RUŌOD Lab

Petitgrain Bigarade Oil

Essential oil · Citrus / Floral

green, citrus, floral, bitter, woody — top note.

Aroma illustration for Petitgrain Bigarade Oil: green leaves, a halved citrus fruit and pink flowers, for its green, citrus and floral notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Illustration of a bitter orange twig with glossy leaves and small green fruit. Petitgrain is distilled from the leaves and twigs.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Petitgrain Bigarade Oil smells like (green, citrus, floral), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.An original illustration of the botanical source by RUŌOD Lab — not a photograph of the material.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Petitgrain bigarade is the steam-distilled oil of the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. It is a fresh, green-floral citrus with a woody bitterness and a key material for colognes.

What Petitgrain Bigarade Oil smells like

Petitgrain bigarade, distilled from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree, is fresh, green and bitter, with floral and woody undertones. Perfumery guides describe it as bitter-green, woody and dry, and as the greenest and most herbaceous of the three bitter-orange tree oils, beside floral neroli and citrusy bergamot. Its floral side comes from linalyl acetate and linalool, the same pair that defines bergamot. Perfumers note an almost soapy texture, and it has been called a poor man's neroli.

Leading note
Bitter green leaf
Supporting facets
Floral, woody
Faint facets
Orange, soapy
Character
Green, bitter, dry, fresh
  • green
  • citrus
  • floral
  • bitter
  • woody

What makes Petitgrain Bigarade Oil distinctive

It is the leaf of the orange tree: greener and woodier than bergamot, less sweet and floral than neroli, with only a hint of orange.

How Petitgrain Bigarade Oil is used

Used in eau de cologne, chypres and fougères for a green, floral-citrus freshness, and as a more affordable partner to neroli.

Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials); lift (adds diffusion and radiance, especially at the top).

How Petitgrain Bigarade Oil differs from similar materials

Bergamot Oil (Expressed)
A fragrance guide places petitgrain as the greenest and most herbaceous of the three, bergamot as the vibrant, citrusy one.
Bitter Orange Oil (Expressed)
The peel oil of the same tree is citrus — dry and bitter orange; petitgrain is leaf and twig, green and woody.
Neroli Oil
Neroli, from the flowers of the same tree, is sweeter, floral and honeyed; petitgrain is the greener, woodier, more herbaceous oil.
Petitgrain Absolute
The absolute from the same leaves and twigs is deeper, with orange flower and a woody, slightly leathery side.

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

Being distilled rather than expressed, petitgrain is not regarded as phototoxic the way expressed citrus peel oils are.

Identity and classification

Type
Essential oil
Origin
Natural
Odour family
Citrus / Floral
Note position
Top note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
Also known as
Petitgrain oil
Botanical source
Citrus aurantium L.
CAS number
8014-17-3

The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.

Safety and compliance

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

  • Neroli Oil

    Essential oil · Floral / Citrus — floral, citrus, orange blossom, honeyed

  • Bergamot Oil (Expressed)

    Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like

  • Lavender Oil

    Essential oil · Aromatic / Floral — lavender, herbal, floral, fresh

  • Linalyl Acetate

    Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Fruity — fruity, floral, bergamot, lavender

  • Orange Flower Absolute

    Absolute · Floral / Animalic — orange blossom, honeyed, indolic, floral

Petitgrain Bigarade Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Bitter Orange Oil (Expressed), Dimethyl Anthranilate, Lemon Oil (Cold-Pressed), Mandarin Oil, Nerolina Oil and Petitgrain Absolute.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 35 published formulas

Petitgrain Bigarade Oil is an ingredient in 35 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Petitgrain Bigarade Oil

Is Petitgrain Bigarade Oil natural or synthetic?

Petitgrain Bigarade Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.

What is the CAS number of Petitgrain Bigarade Oil?

8014-17-3, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Petitgrain Bigarade Oil?

Petitgrain Bigarade Oil is used in 35 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Ambrette Halo, Anise Ink and Bell Glass. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Petitgrain Bigarade Oil — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

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