Neroli Boheme

Ever since fragrance has turned into a passion, I've been drawn to the scent of neroli, which began with Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino. I like the complete NP collection, however, the original turns to an old-fashioned soap on me after a few hours, the Forte is just too expensive for what you get and the Aqua, although my favourite neroli fragrance in terms of smell, suffers from poor performance. Ever since my early neroli experiences, I've been searching for the holy grail of neroli perfume. One that is not too bitter but likewise not too feminine either and has great performance. In short, a unisex citrus-floral with good longevity and projection. With the amount of Neroli fragrances out there you might think my search would be easy but that's not been the case, mainly because the fragrances I've tried, and I've sampled many, suffer from one of the issues mentioned above, i.e. too bitter, too floral or poor performance. In Neroli Boheme, I've found a neroli fragrance that's the best of any I've tried. This fragrance is absolutely stunning. Similar in tone to the original Neroli Portofino; it's what NP should be. Upon the initial spray you get a blast of citrus so juicy you can almost taste it. This top layer of Tunisian Neroli and citrus is followed by a heart of Arabian Jasmine, which stops the citrus becoming too shrill and gives the fragrance some depth and a touch of softness. This is all anchored on a base of Musk and Benzoin, leading too a surprisingly long-lasting, beautiful citrus-floral that's almost everything I've been looking for; bright, warm and clean. Yes, it's a simple composition but one that's been executed incredibly well - it just smells so natural and with good performance (although if you went by the voting above, at the time of writing, you would think it's a beast; it's not but the performance is above average for this type of fragrance, with great longevity - my only slight gripe is that I wished it projected a bit more). I would categorise this as unisex, although it could be too feminine for some with its soft floral heart, although the same could be said of NP. It's certainly one of those fragrances that wraps you in a hug and puts a smile on your face. This fantastic scent easily makes it into my top 10 fragrances; I love everything about it. It's wonderfully presented too, in its heavy green crystal glass bottle, which oozes quality. I hope they never stop making this gem or cut corners with reformulations. Outstanding job and a must for all fans of NP and similar fragrances. Full note breakdown: Top: Tunisian Neroli, Mandarin Heart: Jasmine Sambac Base: Musk, Benzoin

To me, Neroli Boheme by Carolina Herrera is like the baby of both Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford and Fleur D'oranger Intense by Fragonard. It is a sweeter and more feminine fragrance than Neroli Portofino, but a less feminine fragrance than Fleur D'oranger Intense by Fragonard. Neroli Boheme doesn't have the aromatic qualities from Neroli Portofino like the rosemary, angelica, lavender and myrtle in that one, but it isn't quite as white floral as Fleur D'oranger Intense by Fragonard. I'd call Neroli Boheme a citrusy white floral with calming properties, all centered around neroli and orange blossom of course. It does get slightly tinny smelling during the last couple of hours though, which I'm not in love with. I could imagine this fragrance working great for both a spring or summer day and being something nice you could just spritz on while in Mykonos or Sicily, lounging on the beach or riding your yacht. It smells high end, high quality and yet casual all at the same time. It leans slightly feminine, but is otherwise a unisex fragrance that could be worn by either men or women. It is also mass appealing and inoffensive, thus being work-appropriate. Sillage was moderate on me and its wear time was about 7 and a half hours, turning into a skin scent at around the 4 hours mark on me and then lingering and gently waiting for the rest of its wear. For the above reasons, I'd give this a solid 8/10. Fleur D'oranger Intense by Fragonard is still my most favorite orange blossom fragrance, though.

This is one of the best neroli fragrances you will find. If you’re searching and searching for that “one” perfect neroli that you can’t seem to find and haven’t tried this one, locate a sample. It’s a perfected Neroli Portofino. It’s truly flawless for that 4711 style neroli. Also lasts longer than most. It reminds me more of vintage NP than the current formulation actually. It’s more luxe but can be dressed up or down. This stuff is perfection in my opinion. It leans “slightly” femme but not much. It’s pretty straight down the middle unisex in my opinion but less masculine than some so it can be worn comfortably by anyone.

I took a chance on this one because I love neroli. This is such a nice neroli floral fragrance! It has a great balance of neroli and jasmine. It's gentle and pretty, and is surprisingly long lasting. I struggle finding neroli scents that last more than a couple of hours and I'm happy to report this one does. It's not as sharply citrus and unisex as Jo Malone Orange Blossom (although it outperforms that one).

Hands down, my absolute favorite neroli fragrance ever! It's the most elevated version imaginable of the large summery citrus fragrance family that includes Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille by Roger & Gallet and 4711 Original Eau de Cologne by 4711. It lasts about 2 or 3 hours tops. I pack a small decant in my bag on days I'm wearing this, in order to respray as needed. Happiness in every spritz!