ESSENTIAL PARFUMS
NEROLI BOTANICA

2024

PERFUMER
Anne Flipo

pink pepper
pepper
ginger

neroli
orange blossom absolute
orange blossom water absolute
jasmine sambac absolute

benzoin
vetiver
sandalwood

‘The orange blossom, that white bud with a thousand subtle nuances, is at the heart of the creation and inspiration of master-perfumer Anne Flipo. Spicy and vibrant at opening, the fragrance burst with notes of curcuma leaf & ginger studded with a duo of pink and black peppers. Gloriously enhanced with neroli and Sambac jasmine, the orange blossom unleashes all its floral strength. Its solar and voluptuous facets blends with the green & velvety woody base notes of vetiver & sandalwood, both labelled with the sustainable label “For Life”.’ – Essential Parfums

Neroli has never been one of my favorite notes, although it can be used in many different ways. I didn’t have high hopes for Neroli Botanica to wow me, despite being a fan of the Essential Parfums brand overall.

And it wears as you would expect based on the notes. Bright, green neroli with some spiciness and woodiness. The overall profile is closer to that of a fresh soapy neroli (Bvlgari Wood Neroli or Tom Ford Neroli Portofino), instead of something more daring (Francesca Bianchi Libertine Neroli), but it does have a bit of that sharper, bright spiciness that you get from ginger.

I would probably enjoy it more if it leaned heavier to one side or the other. I enjoy wearing the aforementioned Bvlgari as a simple high heat freshie and I think the spicier L’Orchestre Parfums Flamenco Neroli is more interesting. Instead, Neroli Botanica offers a more refined and perhaps ‘prettier’ mix, that I have to say works well. Especially, as I find it to turn into a different scent profile after an extended opening.

The green neroli here is soapy and very light. It seems softer and smoother than neroli often is; like it smells literally like a hand soap or lotion. It gradually becomes more woody, but it’s still quite floral, with strong tones of jasmine coming to me on some wafts. To me, the sweeter jasmine is the main scent alongside the neroli on my first time wearing Neroli Botanica. Jasmine becomes arguably the main scent, period. Which is good for me, because I much prefer jasmine to neroli.

Super enjoyable, but I indeed can’t say it wows me. It’s yet another a solid fragrance at a good price point by Essential Parfums, that I think works best as a jasmine fragrance, but as far as the neroli aspect, it’s one that I’m sure others will appreciate more than I do.