Is there such a thing as a masculine Orange Blossom fragrance?

[slpfrsly]

I love the scent of orange blossom but it doesn't seem to be something that suits masculine perfume. Is that fair?

One masculine orange blossom fragrance that springs to mind is JPG's Fleur du Male, by Kurkdjian. But to my nose, there's a lot more going on than just orange blossom. This clean soapbar/floral fragrance uses orange blossom but it doesn't dominate the blend.

Another is Villoresi's Dilmun, a more prominent orange blossom with a resinous dry oriental warm base. It comes across as unisex - perfectly wearable for a man, but with enough feminine touches that most men would look elsewhere for a soapy or even a floral fragrance.

Orange blossom fragrances seem to differ from neroli and petitgrain (more common orange floral notes used in masculine perfumery) in that there's a sweet warmth to the note that marks it out as specifically feminine. I'm thinking about scents like Jo Malone's Orange Blossom and Penhaligon's: whether it's the use of other floral notes, like rose, to bloster that sweet/floral/almost heady quality to the orange blossom, or it's orange blossom on its own, I can't really think of an orange blossom scent that both smells like primarily/mostly of orange blossom and smells suitable for men.

Is orange blossom just one of those notes that's for the girls?

Song unrelated to discussion. 👌

 

[Akahina]

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Amouage Silver.

 

[cacio]

I think you're making a good point. The definition of orange blossom may vary, but in general, as you say, orange blossom tends to have a certain floral thickness that is more stereotypical for women (and that I don't like that much). Neroli's soapiness and petitgrain woodiness are much more stereotypically masculine. Nothing comes to mind that's heavy on orange blossom and marketed to men.

Btw, a few months ago I tried the (presumably for men) Eau de napoleon by the local New Orleans brand Hove. I see the website calls it a lime fragrance, but what I have is orange blossom water, the one that's used in some Italian and French cakes. Unfortunately, it's an eau de cologne that lasts about 15 minutes.

cacio

 

[hednic]

APOM Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

 

[mgrigoriev]

Fleur De Louis by Arquiste - in honor of Louis the XIV who adored orange blosson. It's a masculine no doubt.

 

[Scent Detective]

I love Neroli Portofino and feel like it's a very balanced unisex orange blossom fragrance.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

There are quite a few masculine orange blossom fragrances. A couple that come to mind are Penhaligon’s Castile and Ferrari Bright Neroli. Although Castile has other ingredients blended in, it’s still OB forward. That and the petitgrain. It has some woody soapy facets too so doesn’t feel at all feminine.

Some orange blossom fragrances are boosted with jasmine so can come across with a more feminine tilt due to the indoles, like Penhaligon’s Orange Blossom.

Straight up orange blossom feels foody not womanly/manly, to me.

 

[maksidrom]

JV Artisan is masculine leaning IMO.
But yeah, I agree, hard to find an orange blossom centric fragrance that doesn't lean feminine, with that soapiness and sweetness.

P.S. a little over a year I acquired Penhaligon's Orange Blossom and on my skin it is firmly unisex. I fully expected it to lean feminine, but there's so much more going on than just orange blossom, that it doesn't smell like your typical orange blossom to me - it's grassy, green, unsweet, dry herbal-aromatic with some old school unisex florals. Many folks mention a prominent tuberose note, which I don't get at all and I'm not a fan of scents with a strong traditional tuberose note.

 

[Ken_Russell]

Quite a few great names already mentioned, also adding to a certain extent the niche unisex (thus partly off topic) rather than exclusively masculine scent Oesel by Xerjoff.

 

[PaTomas]

+1 APOM (a part of me) is sometimes described as Neroli but many of you have rightly distinguished that from Orange Blossom.

This is wonderful if you like powdery amber barbershop though lavender is not a part. One reviewer mentions that this came out along with the masculine take on rose Lumière Noire pour Homme when Francis himself seem to be making personal expressions not so people pleasing. Later fragrances of that house seem a bit more mainstream appealing to me.

When I first smelled I said, "Does a man wear this?" followed quickly by, "A man has to wear this."
And... it seems orange blossom to me, and not neroli.

