Words: Anna Galbraith
It is said that our sense of smell is our most powerful faculty for recalling memories. And, with their latest fragrance, Floris have stirred up some of the most evocative.
Dusting off the diaries and letters of 18th-century perfumer Robert Floris, and finding inspiration in his accounts of travelling the southern Mediterranean in the early 19th Century, the storied British brand has created Neroli Voyage, a heady, woody musk that takes its name from the blossom of bitter orange trees.
Floris’ journey, over 200 years ago, saw him walk the length of the Ligurian Sea coastline on foot, sourcing new aromatic botanicals for his fragrant creations. It even saw him fall in love with a “beautiful, raven-haired” beauty called Donna Maria.
“These two prevailing themes of romance and the power of travel captured my imagination,” reveals Perfumery Director, and 9th generation member of the Floris family, Edward Bodenham. And Bodenham’s excavation of his ancestor’s memories is sure to transport you to the heady aromatic summers of Corsica.
Perfect for heralding in the season of sunshine, it is an unmistakably oceanic scent, opening with a citrus burst of neroli and lemon, and complemented by marine notes for a freshness designed to evoke the sea breeze.
Spicy notes of ginger and fennel seed give the scent a further depth, alongside oak wood, which is indigenous to the fragrant shrubland of Corsica. Its scent, locals tell Bodenham, is the one they most associate with coming home. But, for us, when we spritz on Neroli Voyage this summer, we’ll be doing so with the express intention of getting away…
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