THE PLANT

The bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium) is native to southeast Asia. It was introduced and cultivated in Morocco in the early 10th century by the Moors. Nowadays, the bitter orange tree is mostly grown in North Africa: Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt are known as the world’s largest producers of Neroli.

It takes the tree five to seven years to start producing flowers that can be cultivated. The bitter-orange trees typically blossom from late March to early May.

The bitter-orange tree is also called “The King of Trees” because of all the different products that it can give:

• essential oil cold pressed from the peel of the fruit
• essential oil distilled from the flowers, which is the famous Néroli
• essential oil distilled from the leaves, which is called petitgrain
• concrete and absolute by extraction from flowers
• orange blossom water, a byproduct of the distillation of flowers
• marmalade that can be made from the fruit
• aromatic extracts from the small fruits

THE OIL

Flowering blossoms start to appear in mid to late march (in Morocco) and must be picked at dawn. The pickers cover the blossoms with a wet cloth to keep them moist as distillation must be done as soon as possible as the essential oil from the plant quickly dries up. It takes one ton of blossoms to produce one kg of Neroli oil. The essential oil is intensely floral, citrusy, sweet and exotic and is often categorised as a floral essential oil instead of as a citrus. Highly concentrated a little of this oil goes a long way.

Because of its sweet aromatic smell recalling the one of jasmine, neroli is widely used in fragrances for both fine fragrances (perfumes, cologne, eau de toilette, etc.) and, much less, functional perfumery (body care, home care, fabric care, etc.). It is also an important ingredient for the flavour industry.

FOR PERFUMERY

In fine fragrance, Néroli is mostly used in Eau de Cologne (4711 de Muelhens, Eau de Cologne Jean-Marie Farina, Cologne de Mugler) or in fresh floral notes (Eau d’Orange Verte, Néroli d’Annick Goutal, Fleurs de Citronnier, Acqua de Stella Cadente, Néroli 36, Néroli Portofino…)

FOR AROMATHERAPY

Much research has been conducted regarding the aroma of Neroli essential oil. It’s known for it’s calm uplifting aroma, which may instill relaxation and promote emotional and spiritual well-being. Applied topically, Neroli can be used to soothe skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes.

• Soothe skin
• Uplifting scent
• Calming effect on the emotions
• Lowers inflammation and pain
• Reduces stress
• Improves symptoms of menopause
• Decreases blood pressure and cortisol levels

THE MARKET

It is estimated that the global volume of Néroli consumed annually is 2.5 tons. Although dependant on seasonal rains the Moroccan market has stabilised in the past few years with an increasing output year on year. Prices have increased over time to hit maxima of 7,000 Euros in 2018. With regard to all different projects in all three countries, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, it is believed prices will come “back to normal”, which will probably be beneficial to producers and users alike.