Cap Neroli

As excellent a study in floral neroli notes as you could hope for. I think of neroli/orange blossom perfumes on a spectrum from the more bracing cologne e.g neroli portofino style to the more out an out soliflores (e.g serge lutens fleur d’oranger). This definitely leans to the sweeter, more floral side of orange blossom and neroli. Both the neroli and orange blossom are immediately apparent with a large but expertly judged dose of indoles also immediately recognisable. remains much the same (but not at all in a bad way) for most of its development and dries down to a sweet soapy orange blossom. It’s sort of lazy, hazy and easy-going as a lot of the best neroli perfumes are, and the presence of subtle mossy and herbal notes really help with that. Really gorgeous!

Very nice realistic neroli smell. Inoffensive, delicate and beautiful. For some reason I get more of a jungle/tropical forest vibe rather than Côte d’Azur. It seems to be a perfect scent for a hot sunny day when you can just go for a walk in the nature and relax. I wore Cap Neroli on my birthday and went for a hike and the vibe was a 100% match. A lot of greenery of mid-May and a mood for celebrations. It lasts decently long on skin and projects enough for me to smell it almost constantly but I still would call it an "intimate" scent. It's great, actually. I like that it's not "loud" but at the same time very feminine and pretty. I will be definitely looking to purchase a full size bottle in the future.

Oh. Oh, wow. This is a stunner. You get lured, at first, by the gentle essence of petitgrain, which I often find too overpowering in fragrance. But this one is clean, citrusy, direct, but not loud. Then the flowers roll in. A soft, narcotic tumble of jasmine and neroli, carrying with them the earthiness of oakmoss (another note I often don't love, but one that acts as the perfect foundation here). I am so thoroughly surprised. Yes, I am a certified orange (and orange-adjacent note) obsessive, but they actually seem to play more of a layered, subtle role in Cap Néroli. And I'm here for it. This is a really enchanting, lightly spiced, wholly addictive creation. I might've found the one. :D

I started to love orange scent with Kerosene Unknown Pleasures but it lacked complexity and spice. I searched for others and this is one that I overlooked at first because it opens very medicinal- but that only lasts 10 min. The orange comes in and other florals join, quickly followed by leather & cinnamon. I'm a Newby so my nose doesn't know what to call things. Those are my impressions. I love this scent and will buy more. Also looking for something similar in case I might love that too in a different way!

After getting my first bottle of this, I immediately ordered two more and then somehow ended up buying a lot more from the house after that 😭 I’m now at over 18 bottles from Nicolai and there are zero signs of me stopping anytime soon. The neroli here is just sooo beautiful. Not too green, not overly sharp or sour, everything feels perfectly balanced on my skin. Fresh, comforting, relaxing one of those scents that’s ridiculously easy to keep reaching for 🥹

A beautiful, quiet, chic, aromatic take on neroli/orangeblossom. It captures both the fresh and bright aspects of neroli and on the other hand the more full-bodied, sweeter, almost honeyed orange blossom. Its green/aromatic facets of rosemary, mint and petitgrain and a beautiful oakmoss base give it something extra to make it stand out from the usual neroli perfume crowd. This breathes French Riviera.

What a beauty! It makes me smile just writing about it. I am a big neroli fan and this is the best neroli perfume I have come across in years. I agree with those writing about "traditional cologne" feeling, but there is more than that: Cap Neroli have these wonderful citrus notes and perhaps ylang-ylang warmth that make it less sharp than many neroli colognes.

This is a grown up kick butt Neroli. Not the wishy washy little girl baby perfume but the full bodied oily experience of Neroli and heady summer flowers that I lived with in the South of France. Lasting power. A bargain of a quality scent from Patricia de Nicoli who shows her Guerlain birthright in every creation.

Damn ma'am this is my JAM! This is eyes roll back for me. So clean, sexy and elegant. A spicy, balsamic, brown floral soap. Very 90's to me. Bordering old lady, but a sexy old lady you respect and want to get to know. Full bottle worthy for me. 11/10 would bang again and again..

Incredible neroli, perhaps the only neroli based scent I can consider wearing without finding it's the same as 4711. It's multi-faceted and complex, and has this almost fishy, marine-like quality, though not too much. I've layered it with Silence the Sea today, spectacular!

