Orange Blossom
Dear Friends,
The orange tree is the king of perfumery—specifically the Bigarade Orange tree, as it is the most generous in its offerings. Harvested in winter, the orange is a pop of color in the dullest days.
When you peel an orange, you feel the fine drops coming out of the peel, leaving your fingers fragrant with the scent of the fruit.
In perfumery, we do exactly the same albeit at a larger scale: we extract the scent of the orange right from the peel. We extract orange scent also from its leaves and its tiny twigs for the greener dryer note of “petit grain”. I personally find this one divine.
And then of course, there is the magnificent orange blossom, which is harvested in the South of France and in Northern Africa—Tunisia and Morocco—every April.
My parents were born in Tunisia. I was born in the South of France. The enticing scent of orange blossom was everywhere and at all times, becoming now a link to my childhood. The scent was everywhere...In the trees of our garden in Antibes. In the Eau de Cologne my father would use each morning. In the orange blossom pastries my grandmother would make, or in the fougassette, a brioche we would buy in old French bakeries.
At 5am, before anyone else in my house had woken, I would share a coffee infused with orange blossom with my father. That was our moment, and a memory I cherish now that he is gone. That same tradition exists in Lebanon, where they put a drop of orange blossom water in hot water for a café blanc (white coffee).
Orange blossom absolute is a sweet, round, welcoming, comforting, appeasing scent. It calms the mind and invites you on an exotic and peaceful journey. My fragrance Souvenirs de Tunisie (Memories of Tunisia) transports me to these memories, and was designed in homage to my parents.
To create this addictive fragrance, we use the best possible quality of orange blossom, carefully and ethically sourced in North Africa. We enhance our orange blossom with its Italian cousins like Bergamot. We introduce other flowers, a touch of almond for a bit of sweetness, and orange woods to magnify the signature.
Floral but complex, Souvenirs de Tunisie is incredibly attractive and sexy. With the same power as all white blooms, orange blossom has a gentleness and tenderness that just makes you feel happy!
