Neroli Letters

Montblanc breaks Neroli Letters down into three stages: essences of bergamot and Florida orange at the top, neroli absolute at the heart, patchouli and Ambrox at the base. Interparfums keeps the same architecture, reduced to bergamot, neroli and patchouli.

The bergamot comes from Calabria and the patchouli from Indonesia. Ambrox, a synthetic material with an ambery scent, extends a base the house wants deep and woody. Now Smell This also cites lemon, lavender, geranium, a wood and amber.

What the perfumer says

Bruno Jovanovic says he wanted a powerful, chic and deliciously bitter eau de parfum. He explains that he drew on both nature and science, pairing natural materials with powerful woods for an intense olfactory experience.

Speaking to the Dutch magazine Avant Garde, he details his starting point: a perfume that opens fresh and gradually slides toward a warmer, woodier scent.

What the label declares

Behind the alcohol, fragrance and water, the ingredient list begins with limonene, an orange peel oil, two synthetic woody compounds, linalool and the peel oils of bergamot and lemon.

It also names the oils of lavender, geranium, orange flower, eucalyptus, spearmint, lemongrass and patchouli, camphor and menthol, two ultraviolet filters, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and ethylhexyl salicylate, and three colorants, CI 19140, CI 14700 and CI 60730.

What the list adds

The list confirms the house’s materials, bergamot, orange, neroli and patchouli, as well as lemon, lavender and geranium. Spearmint, eucalyptus and camphor add an aromatic freshness that the house does not name.

The three colorants tint the juice. Ambrox, for its part, does not appear under its name.