Houbigant Orangers en Fleurs, eau de parfum
Few scents evoke the charm of a blossoming orange tree like Houbigant’s Orangers en Fleurs. The fragrance artfully weaves the honeyed warmth of orange blossoms into a rich tableau with jasmine, rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, nutmeg, cedar, and musk. What sets it apart is eau de brouts absolute, capturing the green sharpness of orange leaves.
Chanced upon in Moscow …
I’d never heard of this fragrance when I came across it in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in 2015. I had a seven-hour layover en route to Delhi and was leisurely perusing the luxury goods in the duty-free areas. I expected amber, vodka, caviar, matryoshka dolls, t-shirts, the usual touristy dreck. Nope! It was all perfumes and makeup. And we’re talking everything in the way of fragrance.
Duty free, Squeee!
It was perfume heaven! So, after about an hour of sampling at the bigger shops, I was near the end of the terminal. There was a tiny boutique with an odd assortment of brands. On the counter were the Houbigant offerings: Fougère Royale, Quelques Fleurs Royale, and Orangers en Fleurs.
I tried the new replica rendition of Fougère Royale and was intrigued. The classic crystal flacon of Orangers en Fleurs caught my eye. An orange tree in bloom? That sounds like an unoriginal premise for a luxury fragrance. White flowers are my jam, so I had to try it. It was love at first sniff! A brilliant beam of white floral bliss shone down from paradise on that gray day in Moscow.
I asked the price. (I had no idea what to expect). The frumpy saleslady said $80.
I said, “I’ll take it!”
The saleslady exclaimed loudly, “That’s the cheapest perfume in the whole store!”
“It’s the best thing I’ve tried in the entire airport,” I replied.
Her eyebrows about flew off her head. Guess they have crappy service in Russia too.
Presentation and Packaging
The white box with gilded orange blossoms is quietly elegant. The flacon has a nice heft, and the label on the bottle is a gorgeous engraved metal plate. The cap is plastic though.
Swoonworthy …
On the first wearing, I was worried it would morph into something monstrous – or disappear completely. I wasn’t disappointed, even in the late summer Delhi heat.
The perfume’s eau de brouts absolute bursts forth with green freshness, quite the invigorating opening. As the scent unfolds, it gracefully transitions to the sweet embrace of honeyed orange blossoms. The olfactory drama starts with a full diva tuberose, lush and opulent. Egyptian jasmine absolute, prim Turkish rose, and fruity Comoros ylang-ylang, all intertwine to form an ambrosial bouquet. Hints of peppery nutmeg and sheer cedar temper all the headiness. As the fragrance gradually dries down, a luxurious trace of velvety white musk lingers.
Wondering what eau de brouts absolute is?
Eau de brouts a byproduct of extracting petitgrain bigarade essential oil from the bitter orange or bigaradier tree. Green twigs and leaves are cut from the tree and are steam-distilled. The fragrant water obtained by this distilling is called “eau de brouts.” The petitgrain bigarade essential oil is then collected by decantation as it floats to the top of the eau de brouts. The eau de brouts can then be concentrated to an absolute through solvent extraction.
Projection and Sillage
This fragrance gets an A+++ from me for a tenacity of over 12 hours in scorching South Asian heat and humidity. Despite this longevity, it somehow wears more like a cologne, never becoming overbearing like other orange blossom perfumes. (I’m talking ‘bout you, Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger!) Houbigant Orangers en Fleurs remains well-behaved and never goes indolic, animalic, sweaty, skanky, or fecal- YOU CAN WEAR THIS IN THE ELEVATOR!
Houbigant launched Orangers en Fleurs in 2012. Initially, it was only available at Bergdorf-Goodman and Neiman Marcus. The price started at $180 for 100mls of the eau de parfum. I’ve now seen the eau de parfum priced as low as $60 for 100mls at online discounters. It certainly wasn’t a huge success. It’s quite an underrated bargain. Houbigant doesn’t seem to spend much on advertising.
The Final Whiff:
By now, you’ve probably guessed that I love this fragrance. Somehow this perfume manages to have a vintage feel as well as modern appeal. If I had to choose a signature scent, this would be it! Despite florals not being ‘on trend’ nowadays, I get compliments galore on this fragrance. A Japanese tourist chased me down the street in Kathmandu last month, wanting to know what perfume I was wearing – Houbigant Orangers en Fleurs, of course!
What’s your favorite perfume?
Are there any new white florals you think I should know about?
Hope you had a fabulous summer and you’re ready for a glorious autumn!