Bergamot smells like sharp lime crossed with neroli and a whisper of black tea, the same bright citrus that flavours Earl Grey. It is the most widely used top note in modern perfumery.
The fruit (Citrus bergamia) is grown almost exclusively along a narrow strip of the Calabrian coast in southern Italy, where the soil and sea air produce the distinctive oil. Bergamot essence is cold-pressed from the rind, not the juice, yielding a pale green liquid that can be further treated to remove bergapten, the compound that causes sun sensitivity.
Perfumers use bergamot to open a fragrance with freshness and lift. It blends with almost every family, brightening florals, cutting the richness of amber and gourmand notes, and forming the backbone of the fougere and chypre structures.
Bergamot reads crispest in spring and summer and in the first thirty minutes after application, making it ideal for daytime wear, offices and warmer climates.
