What Does Petitgrain Smell Like?

Fragrance can have a powerful impact on everything from the ambiance of a room to your mood. Choosing a fragrance is a personal statement, whether it is in your perfume, candles, or essential oils. If you want to find the right scent for your body, home, or office, consider petitgrain.

What Is Petitgrain?

In its purest form, petitgrain is an essential oil extracted from the citrus aurantium, also known as the bitter orange tree. Production of the essential oil requires putting the green twigs and leaves of the tree through a steam distillation process.

The actual fruit of the tree is common in British foods, such as orange marmalade, and has a higher sweetness than a typical orange. You may also find it in orange-flavored liqueurs and cuisine from the southern part of India. It is even used in weight loss supplements, but the scent of the essential oil is something different altogether.

How Does It Smell?

Petitgrain is comparable to neroli and the bitter orange fruit in smell, but it has unique characteristics. The use of twigs during the distillation process is likely what gives it a woody scent, unlike neroli essential, which uses blossoms during distillation, and orange essential oil, which uses fruit rinds.

It is not floral or too sweet or citrusy. Instead, it has a tartness with a hint of wood. That combination makes it an excellent base for aromatic mixing.

What Are the Properties of Petitgrain Essential Oil?

In addition to the woody, citrus scent, you can recognize this essential oil by its pale yellowish-brown color. It is non-toxic and safe. Although, some people may find it slightly irritating to apply directly to sensitive skin. It blends well with other essential oils:

• Sandalwood, a scent derived from the class of trees by the same name, has a powerful earthy scent and antioxidants to help maintain the structure of skin cells.
• Juniper has a spicy and woody aroma known to aid in the support of mental health and balance emotions.
• Palmarosa is also beneficial for skin buoyancy and has a rosy, green aroma. It is often used as an alternative to geranium or rose when making a floral scent.
• Frankincense is another earth-based scent extracted from the roots and stems of plants and acts as a strong astringent used on the skin.
• Patchouli essential oil comes from the leaves of the patchouli plant. It has a musky aroma, reminiscent of wet earth, and mild sweetness, making it a perfect pair with a citrusy scent.

As a fragrance, this essential oil has many uses, but it also has health benefits.

How Is Petitgrain Used?

As an essential oil, you can use this earthy scent in a diffuser. It has a similar relaxing and calming effect as other oils with citrus notes, such as eucalyptus, lemongrass, cassia, and geranium. You can also find it in perfumes and colognes. There you often find it with notes of bergamot, lemon, and orange to create a powerful citrus scent.

Nomad Noè has a candle called LOVER in Jerusalem with strong notes of fig and petitgrain. Light it in any room to transform the space into rolling hills of fig and orange trees. Anyone who once visited countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea will recognize the fresh scent mixed with fig tree wood, patchouli, galbanum, and sandalwood.

You may also find the woody citrus-scented oil in soap making, along with many of the essential oils with cleansing and soothing properties mentioned above. Many of its properties are beneficial to the skin. 

What Are the Benefits of Petitgrain?

As previously mentioned, acting as a fragrance is not the only use for this essential oil. There are many health benefits when using it in its different forms. Examples include the following:

• You can use it to help with insomnia by defusing the oil through an essential oil diffuser or lighting a candle with the scent to promote relaxation.
• You can apply it topically to the skin as an oil to help reduce the appearance of skin imperfections, such as acne and inflammation.
• It has antiseptic or anti-bacterial properties, which is why you often see it in soaps and cleansers.
• The scent can help relieve stress and anxiety and help you relax when feeling angry or depressed.
• It has antispasmodic properties. Therefore, you can sometimes diffuse it in a room to help soothe a cough.

With all these benefits, it is easy to understand why this oil, with its natural notes, continues to grow in popularity. Many companies recognize the health advantages it brings to clients, which is why you can find it in an array of products, but it also adds sweetness to the home by burning it in a candle.

How Can You Use Petitgrain on Your Skin?

Given its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, it is easy to see how petitgrain benefits the skin. However, when can you actually use it on your skin? In theory, you can directly apply it to the skin if you have a mild irritation at risk for infection, but you would benefit from talking to your doctor first.

It is also an excellent remedy for oily skin, which can cause pimples and acne anywhere on the body. Because of its mild properties, you can use it daily after testing to ensure you do not have an allergy.

Some people even use it as a natural alternative to deodorant or a body massage oil. Because of its calming and relaxing properties and safe use on the skin, it can enhance the massage experience.

How Can You Incorporate the Smell of Petitgrain Into Your Life?

If you enjoy fragrances with notes of wood and citrus, petitgrain would likely please you. Include this scent in your cleaning products, essential oil collection, body soaps, and candles to capture the sweetness of an orange tree with the earthy notes of twigs and leaves. The experience is akin to bringing the outdoors into your personal space wherever you are. For quality candles with fresh fragrances you can enjoy anywhere, check out the shop at Nomad Noè.

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