When you think of citrus perfumes, certain notes come to mind: bright lemon, sweet orange, perhaps fresh yuzu. But there's another sleeper note residing in some of the most complex and popular perfumesout there: neroli.

Cultivated from the bitter orange tree, neroli is "delicate" and "surprising" in fragrance, according to dsm-firmenich perfumer Bérénice Watteau.

“Mainly cultivated in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt, this tree gives a multitude of essential oils and absolutes which are key in the perfumer’s palette,” says Watteau. Orange blossom scent can be extracted via two methods, she explains: one which produces neroli essential oil, and one producing the orange flower absolute. “The neroli oil is a green, slightly fresher, citrus bergamot with a leafy effect, whereas the orange flower is more petaly, sensual, and intense, like warm honey.”