What does Kumquat smell like?
Bite into a kumquat: the peel is sweet and fragrant, the flesh properly sour. The kumquat note plays on that contrast. First comes a slightly candied orange zest, then a green bitterness like unripe mandarin. It is rounder than lemon and less sugary than sweet orange. Like any citrus, it is gone within about an hour.
Origin and production
Kumquat comes from southern China. Botanists long placed it in its own genus, Fortunella, before folding it into Citrus. It is now grown in Asia, around the Mediterranean and in the United States. Kumquat oil exists but is rare in perfumery. The note is usually an accord built from other citrus.
How perfumers use it
Kumquat offers a different, more exotic zest. It pairs with mint, jasmine, ginger and pepper. Jean-Claude Ellena put it at the top of Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li (2015), with mint and jasmine, to suggest a Chinese garden. Givenchy Xeryus Rouge (1995) sets it with cactus and tarragon in an amber fougère. Parfum d'Empire Yuzu Fou (2008) mixes it with yuzu and bitter orange.
How to wear it
Kumquat suits spring and summer. Le Jardin de Monsieur Li is light, so spray generously on skin and on a scarf to make it last.