Lovely fresh, green, bright, natural, soft, citrus opening with a white floral base. A quiet, contemplative summer citrus floral. The drydown does lean strongly towards feminine soft white florals, which I'm less crazy about. Scent: 7.5 / Sillage: 6 / Longevity: 6

I'm wearing this perfume in the office today and it's just a like. But it quickly turned back into a love when I walked outside into the heat of Bangkok at lunchtime. Can't wait to wear it to golf on the weekend.

It smells like real neroli absolute that why it's smells a bit more complex than other neroli fragrances. I think it has lots of natural ingredients. Soapy, interesting and strong. I love it.

Beautiful neroli cologne with depth. Unisex. Cap Neroli reminds me of Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune in that it is a citrus cologne turned full 3 stage perfume. Lovely for hot weather.

Very pleasant and definitely unisex, but too reminiscent of a cleaning product.

Very uplifting summary citrus scent❣️

Cap Neroli is an interesting one. On one hand it’s actually a misfire from Nicolai, but on the other hand the misfire stills hits the bullseye of another target. The perfume isn’t really a neroli perfume in so much as it’s a jasmine-forward, abstract white floral, soap musk perfume. It opens in a way that makes you think you’re in for a long haul of neroli thanks to herbal, metallic, minty green notes piled high on sour and citrusy petitgrain and oranges. It’s also very indolic with a throat scratching dryness. Neroli is a close relative of orange blossom; they both smell white floral, and they both smell of oranges, but while orange blossom is more soft and sweet neroli is sharper, edgier, indolic, green and a bit metallic. The opening is great in a sort of deconstructed presentation of neroli. These notes fade quite quickly to an abstract white floral sitting on a big, freshly laundered bed, of soapy white musks. To my nose it is very jasmine centric. The luminous citrusy sharp white flower looms large, but there are elements of neroli, namely the metallic edge and a bit of oily orange zest, also presented here. Neroli: no, not really. Jasmine: yes, but noticeably more to the flower than what’s typical. The soap musks are strong and keep Cap Neroli high in the air and very energetic for a good long while. There are thousands of perfumes that do this. Why did Nicolai, and does it set itself apart from that large pack? You’d have to ask Patricia de Nicolai why she made this; all I can say is that it’s an oddly generic thing for her brand to make, but perhaps that’s the reason: someone said the brand needs an option for people looking for a white floral musk perfume. As to setting itself apart, I can’t say that it truly does. It’s hardly unique in any aspects, but what it does do well is what we’d hope and expect from Nicolai: good materials handled well above average. For a genre full of sharp, scratching, screaming, abominable perfumes Cap Neroli at least makes sure everything is very pleasant and inviting. It’s sharp, but it’s the glint of glass or the blade of a knife; it’s not throwing you through a vehicle windshield like the majority in the genre. It doesn’t scratch you like a cat’s claws, but it does run its nails gently up your spine. It’s loud, but it’s not screaming at you; its voice is clear, true, and very pretty. It’s one of the best options available in a genre not known for quality, and one that I thoroughly enjoy wearing.

Cap Néroli is, unsurprisingly, a citrus freshie for summertime. It is also a beautifully-composed, high-quality scent. The neroli of the name is fittingly dominant, imbuing this scent with luxurious freshness. Rounded out by herbal notes and clean white florals, it is all tied together beautifully by its chypre base. It is soapy in the best way, reminiscent of a fancy, vintage-style bar of soap. CN is citrusy from initial spray, with juicy, tart orange paving the way to the neroli. Green-tinged, orange-y and cleanly floral, it is evocative of Continental holidays. Orange blossom follows closely, rounding out the neroli. Its floral sweetness smells lightweight and natural - a far cry from the syrupy-sweet orange blossom that populates so many designer scents. There is a lovely green undertone here, led by bright, woody petitgrain, becoming more herbal as it develops. I get a mint note after a little while, an inspired addition - uncharacteristically restrained, it adds freshness to the citrus accord as well as greenness to the herbal accord. As it develops, the floral heart becomes more well-rounded, with clean, powdery jasmine adding a luxurious, polished quality to the neroli-orange blossom accord. I get the rosemary note here in particular, adding to the herbal accord. The ylang ylang follows, and is surprisingly subtle, adding some creamy sweetness after the jasmine has subsided somewhat. It becomes cleanly musky, with a soft oakmoss note following as it dries down, forming the chypre base. Here, it strongly resembles a fancy bar of soap in the very best way. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a perfectly unisex spring/summer daytime scent. A beautifully-formed, effortlessly elegant summer chypre, CN is a cut above your average citrus freshie. Classic in style, this is breezy French chic in a bottle. 4/5.

