Finally ! Summer is coming. And its heavy heat too ... How can we cool down when we don’t have a swimming pool at the back of our garden? With Bon Parfumeur, the solution is quite simple: a little pschit of orange blossom perfume here, another one there, and gosh, it's good! We are already in distant horizons, in the shade, on vacation…

This light and deliciously scented flower makes us travel, gives us a real kick, but also whets our appetite. Why ? Because surprisingly, it is very often found in the kitchen. Whether in the delicious Lebanese desert named Mouhalabia, or even in marshmallows, which have a scent that is in fact a mixture of orange blossom and vanilla. It is absolutely EVERYWHERE!

In short, we love it and we are not alone ! Louis XIV was so fond of its smell that he decided to create an Orangery at the Palace of Versailles.

But what does orange blossom smell like exactly?

In perfumery, orange blossom has a thousand faces… It can have floral, sweet, powdery notes but also green notes. Often used in oriental perfumes, we love its exotic touch ! Change of scenery guaranteed! Loved by (almost) everyone, it reminds us of the first sweet evenings of summer and fragrant gardens.

And where does it come from?

Some say it is from Morocco or Tunisia while others say it is from China or India. Mystery, mystery ... However, today, it is mainly cultivated in North Africa and more precisely in Tunisia, in the region of Cap Bon. Hence its sunny smell that makes us want to travel so much.

Neroli and orange blossom: the subtleties

These two scents are a bit like cousins! Neroli and orange blossom come from the same tree, a bitter orange tree. Two types of rare elixirs are made from the flowers of bitter oranges :

→ Orange blossom absolute. It has a very marked, sweet and enveloping scent. It is  after extraction with volatile solvents from the flowers. The result is a concrete which, once washed with alcohol, will give the absolute. About a ton of flowers is needed to provide a kilo of absolute! A long and meticulous process, which is close to our hearts at Bon Parfumeur.

→ Neroli essence. It is obtained by the distillation of these same flowers. Its fragrance is sweeter and less concentrated than that of the absolute. Why neroli? Because this scent became trendy at the end of the 17th century, when Anne-Marie Orsini, Princess of Nerola in Italy, made it her favorite perfume and asked that her gloves were scented with it (originally, only leathers were scented and not bodies!).

The 1001 qualities of orange blossom!

In addition to having a unique divine smell, orange blossom has relaxing properties. Indeed, it is used in aromatherapy, to relieve stress and anxiety but also during traditional massages. It is also recognized for its bactericidal, fungicidal and even insecticidal properties! In cosmetics, it is appreciated for its revitalizing properties.In short, it is clearly an ally to adopt!

Bon Parfumeur and orange blossom : a long love story

Our very first perfume is precisely composed of orange blossom! The 001, is sparkling, comforting and modern, mixing orange blossom, petit grain and bergamot. A divine summer cocktail, which takes us to the Amalfi Coast during summer, where the gentle breeze passes through half-open windows. Where we like drinking lemon juice, in the shade of the garden filled with lavender and rosemary.

Want to try this summer atmosphere? It's this way !