Citrus Bigarrade Creed 1901

My search for the ultimate citrus scent has come to an end. "Citrus Bigarrade" is, in my opinion, perfect. This fragrance strikes exactly the right balance of acidity (lemon), fruitiness and bitterness (bitter orange), coolness (bergamot), and a sweetness that doesn’t veer into cloying territory (neroli).

The clarity of Creed is definitely noticeable. I like that. Although I am not a Creed fan (due to their aristocratic marketing nonsense), I am a fan of many Creed fragrances.

A citrus scent is generally a difficult topic for a perfumer. The refreshing molecules are too fleeting. Or the stabilizers scream their origin from a chemistry lab to the world. Too often, such a scent evokes associations with dish soap or toilet cleaner.
I find that no other type of fragrance has such a close proximity between enjoyment and strong dislike. This likely explains why some perfume enthusiasts fundamentally (i.e., with exceptions) reject citrus scents (especially citrus top notes).

There are indeed some other lovely citrus scents. For example, "Monsieur Balmain," the sliced lemon, which, however, does not smell completely natural and has something piercing beyond the acidity. Or "Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat," which offers 90 wonderful seconds with citron. Or the bergamot concentrate "Bergamotto di Calabria" from Acqua di Parma, which also lasts no longer than five minutes. And then the air gets thin; it usually heads into cologne territory or a citrus-herb direction.

As a comparison scent to "Citrus Bigarrade," "Agrumi Amari di Sicilia" should be mentioned. I also find it excellent. However, its bitterness is somewhat strongly emphasized, making the scent a bit coarse. Above 35 degrees, that’s fine, but below that, I wish for more finesse and gentlemanliness.
Therefore, "Citrus Bigarrade" is overall leading for me. Even at very high temperatures, it is still wearable, but it doesn’t provide the refreshing effect I hoped for. Regardless, above 35 degrees, "Pamplelune" comes into play, whose grapefruit keeps you in a freezer for half an hour.

The name "Citrus Bigarrade" is strange. The first word is probably supposed to be Latin, as it is certainly not French. The second word is an unusual (or antiquated?) spelling of "Bigarade," the French word for pomeranate, i.e., bitter orange. In any case, the name correctly suggests what the scent is about.
The use of bitter orange instead of grapefruit gives the fragrance its olfactory breakthrough. Here, there is a gentle bitterness and not a piercing, harsh one.

The longevity is outstanding for a non-synthetic smelling citrus scent, lasting one to one and a half hours, and almost supernatural (as befits a grail). In my opinion, musk is at work here. Amber is listed, but I suspect musk. Well, the stuff is synthetic one way or another; however, nothing in this scent smells synthetic at all.

I have not yet been able to definitively determine the mixing ratio of bitter orange and bitter orange blossom (neroli) in "Citrus Bigarrade." I bet both are present. In my opinion, it can be neither just one nor just the other. Because the top note contains a bit more bitterness than the neroli heart, but it is pretty certain that no grapefruit is involved. So I think the top note is dominated by bitter orange (and bergamot) and the heart by neroli. What do you think?

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Addendum (20.07.2024):

10 years later...

..."Citrus Bigarrade" is still my Holy Grail of citrus scents.

However, I see it quite differently today than I did back then. This is due to ten years of fragrance experience, nose training, and helpful relevant information. Many thanks to "ExUser" for the valuable insights in the responses to this review!

Yes, I am now swayed by "ExUser's" assessment! - Indeed, I now primarily recognize bergamot, citron, and lemon petitgrain in this scent. I have now smelled enough fragrances with these notes to be able to defend this view - even to myself.

Little can be recognized of the namesake bitter orange (pomeranze, citrus bigarrade) and the listed neroli. It is plausible that they are included, but they certainly take a back seat to the aforementioned three main fragrance notes.

I find it surprising regarding neroli, as I distinctly remember my fragrance experience from ten years ago and would have sworn that neroli is clearly recognizable a while after spraying. Perhaps it is also due to the aging of this citrus scent, especially since this perfume category is known for its rapid aging. So I assume that neroli was originally more pronounced than it is now. - Perhaps the bitter orange has also aged in the bottle and made room for the citrus-green fragrance components.

You can imagine "Citrus Bigarrade" as a combination of Giallo Riviera and "Le Petit Grain | Miller Harris." But it is certainly much more elegant than the somewhat rustic petitgrain from Miller Harris.

My taste in citrus scents leans towards very sour, rather unsweet, slightly green, but not too minty or herbal or woody, not too bitter, at most slightly peppery or ginger-spicy, possibly slightly woody, and not too soapy fragrances. Thus, "Citrus Bigarrade" fits perfectly into my preferred profile for citrus scents!

Compared to the two excellent comparison scents mentioned above, this fragrance is broader and more complete. The comparison scents each deliver only one of the main pillars, citron and petitgrain, but only together - and complemented by the ice-cold bergamot - does a full and perfect scent emerge. So it remains my "Holy Grail" of citrus scents.

Hopefully, my bottle continues to age gracefully. Its current signs of aging have not harmed it; rather, quite the opposite. The namesake reissue from 2020 gives me little hope. The listed notes of mint, pepper, and ginger raise my eyebrows. Perhaps the scent is better than I fear. I haven't smelled it yet. Let's see if that can be managed in the next ten years...