I just purchased this as a semi-blind buy. By semi-blind, I mean I tried it on a tester strip over a year ago and loved it then, so I figured why not buy the small size with an Amazon gift card since I would like to have another neroli/orange blossom fragrance in my collection. I have to say, it’s not as I remember, or, as I should’ve expected, it develops much differently on my skin. I bought this for neroli, but instead got a huge bouquet of ylang ylang and jasmine. It’s certainly lovely, but it may take time to grow on me. It’s very floral, which as a male I am not at all afraid of, but ylang ylang is not my usual. At first spray it is very herbal and green, almost sharp, which doesn’t bother me. As that fades relatively quickly, Ms. Ylang Ylang shoves forward with her friend Jasmine to steal the show from poor little Miss Neroli. I can smell the neroli, but it ends up feeling like a buttress supporting ylang ylang by enhancing certain aspects of the tropical flower. As the whole scent settles down, it becomes creamy, sweet and musky. It’s quite nice and reminds me of a more natural, sophisticated and fortunately cheaper version of Sole di Postiano by Tom Ford (compare the notes they’re actually quite similar). For me it quickly became a soft skin scent, which quietly lingered all day.. perhaps it performs better in warmer temperatures. I bought tickets to the Neroli show but Ylang Ylang showed up instead. Instead of getting another neroli scent, perhaps I have ended up with my Ylang Ylang scent. I will have to try this more to see how it suits me and how it changes with weather. Overall a lovely scent, but don’t be seduced by the name.

Citrus cologne, little clump of moss. It's very Nicolai, very French but I think it's not the neroli form the name. People have different expectations of what a neroli (named) perfume is and I think people might tend toward thinking of soapy, waxy, white florals, (Tom Ford or Mugler cologne) or a edc type deal, I mean clearly this leans towards the latter and it is nice to see a departure from the former but neroli is a strange and wonderful material. Not least because it varies quite a bit but because it's usually combined with more orange, petitgrain, orange flower materials, all of which themselves are changeable and all from the same place ultimately, an orange tree. This is lovely and all that but it's just not very exciting and I say that as a lover of the brand and a fan of some of the other lighter weight citrus offerings in the line. Doesn't quite do it for me but Cap Neroli is fine. It's a fine perfume. Update: 02/04/25 Reading through my review from a few years ago it’s all fine and all that but doesn’t get to the core of what this perfume is all about and it’s predominantly jasmine.... But it’s still a neroli perfume. It’s clever, far more clever than I initially gave it credit. The citrus and moss are inspired, long lasting, bright and absurdly present. The jasmine is not too dominant considering it does have a pretty natural, indolic quality as well as a heady sweetness, perfectly intertwined with the almost delicate neroli. The musky drydown which is adhering it to my clothing just serves to close out what is a fantastic perfume, fresh and perfect for summer. I love it!

Of my recent neroli explorations, this is my among my top choices. A citrus scent that is also an exploration of the cooling side of florals. The usual cologne opening gives way to a sumptuous, heady neroli. At some point the neroli sharpness disappears but I still would call this a neroli soliflore. The other floral notes really just round out the neroli and give it dimension. I was expecting this to be the more masculine of Nicolaï’s neroli offerings, but the heart of the fragrance is sheer heady white floral indulgence that may put some men off. That being said, I am a man and would gladly wear this. The base notes are deftly chosen and stretch out that cool sensation of sticking your nose into a flower, with the oakmoss lending just a bit of interest. I would say this is halfway between Néroli Intense and CdG Citrico, which does a similar cool/woody/creamy floral thing without the intense floral headiness and with some additional citrus zing. To my nose, this has a lot more dimension than the flat Néroli intense, and is smoother (though possibly less clever) than Citrico. A neroli sweet spot.

