Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast Asia. Arabs who had traveled the Spice Route from China through India, Persia and Arabia brought citrus fruits with them on their journeys into Europe. The fruit, leaves, and oils soon became essential ingredients for European perfumers, especially in the refreshing bergamot-based fragrance known as Eau de Cologne, developed in the early 18th century.

Because citrus oils are light in molecular and have fleeting staying power, they are primarily used as a top note in perfumes. When the layman thinks of citrus, it's usually lemon and orange that come to mind. Perfumers, however, make great use of the bergamot, a sour and aromatic fruit grown primarily in Italy. Other popular citrus notes used today are grapefruit (Hermés Un Jardin Sur le Nil), lemon (Guerlain Shalimar), lime (Hermès Eau de Merveilles), and yuzu (Parfums 06130 Yuzu Rouge).

Fresh
Sugar
Notes: bergamot, lemon, Brazilian sweet orange, petitgrain, heliotrope, white lily, caramel, vanilla, marjoram

Sugar opens on a non-sweet citrus peel note with a barely perceptible hint of lily. I'm not sure why they called this scent Sugar, because it's not really sweet. The name implies something cloying, which this is not. At all. Even in the drydown, the caramel and vanilla are delicate and only serve to mellow the tartness of the lingering juicy lemon. Unlike most other citrus fragrances, the lemon in this one lasts and lasts.

Fresh also serves up a scent called Lemon Sugar, which smells like furniture polish to me.

Calypso Christiane Celle
Tangerine (Homme)
Notes: tangerine, grapefruit, green tea, lemon tree, black currant, hyacinth, violet, amber, musk

The opening notes of this fragrance are tea and rich citrus oils and a hint of dried peel. Then comes a watery floral. The drydown has a light skin-type muskiness to it while maintaining the floral aroma. Although named after a citrus fruit, this is one of those scents in which the citrus aspect isn't particularly long-lasting, at least on my skin. Nor does it smell like tangerine.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique
Vanilla Citrus
Notes: candied lemon peel, Brazilian Orange, blackcurrant syrup, Tahitian Vanilla, pink hibiscus flower, sweet rose jam, chocolate, vanilla cream, sugared milk

Bright with the tang of lemon candies and orange at first sniff, then becoming fruity and sweet, reminding me of Fruity Pebbles cereal. That soon fades, thank God, and we're left with a creamy sensation like the aroma of milk being gently heated with some vanilla.

Guerlain
Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca
Notes: citrus, clover leaf, Italian lemon, peppermint, green tea, lily of the calley, cyclamen, pear blossom

I've always liked the way Herba Fresca smells like a cup of peppermint tea with fresh lemon juice, or like one of those lemon/peppermint stick thingys one buys at carnivals. The mint and lemon smells predominate in this fragrance, although there is a slight green tea aspect and a teensy tiny bit of a floral. But not much.

This scent is fairly long-lasting and I love to wear it on a scorching hot summer's day.

Keiko Matsuri
Sanguine
Notes: Mediterranean blood orange, orange rind, citrus, musk

At first, Sanguine smells like limeade to me, not the raspberry-ish scent of blood oranges. The lime effect wears off pretty fast though, and what's left is definite citrus with a nice musky base. On paper. On my skin, it's a harsh stale orange rind that unfortunately lasts and lasts. Luckyscent.com has several favorable reviews of this one, however, so it may be that my body chemistry is just not the right one for Sanguine.