Neroli: The Scent of Memory, the Nectar of the Skin

Some scents are etched so deeply into your heart that, years later, a single breath can carry you back through time.

For me, that scent is neroli—the delicate, honeyed aroma of orange blossoms warmed by the Arizona sun. Before the desert was blanketed in concrete and highways, when the Phoenix Valley was still wide open and alive with rows of citrus groves, fields of cotton and corn, and the rhythmic hush of sheep grazing under the wide sky, I was just a child chasing laughter through the orchards near my grandparents’ house in Chandler.

There were six million fewer people in the Valley back then. The air felt more spacious, the sky more expansive. On late spring afternoons, my cousins and I would play tag in the orange groves, darting between the trees with bare feet, our hands sticky from stolen fruit. We’d collapse in giggles under the blossoms, their fragrance clinging to our hair and skin like a memory that refused to fade. That scent—ethereal, citrusy, and almost floral with a hint of green—became one of my earliest connections to the plant world.

I didn’t know it then, but those same blossoms—neroli—would one day become one of the most treasured ingredients in our skincare line at aos Skincare.

A Labor of Love from Blossom to Bottle

Neroli essential oil is truly magical. It is distilled from the hand-harvested flowers of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium), and the process is a labor of love. Each blossom must be gathered fresh—at the peak of its bloom—before the sun’s heat dissipates the delicate oils. The finest neroli comes from Morocco, where the trees are nurtured by centuries of tradition and the fragrant petals are distilled with the kind of reverence that only comes from deep respect for the land.

It takes over 1,000 pounds of blossoms to produce just a single pound of neroli essential oil. This makes it one of the most precious oils in the world—but it’s more than worth it. The oil is like golden nectar for your skin.

Skin Benefits as Lush as a Blooming Grove

Neroli is beloved not only for its intoxicating scent but for its gentle yet powerful skincare benefits. It’s naturally rich in antioxidants and cell-regenerating properties, helping to soothe inflammation, improve skin elasticity, and restore radiance to dull or tired complexions. It's particularly nurturing for sensitive or mature skin, and I often think of it as the embodiment of the orange blossom's ability to renew itself with grace and beauty each season.

Its aroma alone is a form of healing—subtle, uplifting, and calming. For centuries, it has been used in aromatherapy to ease anxiety and uplift the spirit. When I work with it in the studio, I still feel that childlike joy from the orange groves—it’s as if the soul of the plant speaks through the oil.

Our Love Letter to Neroli in Skincare

At AOS Skincare, we source our neroli essential oil with deep care and respect for the people and places behind it. It’s a cornerstone in many of our most beloved formulations:

• Apple Stem Cell Daily Radiance Cream: Where neroli partners with rare Swiss apple stem cells to awaken and illuminate your skin while calming redness and rosacea.

• Blue Sapphire Concentrated Brightening Oil: A high-performance facial oil infused with neroli’s brightening and rejuvenating properties, like a sunrise in a bottle.

• Blue Sapphire Illuminating Body Oil: Luxurious and silken, this oil leaves your skin glowing while enveloping you in neroli’s calming embrace.

• Chamomile Dream Ultrarich Body Cream: The scent blend is also the plant medicine - soothing chamomile and lavender, cooling rose, and calming neroli, perfect for winding down and replenishing dry and sensitive skin.

• Herbal Facial Oil: A deeply nourishing, plant-powered elixir where neroli helps regenerate, brighten, protect and soften skin.

• Zinc Rescue Cream: Healing and protective, with neroli to support skin regeneration and calm inflammation.

Each product is more than just skincare—it’s a story. A journey. A way of carrying the essence of a place and a plant into your daily ritual.

From Grove to Glow

Sometimes I still return to Chandler, though the groves have mostly given way to subdivisions and shopping centers. Yet, in several quiet corners and old neighborhoods, a few orange groves remain. If you visit an orange grove in early spring, you'll catch the air heavy with orange blossoms again. Close your eyes, breathe deeply—and let it take you somewhere sacred.

For me, working with neroli is a way to preserve that beauty, that slowness, that connection. It’s an offering from nature and a gift to your skin.

And now, we’re bringing back something very special.

This season, we’ve been quietly working on the return of some beloved body products—each infused with the golden nectar of neroli essential oil. These formulas celebrate neroli’s unforgettable aroma and its remarkable skin-renewing benefits in a way that’s indulgent, luminous, and deeply nourishing.

Can you guess what they might be?

We won’t give it all away just yet—but if you’ve missed the silky caress of neroli on your skin or the way its scent makes your spirit exhale, you’ll want to stay close. Something magical is blooming again. And we can't wait to share it with you soon.