NEROLI NUANCE by Prosody London

With the summer weather now starting to tease us with its sunshine warmth, it’s natural that our thoughts should turn to fragrances that have a more zesty edge to them. Our instinct is to reach for those gloriously mouthwatering citrus scents that accentuate the radiant heat or even the cooling aromatic ones if you long for a little respite from the constant humidity. Unfortunately, it’s pretty rare to find a perfume that truly offers a combination of the two, whilst also providing a depth of scent that can carry you well into the balmy evenings. However, that is until you try the devilishly sensual Neroli Nuance by Prosody London.

For a natural brand to succeed in today’s market it must be so much more than merely “synthetic free,” it must grab its audience with the quality of the fragrance. The days of simply being able to write “from the earth with love” or “be kind to your skin” have gone. Customers now place fragrances on a level playing field and niche has to match the high street offerings in variety, longevity, and wearability. Prosody London has achieved this with a combination of hard work and determination, and also with a little help from the ultimate natural creator.

When Keshen Teo founded Prosody London it was out of a love and respect for how natural ingredients could come together to form fragrances that had a stunning complexity. The idea of creating a brand completely containing naturals fascinated him but, right from the beginning, he knew that he needed help to truly understand how they combined. He turned to the world-renowned perfumer Mandy Aftel and, under her guidance, began working on what would become his debut collection. His combinations are often unusual but, whilst challenging, are wonderfully wearable. However, how would he fare with neroli as his star ingredient?

Neroli is interesting because it’s often used primarily as a tool for adding an almost metallic brightness to the top of a fragrance. Yes, it does have a recognisable floral aroma but it is much less intense than orange blossom. Both neroli and orange blossom actually start life as the same delicate flower but it’s the way that they are treated that decides which one they will become. By this I mean that if the flower is steam-distilled then we get neroli essential oil but if it is solvent extracted then we create the wonderfully rich floral absolute. However, when both of them are used together then the results can be spectacular.

Neroli Nuance opens with a rush of explosive citrus but there’s a juicy blood orange trying desperately to hold onto the reigns of the lemon and bergamot. The latter ingredient also gives a hint of aromatic lavender to the scent which, alongside that promised green neroli, provides a cooling quality to the fragrance. A touch of rose adds a softness to the development before being joined by voluptuous, slightly animalic, orange blossom and jasmine. This continues into a patchouli and clove imbued soft woodiness that, accentuated by the heat, reveals a sensuous labdanum to remind us that summer is the time for adventures.

Neroli Nuance is available from the Prosody London website at prosodylondon.com and also from Fortnum & Mason priced at £36 for 10ml and £135 for 50ml. [Sample provided by Prosody London]

Posted by Stephan Matthews at 07:00:00

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Labels: Fortnum & Mason, Independent, Keshen Teo, Mandy Aftel, Natural, Natural Perfumery, neroli, Neroli Nuance, Niche, Prosody, Prosody London