Rebuffing the expectation that masculine fragrances must be heavy and intense enough to strip hairs from nostrils, citrus-tinged bergamot has climbed the olfactory ranks to become one of the most lusted-after smells in men’s grooming.

Unlike heavier ingredients such as oud and musk (which should be approached with a judicious degree of caution) bergamot offers a fresher scent but couldn’t be accused of being boring thanks to its complex character.

Like its stablemates in the citrus family, bergamot is all sprightly and summer-ready, but with a multifaceted profile that makes it the Rolls Royce of the bunch among noses in the know.

Expert perfumer Roja Dove says that bergamot is the grown-up’s way to wear citrus scents. “Because of its richness when compared to other citrus materials, bergamot really does separate the men from the boys,” he says.

What Is Bergamot?

This citrus-y fragrance doesn’t just whiff pleasantly of summer, its origins are all idyllic and sun-dappled too. Bergamot is an essential oil found in the rind of the bergamot orange. This small knobbly, greeny-yellowish fruit grows throughout Southern Italy, with the highest quality oil found in the Calabria region. The name bergamot itself references the Italian city of Bergamot where the fruit is said to have been originally cultivated and sold.

History nuts estimate that the oil has been freshening up fragrances since the 18th century, with the first record of the oil used in fragrance set at 1714. You may have even unknowingly drank the stuff too, as it’s the ingredient which gives Earl Grey tea its elusive scent and taste.

You don’t need bergamot to have invaded your nasal passages to come to the conclusion that it smells citrussy, but aside from the obvious there’s a lot going in that fragrant oil. “Whilst it is very fresh and citrus, it is much richer and more rounded than any of the other citrus notes, which smell somewhat one-dimensional in comparison, making it a highly prized ingredient,” says Dove.