What does bergamot smell like? The citrus that built cologne

You have almost certainly smelled bergamot, even if you have never seen one. It is the flavour in Earl Grey tea. It sits at the top of a huge share of perfumes, from classic colognes to modern bestsellers. Perfumers love it because it is fresh like lemon but softer, rounder and more floral. It is the citrus that makes other notes look good.

What does it smell like?

Bright, sparkling and citrusy, but with a gentle, almost floral calm underneath. Where lemon is sharp, bergamot is smooth. On a blotter you might notice:

• Citrus peel: a juicy, zesty flash in the first seconds
• Floral softness: a lavender-like, slightly sweet tone that makes it feel elegant
• Green bitterness: a light, leafy edge, like the white pith of a fruit
• Tea: the familiar smell of Earl Grey, because that tea is flavoured with bergamot oil
• Light spice and pepper: a faint warmth that some noses pick up

Like most citrus notes, bergamot is a top note. It shines for the first 15 to 30 minutes, then fades into the heart of the perfume. In a well-made scent, though, a soft trace of it can last much longer.

Where it comes from

Bergamot comes from the fruit of Citrus bergamia, a small tree with green to yellow fruit about the size of an orange. It is thought to be a hybrid, most likely of bitter orange and lemon. The fruit is very sour and bitter, so people rarely eat it. It is grown for its peel and the oil inside.

Almost all fine bergamot comes from one place: a narrow coastal strip in Calabria, the "toe" of southern Italy, around the city of Reggio Calabria. The mild winters, sea breezes and soil there suit the tree in a way few other places do. Calabria is widely cited as producing most of the world's bergamot oil. Smaller amounts come from places such as the Ivory Coast, Turkey and Brazil, but Calabrian oil is still the reference perfumers compare everything else to.

How it's made

Bergamot oil sits in tiny pockets in the skin of the fruit. To get it out, producers use cold expression, also called cold pressing. Machines scrape, prick or squeeze the peel of the fresh fruit, the oil runs out with a little water, and the two are then separated. No heat is used, which keeps the fresh, lively smell intact.

In the past this was done by hand. Workers pressed the peel and soaked up the oil with sponges. Today it is almost entirely mechanical.

It takes a lot of fruit to make a little oil. Roughly a few hundred kilos of bergamots give about one kilo of oil.

The smell comes mostly from three molecules:

• Limonene: the bright, generic "citrus" sparkle shared by most citrus oils
• Linalyl acetate: a soft, fruity-floral molecule also found in lavender. This is what makes bergamot feel so smooth.
• Linalool: a fresh, floral-woody molecule that deepens the floral side

A short history of bergamot

• Early cultivation: Bergamot has been grown in Calabria for centuries. Its exact origins are unclear, and several stories compete.
• The first eau de Cologne (early 1700s): An Italian perfumer, Giovanni Maria Farina, settled in the German city of Cologne. Around 1709 he created a light, fresh scent built on citrus oils, with bergamot at its heart. He named it after his new home: Eau de Cologne, "water from Cologne". It became a sensation across European royal courts.
• The cologne family: Farina's formula set a template: citrus top notes, herbs like rosemary and lavender, and a light floral heart. Every "cologne" since owes it something.
• Earl Grey tea (19th century): Black tea scented with bergamot became popular in Britain and named after a British prime minister, Earl Grey. The exact origin story is disputed.
• Chypre and fougère perfumes (20th century): Bergamot became a building block of two great perfume families. A chypre pairs bergamot with oakmoss and labdanum. A fougère pairs it with lavender and coumarin. Coty's Chypre of 1917 made the first family famous.

Bergamot in modern perfume

Bergamot is so common that it is easier to list perfumes without it. A few landmarks:

• Shalimar by Guerlain (1925): famous for a big burst of bergamot over a dark, sweet vanilla base. The contrast is part of its legend.
• Eau Sauvage by Dior (1966): a fresh, citrusy men's scent that showed how modern and clean bergamot could feel.
• Colonia by Acqua di Parma (1916): an Italian take on the classic cologne that is still sold today.

Real vs FCF bergamot

Natural bergamot oil has one problem. It contains furocoumarins, especially a molecule called bergapten. These are phototoxic: if you put them on skin and then go into strong sunlight, they can cause burns, redness or dark patches that last for months.

Because of this, the fragrance industry's safety body, IFRA (the International Fragrance Association), limits how much natural pressed bergamot can be used in products that stay on skin.

The solution is FCF bergamot, short for "furocoumarin-free" (sometimes called "bergaptene-free"). Producers remove the furocoumarins, usually by careful distillation. The result smells very close to the original and is safe in sunlight at normal levels. Most bergamot in modern perfume is FCF.

Perfumers also build "bergamot" accords from synthetic linalyl acetate, linalool and limonene. These are cheaper and more stable, but the natural oil has a richness that is hard to copy fully.

What bergamot pairs well with

Bergamot gets along with almost everything. Some favourite partners:

• Lavender: they share linalyl acetate, so they blend seamlessly. The heart of many barbershop scents.
• Neroli and orange blossom: together they make the classic cologne.
• Vetiver and oakmoss: bergamot lifts these earthy notes and keeps them from feeling heavy.
• Tea: an obvious match, as Earl Grey shows.
• Vanilla and amber: bergamot cuts through sweetness, as in Shalimar.
• Pepper and cardamom: for a fresh, spicy feel.

Perfumes to try

• Colonia by Acqua di Parma (1916): a clean, elegant classic cologne. A good first test.
• Eau Sauvage by Dior (1966): crisp, citrusy and timeless.
• Shalimar by Guerlain (1925): bergamot meets vanilla and smoke. Wear it to understand how bergamot brightens dark notes.
• Bergamotto di Calabria by Acqua di Parma (Blu Mediterraneo line): a direct, sunny portrait of the Calabrian fruit.
• Original Eau de Cologne by Farina: a modern version of the scent that started it all.

How to wear bergamot

• Expect bergamot-led scents to be light. Citrus fades quickly, so reapply during the day or choose an eau de parfum for more staying power.
• Spray on clothes as well as skin if you want the fresh opening to last longer. Test on a hidden spot first, as oils can mark delicate fabrics.
• It works in every season, but it is at its best in spring and summer and in warm, humid climates.
• If you make your own blends or use pure oils, choose FCF bergamot for skin, and avoid sun on areas where you applied regular pressed oil.

Who will love it

People who like clean, fresh and polished scents. Fans of colognes, Earl Grey tea and classic barbershop smells. Anyone who wants an easy perfume for the office or hot weather. And anyone curious about perfume history: smelling bergamot is smelling the start of the cologne.