Citrus olfactory family

Margot&Tita has 8 different olfactory families. When several perfumes have the same main characteristics, they can be grouped under the same olfactory family. For example, if the perfumes have been created from the same set of raw materials (citrus, wood,…), or if they have the same accords (oriental,…), they belong to the same olfactory family. 

Zoom in on the Citrus olfactory family

Citrus olfactory family is a very large family, as much in cooking as in perfumery where they have been used for a long time now. At Margot&Tita, we have chosen to call them Citrus so that it speaks to the greatest number of people, otherwise this family is also called Hesperidae. Among the best-known notes of this olfactory family, we find natural ingredients such as bergamot, citron, lemon, orange, grapefruit, mandarin… These notes are sparkling, fresh and energizing. 

What these citrus fruits have in common is the essential oil contained in the zest of the fruit. Citrus notes are by definition top notes because they do not last more than an hour. Their note is very volatile and ephemeral. They bring flight and a sparkling opening to the top of a composition. It is therefore the essential oil that is used in perfumery. The latter is obtained by extracting citrus peels, more precisely by expressing citrus peels. 

What is expression?

Expression is an extraction process that is only used for citrus fruits. It is a pressure extraction method in which the peel is separated from the fruit to obtain the zest through small holes drilled in the peel. Only the peel is used as it is the only part of the citrus fruit that is rich and fragrant enough in the form of an essential oil. After obtaining the zest, it is decanted and filtered on wet paper to separate the watery parts from the essential oils. This process gives a fresh and invigorating scent and, above all, it is the simplest process of all those used in perfumery as it does not alter the base product in any way.

Citrus notes blend wonderfully with the other 7 olfactory families, and are highly appreciated for the freshness they bring to a composition, even though they are considered volatile notes. You can mix for example :

You can find out more about mix and match in our page dedicated to this theme.

Citrus fruits are at the origin of “eaux de Cologne”, they represent by definition this olfactory family. 

The history of « eau de cologne »

The first eau de cologne was created in the 18th century by Giovanni Maria Farina. He created a mixture of essential oils and eau-de-vie. His wish was to revive the olfactory memories of his native Italy. He moved to Cologne to master the skills of perfumery : Farina was the first to use bergamot in a composition. He also decided to distill the alcohol he used several times to remove its bad smell. Satisfied with this result, he wrote a letter to his brother in which he said “I have created a perfume that reminds me of spring mornings in Italy, and orange blossoms after the rain.”

This novelty marks a break with everything that has been done until now. Capital fragrances to cover bad smells. The eau de cologne was a success, as the freshness contrasted with the usual smell. 

The tones of the « eau de cologne »

The basic composition of the eau de cologne proposes citrus fruits as a top note. However, there have been many variations and variants, notably to give them a little more hold. At Margot&Tita, the eau de parfum Tout va bien has citrus and cologne notes and an amber base that gives the perfume more hold. 

Today, there are many tones in colognes such as aromatic or tea notes for a lemony feel. There may be floral or oriental variants to give it a little more hold but also a little more facet. 
The fragrance of colognes is very subtle, fresh and invigorating. The essences present in colognes are mainly lemon, orange, bergamot and neroli.

Perfumes in this family often combine more than one citrus fruit, such as « Un je ne sais quoi » in which the top notes combine lemon and bergamot. Citrus notes have also found their way into men’s fragrances, such as « Dandy Chic » or « Monsieur French ». 

Today, citrus is an essential ingredient in natural perfumery. Thanks to its freshness and its light, acidic tone, it is very popular. Some are sweeter while others are more bitter as citrus oscillates between bitterness, acidity and sweetness.

Different essential oils are used in Margot&Tita citrus fragrances. For example, we can find bitter orange essential oil from Brazil, bergamot essential oil from Italy, lime essential oil from Mexico, petitgrain essential oil from Paraguay or bitter orange essential oil from Tunisia. 

Find citrus notes in our vegan perfumes: