Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine you are in a villa on the Mediterranean coast. What can you smell?

The other day we talked about tropical sensations and mentioned how pineapple has become omnipresent. Today, we’d like to touch on another natural trend that is back with a vengeance this year: citrus fruit. Fresh and clean, bright and sophisticated.

It’s easy to identify the most common varieties – lemon, orange and grapefruit – with their rough skin, bright colours and, of course, the wonderful fragrance. These delectable fruits have been part of our diets for decades, with their delicious flavours, beneficial properties and their essence, which is used in numerous body and homecare products, transmitting clean, fresh sensations.

With cultural links to the Mediterranean, their smell has a familiar touch of sparkle that reminds us of the colognes of our childhood. However, recent trends in fragrances include new, original nuances, sometimes quite rare, that add a new twist to traditional chords.

New combinations and new citrus ingredients

Citrus notes can be strategically combined to create luminous fragrances, with character for longer-lasting freshness. There are now perfumes containing mandarin, bergamot and lemon, mixed with floral, spiced and woody notes.

The perfumer’s palate also features new, unusual citrus fruits, rarely seen until now. The chinotto (Citrus myrtifolia), Buddha’s hand or fingered citron (Citrus medica var. Sarcodactylis) and the yuzu (Citrus junos) may sound exotic and distant, but they are dietary staples in Italy, Brazil and China. Used in perfumery, these citrus olfactory notes are strange yet familiar: green, acidic, fruity, tropical or floral.

The most recent market launches combine mythological scents with floral and amber touches, prolonging that Mediterranean freshness. At Eurofragance, we are playing with this vibrant, explosive trend, harnessing the acidic facet of these fruits to create sparkling, sophisticated scents for use in any type of product. Citrus scents are always a sure success.

And we’ll continue with the olfactory trends. In our next post, we’ll tell you what’s new for 2018/2019. Get ready!