Essential Parfums Neroli Botanica, Regime des Fleurs Nitesurf Neroli & Donna Karan Cashmere & Tunisian Neroli ~ fragrance reviews :: Now Smell This

In spring and early summer, neroli feels particularly right to me. Lightly floral, just a touch citrusy, bright and never too heavy, it’s a perfect accompaniment to unpredictable weather and my current variable daily schedule of work and play. When someone asks me what my favorite perfume notes are, I always mention rose, and often add violet, iris and carnation, but I somehow tend to forget about neroli — but when I look at my perfume shelves, I realize I have quite a few neroli-centered favorites. Here are my thoughts on three launched in 2024, which was practically yesterday (in my mind, at least) so they all still feel “new” to me.

On a recent scent-browsing expedition, for example, I came across Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica (shown above). I have to admit I’m not familiar with Essential Parfums (too many brands, so little time), although it was founded in 2018 “to democratize access to fine perfumery while honoring the artistry of perfumers.” Néroli Botanica, Essential Parfums’ tenth release, is credited to perfumer Anne Flipo. To my nose, this is a well-rounded summary of the multiple materials bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) gives to perfumery: neroli essence and orange blossom absolute (both extracted from its flower), raspy-green petitgrain extract (from stems and leaves) and the sweet oil expressed from the fruit’s peel. (Néroli Botanica’s listed notes include orange blossom, neroli, curcuma leaf, ginger, pink pepper, black pepper, jasmine, sandalwood and vetiver.)

Néroli Botanica’s balance of these floral, green and honeyed aspects is so pleasing, with the kind of deceptively simple sophistication that actually takes a lot of practice, that it reminded me of early-2000s “old-school” niche perfumery. Checking Flipo’s bio, I’ve just realized that she created two orange blossom fragrances for L’Artisan Parfumeur, in 2005 and 2007. Robin wrote of the “glorious” 2005 iteration, “It captures the whole experience of standing in an grove of orange (in this case) trees on a brilliant summer day, with the smell of the leaves, the bark, the blossoms and the fruit.” Now my initial reaction makes a lot of sense. I’m not sure how I’ve missed out on trying this brand until now, but I want to spend more time with Essential Parfums.

Conversely, Régime des Fleurs is a fragrance brand that I do know well; I’d even say it’s one of my favorite niche fragrance lines. Little Flower has become one of my signature scents, and I’m also fond of Himitsu Violets, Fleur Eclair and Crushed Fruits. Earlier this year, I bought a travel-size spray of Nitesurf Neroli (shown just below) for my collection. I think Régime des Fleurs’ description captures this scent perfectly: “A glowing marine floral on a hot summer night. Smoked seashells and neon surf, salty ocean air, bioluminescence under the waves and phosphorescent foam on top.”

Nitesurf Neroli’s additional listed notes include salty mist, ginger lily, citrus, hedione, smoked seashells [i.e., choya nakh?] and ambroxan. This all feels accurate, yet the more poetic description captures this fragrance even better. Nitesurf Neroli starts off with an intriguing herbaceous note like mint, but sweeter; and then there’s something that reminds me of the bubble-gum aspect of ylang ylang flower. The dry down is somewhat salty and aquatic, somewhat floral, kind of clean and skin-musky, but hard to define, and it always lasts longer than I expect. This is a good example of newer niche perfumery, for me: it’s unusual but not strenuously “weird,” it remains cohesive throughout its lifespan on my skin, and it prompts some fun related images, textures, etc. in my mind. Not to overthink it, though: this is a radiant, relaxed scent, a perfect marine-neroli mix for weekends and summer evenings.

Lastly, a lovely friend recently gave me a bottle of Donna Karan Cashmere & Tunisian Neroli (shown just below), and while I typically do not recommend perfume as a gift, she has been a close observer of my taste for ages and also knows that I like the original Cashmere Mist. Her instinct was correct: this one, from the 2024 Cashmere Collection, is also a hit with me. The brand simply describes it as a composition of citrus, neroli and cedarwood, created by perfumer Jérôme Epinette. That’s an understated summary, but it works: I get a lightly juicy bergamot top note, a luminous heart of neroli (nicely balanced between fruity and flowery) and a salty, almost mineral note topping off some very dry cedar. In the long dry down, hours later, the bergamot resurfaces.

Cashmere & Tunisian Neroli feels polished but approachable, in keeping with the overall Donna Karan style. It’s also a good reminder that “designer” perfumes are still worth exploring, even as niche fragrance continues to expand and eat into other fragrance sale categories. True to Donna Karan’s longtime branding, this fragrance feels appropriate for a contemporary woman to wear in any segue from office to cocktails to a casual weekend gathering with friends, but it would probably appeal to quite a few men as well, if they got past the “layers of a woman” marketing copy and smelled it. Unlike some of my other favorite floral notes, neroli really does have a lighthearted versatility that should be celebrated more often.

Do you have any favorite neroli fragrances that we should know about? Feel free to share in the comments!

Essential Parfums Néroli Botanica is available in 10 ($30) or 100 ml ($130) Eau de Parfum at Essential Parfums and Ministry of Scent. Régime des Fleurs Neroli Nitesurf is available as 75 ml Eau de Parfum ($275) at Régime des Fleurs and Luckyscent. Donna Karan Cashmere & Tunisian Neroli is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum ($156).