 

[ThVH]

Fleur du Male

 

[dogtoe]

I pulled an orange blossom off a tree yesterday, inhaled its sweet delicate aroma and wondered why it has never been adequately captured in any of the hundreds of fragrances I’ve tested. It isn’t soapy. It is sweet. It’s ever so delicate.

 

[Diddy]

To answer the title - yes. Examples have been given.

And as pointed out previously, it’s the accompanying notes that make the overall presentation lean towards masculine or feminine tastes. Orange blossom alone sits squarely unisex to my nose. I’d like to see osmanthus used more in masculines. Darren Alan does a fine job using the note in his fragrances but I don’t see it come up nearly as often as I’d like.

 

[baklavaRuzh]

I really like divin'enfant by ELDO.

 

[tripler]

Prada Amber, Lutens Fleur D’Orangeur (the original bottling is supposed to have a heavier dose of cumin), and I get an steely orange blossom note in Jaipur Homme EDT which I really enjoy for a cheapie.

 

[The Cologne Cabinet]

D & G The One for Men EDT

 

[Varanis Ridari]

Some clubbers go with an orange blossom note, but they are not singular/soliflore.

Joop! Homme, Lagerfeld Photo, MCM Success, Roma Uomo by Laura Biagiotti, Nikos Sculpture, Altamir by Ted Lapidus, Montblanc Individuel.

Some of those might read feminine to you anyway, but they're all marketed male.

 

[Foxsbiscuits]

Guerlain Cologne du Parfumeur

The discontinued (and largely overlooked) Fahrenheit 32

 

[ihxb01]

The Gucci Guilty PH line. I was looking for the sweet flower warmth as well and after trying all flankers chose the EDP.

Nikos Sculpture

Planning to wear this today in the first time in order to consider whether I should buy the new Parfum version blindly.

largely overlooked Fahrenheit 32

Wore it twice already since the spring started. Can’t get that melting snow feeling enough. Agree that it is a unique fragrance.

 

[Sandy]

APOM Pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

This, although Orange Blossom plays only a smaller part in it. This was my signature for years.

 

[david]

Fleur du Male

THIS !...and the drydown is STUNNING !!!

 

[Sandy]

THIS !...and the drydown is STUNNING !!!

As to the drydown, I do agree. As to its being masculine, I don't, at all

 

[slpfrsly]

Thanks everyone.

I should clarify slightly. I know there are masculine fragrances that contain orange blossom. What I meant was more about orange blossom-centric fragrances, where the whole or majority of the fragrance is using OB/trying to smell like OB, but without the (obvious or equally prominent) use of neroli and petitgrain, which are more masculine (Neroli Portofino, Eau de Givenchy 2018, and many more).

I know that limits things quite a bit but to my mind there isn't a masculine orange blossom on the market? The closest might be Kurkdjian's APOM but I'd have to smell it again as it has been a few years and the scent memory of his fragrances have merged together for me. 😆

Happy to be proven wrong btw. 👍

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I love the scent of orange blossom but it doesn't seem to be something that suits masculine perfume. Is that fair?

Orange Blossom in my opinion does suit masculine fragrance. What you are asking is I think a little unreasonable though. It just isn’t a masculine note when presented alone. Masculine fragrances with orange blossom exist. ie Prada Amber Pour Homme, Bright Neroli.
Masculine fragrances where the orange blossom is a central and key part of the fragrance also exist. ie Penhaligon’s Castile.
If you strip away all other ingredients and leave nothing but orange blossom you end up with a singular ingredient, which in this instance, in and of itself doesn’t feel masculine or feminine and also wouldn’t have the tenacity to last beyond a basic solifore eau de cologne, which again is one of the reasons why other ingredients are used to try to maintain scent profile and stretch longevity.

Ingredients like neroli and petitgrain are very similar and often used alongside orange blossom to impart other more masculine nuances such as woodiness or astringency. So orange blossom does lend itself to masculine fragrance but perhaps just not in the manner you envisage.