Good fresh citrus green fragrance with a nice neroli note on a base of musk. Opening is what you'd expect, citrus, petigrain, etc. There's a few things that set this one apart. The mint serves to make the other ingredients pop, without standing out on its own. Rhe rosemary is pretty prominent and vanille and heliotrope slight but it serves to refine the white musk so it's not harsh. The neroli hits pretty hard. I've tried and owned tons of Italian colonia's, and I appreciate that they've done something a little different to make it their own, and make it lean more towards how the French flair for perfumery, and how create they these types of fragrances. ------------------------------------------------------ I've been testing quite a few from this house and although they're not all my taste, they're all well done, and many are worthy of purchasing. You don't see the secondary market flooded with these for a reason, and that is most people keep and wear them. That's a good sign. Scent 7.7/10 Performance 6.5/10

I've been wearing different perfumes from Nicolai Perfumeur every day this week, getting to know them all in an immersive deep-dive. I bought masses of 30ml bottles from a deceased perfume collector's estate in an auction - all of them slightly used - and Cap Neroli was almost empty, so I had high expectations. Turns out I find it the least exciting of them all. It's an expansive, mossy-petitgrain neroli with a hit of oakmoss and musk in the drydown which radiates in mint-fresh wafts from my skin for most of the day. It's powerful, it's complex, it's beautifully balanced and composed, but it doesn't delight or thrill. It's just good, fresh, mood-enhancing fragrance. Everything from this house is excellent and I can find no flaw with Cap Neroli, but this one will probably languish unworn in the shadow of its skyscraper siblings. Distillation: mint and petitgrain tribute to bitter orange on a bed of moss

A very different type of neroli experience as expected from de Nicolai, essential a sweet earthy woody neroli composition. It opens up minimally tart and more so warm and sweet, the neroli pushed towards an ylang-ylang type sweetness with some sweet orange facets. As it dries down it becomes darker, a trickle of New York Intense type oakmoss manifesting together with a woody musky undertone. Personally I don't get vanilla, I assume it is added to the mix to add depth and density, but it is not directly perceivable. Definitely worth sampling if you are bored of the usual bright soapy take on neroli.

The florals really come into play here. This is almost like a traditional "eau de Cologne" style fragrance with a focus on the orange tree. The citruses are definitely here but play a supporting role to the florals. Most definitely unisex, but I would say this fragrance is not a "mainstream" designer style. This one is certainly "niche" with amazing quality. The mint plays a big role here but it's certainly not toothpaste mint or even natural mint, zip almost get a slight "menthol" type note but it's not overpowering or strong enough to turn you off. Solid fragrance 4/5...strong performance

Pretty, but a bit screechy to my nose, doubtless due to the triad of orange blossom florals plus mint. I'm also a little biased against petitgrain, it just automatically makes things smell a little old-fashioned to me. I actually hesitate to qualify this as aromatic, the oakmoss is too weak, as is the musk. I just get really loud citrus/synthetic white florals with a slight watery note and a soupçon of mint. Definitely more of a lady's perfume, in my opinion, and a bit mature. I don’t get much complexity from this, but perhaps I need to spend more with it.

Very fresh fragrance, 100% unisex, perfect for summer. It is a French Riviera is a bottle. I can smell neroli, rosemary, mint, and oak moss. Office compatible. Linear, easy to wear, it is a happy scent, for all ages. The sillage and longevity are very correct for this type of fragrances. 7/10 In this brand, for spring and summer, Rose Pivoine (rose, pivoine, sandalwood) > Fig Tea (osmanthus, fig, tea) = Eau Mixte (citrus, mint, blackcurrants, vetiver) = Eau de Yuzu (yuzu, grapefruit, wood) = Cap Neroli (neroli, petit grain, oakmoss).

Smells fantastic: clean, fresh, natural and (upon closer examination) complex. But I prefer the more substantial Neroli Intense from the same house which miraculously flavors the air around you with a longer-lasting rich orange blossom nectar that eschews soapy verdancy for a pronounced basenote of spicy honey and musk. To get a good look at the range of quality out there, try this side by side with the more expensive Tonic Blanc by Thomas Kosmala. Cap Neroli makes that one appear more on par with a Glade Plug-in.

