COLOGNE: ORANGE – exploring the orange tree
If I leave Pia to her own devices, she’ll create one of two kinds of fragrances: a classic green chypre, or a slightly masculine cologne type fragrance that she lovingly refers to as ‘Italian Grandpa’.
COLOGNE: ORANGE is the first instalment of our explorations of the Eau de Cologne theme. It’s also a fragrance that Pia made entirely for her own enjoyment – and we wanted to share with the world.
Eau de Cologne is one of the oldest alcohol based perfumes on the market, with a long and fascinating history. It began in Italy as Acqua Mirabilis, before Farina moved to Cologne in Germany and started making fragrances there. The classic cologne structure relies on bright citrus (lemon, bergamot, orange), green leaves (petitgrain), herbs (lavender, rosemary), and sharp florals (neroli).
In COLOGNE: ORANGE, Pia sought to use every raw material from the orange tree that perfumers can get their hands on. There’s sweet and bitter varieties of orange oil, petitgrain (the leaves and twigs from the orange tree), and both neroli (steam distilled from the flowers with a zesty aspect) and orange blossom absolute (solvent extracted – and much more floral). She also included some woody effects to give the impression of the full tree, and add some longevity to the fragrance.
It’s somewhat fleeting, of course, but long-lasting (natural) citrus is an impossibility of physics. That being said, the delight is absolutely in the top notes – every time I spray it, I feel my shoulders drop and relaxed, but energised too. Our physiological and emotional responses to smell will always fascinate me.
