Neroli is an essential oil obtained through steam distillation of bitter orange blossoms — a tonne of flowers yields only around one kilogram of oil. The bitter orange trees grown for neroli production today are found mainly in the Maghreb states of Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, as well as in Spain, Sicily, and the Caribbean. Remarkably, the very same tree yields three entirely distinct fragrances: neroli from the blossoms, petitgrain from the leaves and twigs, and cold-pressed bitter orange oil from the peel. The Tunisian coastal town of Nabeul ranks among the most important centers of neroli production and celebrates the bitter orange blossom each year with its own "Festival of the Orange Blossoms."

According to legend, the name neroli traces back to the Italian princess Anna Maria Orsini de la Trémoille, Princess of Nerola, who in the 17th century loved this scent above all others, dabbing it onto her gloves and into her bathwater, which brought it into fashion at the French court. Neroli soon became a core ingredient of the classic "Eau de Cologne," composed by Johann Maria Farina in Cologne in 1709, and has ranked among the defining materials of European perfumery ever since. Orange blossoms themselves have been a classic symbol of bridal purity since the 19th century, worn as wreaths and carried in bouquets at weddings. A by-product of the distillation is the equally prized orange flower water, used in French and Middle Eastern cooking to flavor pastries such as madeleines and baklava. Important growing regions also developed in the 19th century around Grasse in southern France, the traditional heart of the European perfume industry, where neroli ranked alongside jasmine and rose as one of the three foundational raw materials of Grasse perfumery.

Neroli unfolds a delicate floral, fresh, sweet, and radiant scent profile, used as a heart note in perfumery. In aromatherapy it is valued for its simultaneously relaxing and uplifting effect — not to be confused with orange peel oil, which is a different product entirely. Historically it was a mainstay of classic men's eau de colognes, and it remains one of the most widely used raw materials in perfumery to this day.