- Latin name
- Citrus reticulata
- Family
- Rue family (Rutaceae)
- Origin
- Paraguay, Italy
- Parts used
- leaves and young twigs
- Raw materials
- essential oil (mandarin petitgrain)
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- citrus, green
- Position in the pyramid
- top note
- Synthetic substitutes
- methyl N-methylanthranilate, green bases
Mandarin leaf is an oil obtained by distilling the leaves and young twigs of the mandarin tree. It is called “mandarin petitgrain” by analogy with classic petitgrain from bitter orange leaves.
How it smells: green, fresh and slightly sweet: crushed citrus leaves, a light bitterness, a soft mandarin and floral, grape-like shade. Mandarin leaf sounds calmer and greener than the juicy peel of the fruit.
Mandarin leaf oil is special: it is rich in methyl N-methylanthranilate — a molecule with a floral, grape-like smell, of which the leaves contain dozens of times more than the peel oil. That is why the leaves sound unexpectedly soft and floral.
What it pairs with: with mandarin and neroli — “the whole mandarin tree”, with petitgrain — green citrus compositions, with basil — herbal freshness, with jasmine — floral-citrus fragrances, with vetiver — a fresh woody base.
Good to know: most petitgrain oils today are produced in Paraguay, where citrus trees grow almost wild and the leaves are gathered and distilled right on the farms.
