: the house cites oranges, lemons, grapefruits, bergamot and citron, together with flowers and herbs from his homeland, and still produces it today.
2. Late 18th centuryWilhelm Mülhens sells his eau de cologne in Cologne; it will take the name 4711 from the house number of his home in Glockengasse: bergamot, lemon and orange, with neroli, petitgrain, lavender and rosemary.
3. 1966Eau Sauvage by Dior, created by Edmond Roudnitska, opens on lemon and bergamot: according to Firmenich, it was with Eau Sauvage that Hedione entered fine perfumery.
4. 1969Ô de Lancôme, created by Robert Gonnon: a fresh citrus with mandarin, bergamot, basil and rosemary, together with sandalwood, vetiver and oakmoss.
5. 1970Eau de Rochas, created by Nicolas Mamounas: a classic of the citrus family.
6. 1979Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermès, created by Françoise Caron.
7. 1992Michael Edwards creates the Fragrance Wheel: in today's version Citrus is a subfamily of the Fresh family, alongside Water and Green.
8. 1994CK One by Calvin Klein, created by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont: a bergamot citrus made for both men and women.
9. 2001The PDO “Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria – Olio essenziale” is established, reserved for the essence of the fruit.
10. 2020IFRA publishes the 49th amendment of its standard on citrus oils and furocoumarins, which limits bergapten in products for skin exposed to the sun. For the same reason perfumery also uses a bergamot freed of furocoumarins.

Today niche perfumery takes citrus in every direction: from the most classic cologne to aromatic, floral, woody and chypre citrus perfumes.

The raw materials of citrus perfumes

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About 90% of the world's bergamot comes from Calabria, from a strip of coast about 100 km long between Villa San Giovanni and Gioiosa Jonica, and since 2001 its essence has had a PDO. It is obtained from the peel, cold pressed: it takes about 200 kg of fruit to make 1 kg of essence. After limonene, its main molecules are linalyl acetate and linalool.

Citrus perfumes with bergamot

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It is a hybrid of bitter orange and citron. The essence is cold pressed from the peel, and today the leading producer of lemon essence is Argentina, above all the province of Tucumán. Limonene makes up about 70% of it, but the typical scent of lemon comes from citral, at around 2%.

Citrus perfumes with lemon

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It is a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange: the first to mention it, in 1750, was the Welsh Reverend Griffith Hughes, who called it the “forbidden fruit” of Barbados. Its signature molecule is nootkatone, which today is made from valencene, also with enzymes and fermentation.

Citrus perfumes with grapefruit

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Sweet orange essence is cold pressed from the peel and collected from fresh oranges as they are squeezed for juice. The bitter orange, Citrus × aurantium, is instead the tree of three scents: neroli and orange blossom absolute from the flowers, bigarade essence from the peel, petitgrain from the leaves and twigs.

Citrus perfumes with orange

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The essence is cold pressed from the peel.

Citrus perfumes with mandarin

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There are two limes: the Key lime or Mexican lime, small, round and often picked green, and the Persian or Tahiti lime, larger and seedless. For distilled essence the whole fruit is pressed and the emulsion of juice and oil is steam distilled; for cold-pressed essence the peel is rasped and the oil is separated in a centrifuge.

Citrus perfumes with lime

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“Petitgrain” means “small grain”: the name originally referred to the small, green, unripe fruits of the bitter orange, then passed to the essence distilled from the leaves and twigs. Today it comes mainly from Paraguay. It grows on the same tree as neroli and orange blossom, and its main molecules are linalool and linalyl acetate.

Citrus perfumes with petitgrain

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Citron is one of the three ancestral citrus fruits, with pomelo and mandarin, from which all the others are thought to descend: in Calabria the Liscia-Diamante cultivar is grown. Yuzu is native to China and reached Japan by the 8th century; it is picked green, as aoyuzu, or yellow and ripe, as kiyuzu.

Citrus perfumes with citron

The nuances of citrus perfumes

Citrus can be pure and sparkling or meet herbs, flowers, spices and woods. From the freshest to the warmest, here are its main faces:

In our collection the most frequent second families are aromatic, floral and woody: to explore every nuance, use the fragrance family or note filters.

When to wear a citrus perfume

Citrus perfumes are the scents of warm, sunny days, and are at their best in summer and by day. But not only: when they rest on a woody or musky base they become companions for many occasions.

Longevity depends above all on the base. Citrus notes are top notes, the most volatile, and a base of woods such as cedar, vetiver, sandalwood and patchouli, together with fixatives, extends their trail; concentration matters too, and an Eau de Parfum lasts longer than a cologne. In our collection the most frequent top notes are bergamot, lemon and grapefruit; the most frequent base notes are musk, amber and vanilla.

Frequently asked questions

What does “citrus perfume” (or “hesperidic”) mean?
It is a perfume dominated by citrus essential oils, such as bergamot, lemon, orange, mandarin and grapefruit. “Hesperidic” comes from the Hesperides, the nymphs of Greek myth who guarded the garden of the golden apples, later identified with citrus fruits.

What is the difference between eau de cologne and a citrus Eau de Parfum?
“Eau de Cologne” means two things: the historic formula, made largely of hesperidic notes, and the lightest concentration. An Eau de Parfum contains a higher share of essences and lasts longer: it is the ideal choice for those who want the freshness of citrus with a more present trail.

Are citrus and aquatic (or marine) the same thing?
No, they are two different faces of freshness. In Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel the Fresh family includes Citrus, Water and Green: citrus perfumes are built on citrus essences, aquatic ones on marine notes.

Are citrus perfumes for men or for women?
They are for everyone: the family is loved by men and women alike, and CK One, one of the great citrus perfumes in the timeline above, was made in 1994 precisely for both. The best way to choose is to try them on your skin.

Do citrus perfumes fade quickly?
Citrus notes are top notes and give their freshness above all in the opening, but how long a citrus perfume lasts depends on its base and concentration. Niche citrus perfumes that rest on woods, musks and fixatives, and those in Eau de Parfum, stay with you much longer: in our collection the most frequent base notes are musk, amber and vanilla.

Can I try a citrus perfume before buying it?
Yes. With every order over €100 you receive 10 free samples, and you choose 5 of them yourself: it is the easiest way to discover a citrus perfume on your skin before buying the bottle. If you are near Rome, you can try them in person at our boutique in Nettuno.