Free Shipping orders over $100 (US only)

0

Your Cart is Empty

Citrus, Citrus Everywhere

Citrus, Citrus Everywhere

Take a stroll down any natural product aisle these days (do people still do this?) or browse online and chances are you'll see a lot of citrus scents.  In the fragrance world, especially naturals, citrus is typically the 'low-hanging fruit' (pardon the pun) because citrus oils are relatively inexpensive (depending on the type), powerful (because they are volatile) and olfactive crowd-pleasers.   

Orange oil is one of the cheapest oils available, with recent prices under USD10/KG while other oils such as kumquat (over USD200/KG) and yuzu (over USD400/KG) are much more expensive.  Other options include lime, lemon, blood orange and mandarin.

Citrus oils are unique in that the oils are stored in the skin of the fruit and are released when the skin is broken (like when you peel an orange).  Because of this, they do not require heat or water to extract the oils from the plant.  Instead, citrus extractions utilize a special machine that looks like a washing machine lined with tiny spikes that spins and pokes holes in the fruit skin, allowing the oils to be released and captured.  That's it!

Our favorite citrus ingredient is pink grapefruit, a tart and juicy material that we use to add brightness to our formulations.  In addition, citrus notes are highly volatile, so they evaporate quickly and add 'lift' to other 'heavier' fragrance facets such as floral, balsamic and sweet notes.  

Another absolute favorite for us is bergamot.  Bergamot is one of the only citruses that we don't eat and is only grown in Calambria, Italy.  The smell of pure bergamot is a fresh, astringent combination of lemon, peppercorn and bitter notes.  Pure elegance.   

Want to smell what we mean? Here are a few of our favorite citrus formulations:

 

 

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Fragrant Thoughts

Ingredient Spotlight: Jasmine
Ingredient Spotlight: Jasmine

by Nathan Motylinski 1 min read

Jasmine is one of our favorite materials.  The best (and most expensive) jasmine comes from France.  These delicate flowers must be picked by hand and require over 8,000 blossoms to create 1 gram of absolute!
Read More
Fall Fragrances
Fall Fragrances

by Nathan Motylinski 0 min read 1 Comment

Forget about pumpkin and fall in love with these unique scents for Autumn.
Read More
purple iris flower against black background
Ingredient Spotlight: Iris

by Nathan Motylinski 1 min read

Iris materials in perfumery come entirely from the roots of the plant, a process that takes 7 YEARS to complete.  Yes, 7 years.  
Read More