Gorgeous opening and mid. Very refined, citrusy, and green similar to Zegna's Meditterean Neroli. The base, however, gets extremely soapy and floral, then begins to lean feminine. That is usually the case with Neroli, unfortunately. I do love the way vanilla is used here, as it adds a creamy sophisticated touch to the entire composition similar to the likes of sandalwood. Ultimately, the dry down smells like an expensive bar of Neroli scented soap, that any woman would smell delicious in.

Fresh, zingy greeb herbs and florals. Just enough orange to provide a zesty top, combined with jasmine and mint which offer an exceptionally bright and uplifting experience centered around the aromatic rosemary. Grounding everything is a lively, slightly soapy moss, which eventually is all that remains as it dries down. Classic cologne with performance to match: Soft projection for 2hr at best, though 10-12hr longevity as a skin scent.

The oak moss is practically the star here, with the citruses and neroli adding freshness, and the rosemary making it interesting. A little too much cleaning product for a love, but it for sure gets a like. Edit: After wearing it a couple of hours it gets much more pleasant and softly floral. Feel like it could benefit from just a hint more vanilla.

This fragrance lasts all day with its pleasant and constant emission of neroli, orange blossom and jasmine. Although it is a unisex fragrance, it leans more toward the feminine side. A versatile scent for the warmer months, it's suitable for any outdoor activity and vibrant occasions. Another masterful blend from Patricia.

I smelled this and instantly thought of 4711 Kolnisch Wasser. Brisk, citrus fresh fragrance. Reminds me of a sunny ride down an alpine slide in Austria. Most people would probably associate this with the Ocean, but I can't help but associate this with a European mountain range? A nice unisex-smelling scent.

Opens very bitter, slightly mentholated, and much heavier than I was expecting from the notes. Reminds me of an old school "Men's" cologne, like something my great uncle would wear to church. It turns more soapy in the mid as the bitterness burns off and florals appear. The sweet base it also moving in. Non-offensive, not really interesting. The dry down is a clean, slightly sweet soap. Nice, well blended, boring. Perfectly unisex. Review of official carded spray sample that came free with purchase.

starts as a slightly indolic neroli with orange, orange blossom and rosemary. it's quite herbal at first. a bit of ylang ylang and vanilla come through after 5-10 minutes and it softens a bit. also i get something in here that smells like freshly printed paper or ink. this is a unique neroli/orange blossom. more jasmine comes out later i believe. nice for warm weather.

The first couple of hours are wonderful. It's practically a photorealistic tangerine with some more subtle notes mixed in. I love citrus so I was very excited. The dry down is foul on me though. It smells strongly of tooth decay and wild animals. I don't know which note is causing it, but it ruins the fragrance for me.

More interesting neroli, but still quite mono, slightly dirty yet one-dimensional. This is good, a tougher neroli. Something rather nice, made more complex, maybe somewhat damp, metallic, and it’s good. I wouldn’t consider it too seriously, even though it’s from a cheaper line.

Cap Neroli would be to die for on a man in the high heat of summer. It would convey confidence, good taste and good manners. On me it’s a bit too soapy, but on a handsome man in a linen shirt? Damn.

It smells fine...I don't get much citrus at all. To me it is straight floral. Smells like a perfume I would expect an elegant woman to wear. Could be unisex, but its definitely not for me.

A huge gasp of citrus hits you in the face which settles down into an eventual calm wash of florals. Not subtle, a bit on the ol' lady side for me.

I really(REALLY) wanted to like this one. The quality is astonishing. 12+ hours on skin. Projection for hours(Mind you, we're talking about an EdT here!!) Smells natural and of good quality. Great looking bottle and excellent sprayer. Why then, why I didn't like it? This is an old school take on neroli; the neroli is there, but it's not the main player. I mostly get hedione, ylang and oakmoss. To me, It smells like a vintage soap. I think I'll give up searching for the right neroli scent for me; Creed's Neroli Sauvage is the only one I like, but I'm just not paying the ridiculous price for a scent that lasted 1 hour.

