Citrus notes in perfumery
Perhaps it is impossible to imagine modern perfumery without the use of citrus notes in it. The arsenal of specialists includes a variety of citrus aromas: lemon, orange, bergamot, tangerine, grapefruit and their variations. Usually citrus notes are used in the top chords, where a bright, short opening is needed. Their aromas are light, fresh, pleasant to smell. Citrus notes are a part of any perfume: both expensive and budget, and concentrated, and very light. But even taking into account the fact that natural citrus oils are mostly inexpensive, they are often replaced with synthetic analogues — aromatic substances, fragrances. Buying them is also not difficult and much cheaper. But this is not the only reason for their popularity.
Synthetic fragrances successfully mimic the diverse scents of nature. Moreover, they can have a smell that simply does not exist in the natural environment. So, sometimes we come across a description of the aroma that is difficult to imagine even. For example, the smell of earth, amber, freshness, air, etc. In this case, various aldehydes and other fragrances are very helpful. But now we are talking about citrus aromas that are familiar to all of us and are quite real in nature. Why replace them when citrus essential oils are readily available and not that expensive? Their main drawback is the fragrance instability in the perfume composition. Also oils have their own biological activity. Their aroma is multifaceted, it can have significant differences of the same species, depending on the place and climate of growth of raw plants. Also, natural ingredients are much more allergenic, since their composition is often not studied and is not fully known. Unlike SDV, which have a very specific formula and studied properties.
What replaces the citrus aromas we are used to? The orange peel odor is formed by a number of components. The combination of substances creates an aromatic composition that is almost indistinguishable from the smell of a natural orange. Some of the fragrances are more like their natural counterpart, others are less, some have only a hint of orange. The most similar of the substances is Mandarin aldehyde. A whole cocktail of aromas is mixed in it, which, however, in the aggregate, create a pleasant, most natural orange aroma. It consists of citrus, aldehyde, tangerine, herbal, orange notes, and other shades. The persistence of the scent is relatively low — 72 hours, although this is more than enough for the top notes of the aromatic pyramid.
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