 

[slpfrsly]

Orange Blossom in my opinion does suit masculine fragrance. What you are asking is I think a little unreasonable though. It just isn’t a masculine note when presented alone. Masculine fragrances with orange blossom exist. ie Prada Amber Pour Homme, Bright Neroli.
Masculine fragrances where the orange blossom is a central and key part of the fragrance also exist. ie Penhaligon’s Castile.
If you strip away all other ingredients and leave nothing but orange blossom you end up with a singular ingredient, which in this instance, in and of itself doesn’t feel masculine or feminine and also wouldn’t have the tenacity to last beyond a basic solifore eau de cologne, which again is one of the reasons why other ingredients are used to try to maintain scent profile and stretch longevity.

Ingredients like neroli and petitgrain are very similar and often used alongside orange blossom to impart other more masculine nuances such as woodiness or astringency. So orange blossom does lend itself to masculine fragrance but perhaps just not in the manner you envisage.

I take your point Sheik. Maybe it is easier to use other notes as way of comparison: if I were to say "give me 10 examples of a neroli or bergamot-centric masculine fragrance", or even a heavier/stronger note, like pine, I think most of us would be able to come up with a decent number of examples.

By contrast, if the same question was asked about masculine jasmine or lily of the valley fragrances, for example, it would be trickier. To me, it seems like orange blossom is closer to the latter than the former. Now, you say it's unisex on its own, and I'd tend to agree - yet most fragrances that focus on orange blossom seem feminine. Maybe that's just a choice on the part of the perfumers, maybe it says something about the note/ingredient itself, I'm not sure.

I'm not disagreeing that orange blossom can be used in a masculine fragrance. I'm also not disagreeing that it can smell more masculine/unisex when paired with neroli, petitgrain, drier soapy notes and so on. I like orange blossom; I even like it in feminine fragrances, although I could not wear it myself. I suppose my disappointment is with the fact that orange blossom - which is distinct from neroli and petitgrain - seems to be almost solely something given to feminine perfumery in the form of a soliflore or pseudo-soliflore. Fleur du Male would be the closest masculine I can think of, and even then it doesn't really smell like orange blossom (and fragrantica has neroli as the main/heart note).

 

[Zenwannabee]

Cool Water. But I don’t think of it as “orange blossom centric”

Boucheron pour Homme EDT and EDP might qualify as well. They’d also work well for a discussion of masculines with a prominent lily of the valley note.

 

[basicDave]

Fahrenheit 32 has a nice blast of orange blossom to open. I shied away from it for a while because I thought it was too girly, but I recently got a bottle and my wife assured me that it didn't smell girly. I'm wearing it today at work

 

[RPLens]

I really liked APOM Pour Homme, but the hermaphroditic character of this one always kept me in doubt.
So I never bought it.

 

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Amouage Silver.

I think Amouage Silver is fantastic. It's a very unique take on orange blossom and eau de cologne style scents because of the prominent plum note. To me, it smells like a classic eau de cologne mixed with a very modern sweet plum note. The effect smells kind of like if a perfumer smelled a giant pile of Smarties candies and said "Hey, I could make this into a masculine fragrance!" It's weird, but it works, and I think it's something special.

My pick for orange blossom is Castile. Castile is a wonderful scent that smells like you bought a very luxe bar of soap and pulled out a knife to whittle off a pile of thin slices, and then you ran your fingers through them. But what makes Castile special to me is the warm and smooth musk used in the base. Castile starts off smelling like luuuuuxe soap, but it eventually fades to reveal a wonderful your-skin-but-better smell.

I'm a fan of MFK's APOM too, but it doesn't really smell like orange blossom to me. I mean, it kind of does, but it's very well blended with a heavy amber that makes it heavy rather than fresh. It's great. I own it. But it's not what I'd recommend for anyone looking for orange blossom even though that's one of the main notes (more or less).

 

[Toxicon]

I’m wearing it today so it’s top of mind — Azemour Les Orangers by Parfum d’Empire might fit the bill. It opens with an actual bitter orange note before transitioning to neroli and orange blossom in the heart, and before a hard left turn towards a dark, smoky oakmoss and henna dry down. It’s gorgeous and much more old-school masculine than I was expecting once it hits that base - I get an almost ashtray note.