For my taste, way too white floral, and too much like a cleaning product to be something I'm drawn to. It doesn't give me the same headaches that tuberose can but it's pretty close. Will be trying this on come summer, but it's currently a no for me.

Dirty neroli. Don’t expect a clean and refreshing citrus scent. This smells like heavy neroli essential oil + cigarette ash. Not for me but definitely an interesting take on neroli. Strong & long lasting. 🍊🚬

Very, very , very strong neroli, so much neroli I can ́t stand it. Headache and nausea inducing, pass.

Smells like 68 year old trucker's wife playing slots in a small town bowling alley.

Dettol scented perfume? smells like an antiseptic / wound sterilizing medicine. A little bit of bandaid in there, with a strong harsh terpenic smell in there too. Medicines and terpenes, overpowering florals, cheap quality...Gross!! discontinue this immediately

Reviewing a bottle from 2024. Cap Neroli was launched in 2018. Cap Néroli is a refreshing unisex citrus floral that strikes an appealing balance between brightness and refinement. It opens with a burst of fresh, bitter citrus, crisp without becoming sharp. The floral heart is led by neroli which, thankfully, is smooth and elegant rather than harsh—a testament to both the quality of the materials and the skill of the blending. Rosemary and mint lend an aromatic twist, adding lift and complexity without competing for attention. Not soapy or noticeably indolic. The base is perhaps a little too restrained and would benefit from a touch more oakmoss to provide greater depth and structure. The vanilla is barely perceptible, but in this composition it feels entirely appropriate; any more would risk dulling the fragrance's clean, sparkling character. Quality- 4/5 Unisex Performance 4/5 Cap Néroli comes into its own in the warm weather we are having now. Refined, refreshing, and effortlessly wearable, it is an elegant aromatic citrus floral that feels perfectly suited to daytime, whether worn outdoors in the summer sun or in a professional setting. Its understated sophistication makes it an easy reach when you want to smell polished without demanding attention. 7.5/10

This fragrance opens with a lively citrus—refreshing and uplifting. It has that complexity you’d expect from Nicoli perfumes. As it settles, you’ll notice the neroli. It’s natural and fresh. Then comes the heart a mix of jasmine and ylang-ylang, giving it a rich floral touch. There’s also a bit of a medicinal vibe (from Ylang-ylang). I’ve been seeing neroli and ylang-ylang paired together in several perfumes lately. What stands out is the SOAPY vibe, thanks to the mix of citrus, neroli, and a hint of musk in the base. There’s also a subtle bitterness, like something you’d get from petitgrain or the bitter orange tree. It’s perfectly unisex. As a neroli fan, I think this is a good choice. It leans more on the classic side, so if you’re into such kind of scents with a fresh, clean vibe, this might be a good option. 7.5/10

First Impression. I blind bought a 30ml Cap Neroli because Neroli is my favorite fragrance note and I will say that it does smell high quality and is well composed. but what is not apparent from the notes and comments I've read on here is that it's Very spicy to my nose. Something about the composition of the notes and especially in the dry down come across first and foremost spicy which I was not expecting at all and I have to say is not for me. I get a dominantly spicy scent with a fresh undertone and a oakmoss base, Cap Neroli has a classic vintage like feel but done in a beautiful way. This ones for The Chypre Lovers that love oakmoss and want a spicy fresh classic lighter oakmoss dominate summer scent, but honestly it could be worn year round. I would not recommend blind buying as I did. always sample first.

My interpretation of the opening is indeed neroli, starched with soapy aldehydes and lavender. The effect being to shift always ambiguous neroli in the 'clean' direction. In compariing my thoughts with the official notes (petitgrain, citrus fruits, rosemary), the two seem like alternative routes to a same or similar destination. Later, the scent shifts ever more into a cloud of some white (and yellow) floral accords (take your pick...). Starting with petitgrain, makes neroli itself, smell more like orange blossom in comparison. The overall journey of this fragrance is one that begins with clean, green composure, suggesting a polished determination and readiness to impress, ...but then later, after arrival, or after the event, the scent (or its wearer) is allowed to relax, now free to unwind in revery.