Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica (Anne Flipo) 2024 + Nature as Elegance Giveaway

September 3, 2024September 7, 2024

Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica courtesy the brand

“I imagined an androgynous orange blossom that you want to smell again and again…faceted with fusing spices and a bewitching heart of jasmine and neroli, its powerful trail melts into a hypnotic woody base of sandalwood and vetiver.” ~ Master Perfumer Anne Flipo, describing her inspiration for Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica

Master Perfumer Anne Flipo of IFF and Geraldine Archambault of Essential Parfums courtesy the brand

It seems that all things orange blossom are having a very good year indeed: some of the loveliest perfumes over the past year + have concentrated on this waxy indolic flower and its aromatic relatives (neroli, petigrain).

Géraldine and Anne in the International Museum of Perfumery in Grasse via Essential Parfums

Most recently, master perfumer Anne Flipo of IFF has turned her skilled hand to composing all-botanical eau de parfum for Essential Parfums- Néroli Botanica. Given Ms. Flipo’s versatility and willingness to create beautiful fragrances for any number of brands (from the bon marché to the prestigious, more costly ones), I anticipated nothing less than an artistic portrait of the celebrated white flower – a symbol of both innocence (brides, purity, fertility, good fortune) and the potently carnal: I was not disappointed. We have been gifted an endless summer crowned with radiance – a fragrance which is to be enjoyed by all.

Orange Blossoms via Essential Parfums

In the recent past, it was common to associate white flowers with femininity due to their irresistible sensual allure. In so doing, we forget that the orange blossom was Louis the XIV’s favorite (and signature) floral – one he wore consistently throughout his life. Queen Victoria forswore the traditional tiara for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 (Prince Albert had special jewelry created for Victoria in the form of orange blossoms for the occasion), choosing to adorn herself with a crown of orange blossom instead – as indeed Hera was said to do when she wed Zeus. We owe a debt of gratitude to the 17th C. Italian princess Anne-Marie de Tremoille, Countess of Nerola, for the essence’s very name – neroli – and both Napoléon and Marie Antoinette harbored a particular fondness for it.

citrus aurantium bigaradier in bloom in Les Jardins de Luxembourg, July 2022 by Ida

Why neroli and not the name orange blossom? Apparently, it all boils down to the extraction of this indolic essence: solvent extraction is employed in the processing of orange blossom, whereas neroli is obtained by the steam distillation of hand-picked flowers. They also possess differing scent profiles: neroli is known for its verdant, fresh floralcy – which has always been well-suited to colognes and ethereal fragrances; orange blossom tends to be more honeyed, intense and warmer in nature. I find it helpful to remind myself of this periodically when pondering the several aromas which the citrus aurantium (bigaradier) provides.

Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica courtesy the brand

Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica embodies the timeless nature of elegance, simplicity, and enticement. I love its introductory burst of two piquant and floral peppers in concert with a zesty ginger note; it conjures a contemporized, more intensified cologne sensation. Ms. Flipo presses several facets of the orange into service: the tenderness of orange blossom water, which underscores European baby care products and is joyfully added to Indian and Arabic cuisine; the variant but related charms of both neroli and orange blossom; and companionable jasmine sambac – which, in itself, mirrors the headier aspects of orange blossom in its fulsome abundance. What happens next is a coup of intuitivity: the loveliest anchoring of solar expression, depicted in earthy tones of smoky Haitian vetiver, sandalwood, and ancient benzoin, with all its attendant layers of nuance. These elements foster a certain transcendence and ensure a lasting tenacity and sillage – qualities which are not always to be expected in a botanical perfume. As we find ourselves in the midst of summer’s swan song, Néroli Botanica is Ms. Flipo’s assurance that the glowing season may linger with us all year ‘round.

Notes: Indian curcuma leaf (turmeric), pink pepper, black pepper, ginger, Indian jasmine sambac, Tunisian neroli, Tunisian orange blossom, orange blossom water, Haïtian vetiver, benzoin, New Caledonian sandalwood

Sample kindly provided by Indigo Perfumery – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Thanks to Indigo Perfumery, we are offering a 100 ml bottle of Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica for one registered reader in the USA and thanks to Essential Parfums in the EU.YOU must register. There is only one winner. To be eligible, please leave a comment on what sparks your interest in Ida’s review, why you would like to win Essentials Parfums Néroli Botanica, and where you live. Draw closes 9/6/2024. The winner will be announced within 10 days. We will not email you, so please check back.

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