Mandarin Orange

Juicy, sweet and sunny, with a soft, slightly floral citrus freshness.

The mandarin comes from southern China. Particularly prized perfumery oil comes from Italy, especially Sicily and Calabria; Brazil also supplies large quantities.

The oil sits in tiny glands in the peel. It is pressed out without heat, preserving its juicy, fresh character. Whether the oil turns out green, yellow or red depends solely on the time of harvest: early fruit gives a tart, green oil, ripe fruit a sweeter, rounder one.

Mandarin is the sunny opening: juicy, sweet and softer than lemon. In our range it sits in the top notes of 159 out of 165 fragrances. Its secret is a touch of methyl N-methylanthranilate – it gives the delicate, almost floral tone that sets it apart from every other citrus fruit.

Citrus, with a sweet, slightly floral side.

Mandarins ripen in winter. Green oil comes from the first, still unripe fruit at the start of the season; yellow and red oil from riper fruit later in winter.

In our fragrances, it often appears alongside Bergamot, vanilla, patchouli, jasmine, orange blossom, neroli, magnolia.

The mandarin only reached Europe at the beginning of the 19th century – from China via England. The exact origin of the name is uncertain; it is often linked to the robes of Chinese officials, the “mandarins”.

• More than half of all the world's mandarins grow in China.
• The fine droplets that spray when you peel a mandarin are pure essential oil from the glands in the peel.
• Green, yellow and red mandarin oil all come from the same fruit – simply harvested at different stages of ripeness.