Bitter Orange also known as Bigarade, and botanically known as Citrus aurantium, is a versatile and widely used ingredient in perfumery. Extracted from the bitter orange tree, it yields several distinct types of essential oils. The most notable are oil from the fruit rind (bitter orange oil), oil from the flower (neroli oil), and oil from the leaves and twigs (petitgrain oil).Each of these oils brings a different aspect of the bitter orange tree to a fragrance. Bitter orange oil has a fresh, tart, and slightly spicy citrus scent. Neroli, extracted through steam distillation of the flowers, offers a sweet, floral, and somewhat metallic aroma. Petitgrain provides a woody and herbaceous note. These oils are often used in citrus, floral, and chypre fragrances, offering complexity and brightness.Historically, bitter orange and its derivatives have been used in perfumery for centuries. The traditional extraction method for these oils is primarily steam distillation, which captures the essence of the tree's different parts while maintaining the integrity of the scent.
Natural or Synthetic?
Bitter Orange is used both naturally and synthetically. Natural essential oil is extracted from the fruit's peel, offering a bitter, citrusy scent. Synthetically, its scent can be recreated to provide consistency and to supplement natural oil supplies.
Fragrance Families Bitter Orange Most Commonly Found In
Show fragrances that contain Bitter Orange as a note