Pomelo flower absolute

White citrus blossom, sweet with light honey. Green pomelo peel and leaf facets. Fresher than neroli, less bitter.

Pomelo flower absolute has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards. The IFRA furocoumarin standard applies to citrus oils; the furocoumarin content of pomelo flower absolute should be confirmed by the supplier.

EU Regulation 2023/1545 lists Citrus aurantium flower oil, not Citrus maxima. Linalool and limonene, where present, are listed allergens and must be labelled above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Citrus maxima is the citrus with the largest fruit, native to South-East Asia and southern China. Grapefruit is a hybrid of pomelo and orange. In northern Vietnam, pomelo trees flower in late winter and early spring, with white, thick-petalled, strongly scented blossoms.

In Hanoi and the Red River Delta, pomelo flowers scent sweet soups and cakes and are distilled for pomelo flower water. This is household practice, not industrial production.

Pomelo flower absolute is made by extracting the flowers with a solvent to a concrete, then washing with ethanol, chilling, filtering and removing the alcohol. A commercial absolute source has not been confirmed. On the international market, the name pomelo flower is sometimes attached to synthetic bases.

Published composition data for pomelo blossom are scarce compared with bitter orange blossom. This page therefore lists no specific constituents.

In perfumery, pomelo flower gives a fresh white citrus blossom note, close to neroli but less bitter. It suits colognes, white bouquets and tea accords.