Yuzu
Yuzu is a citrus fruit native to and most commonly grown in East Asian countries Japan and Korea. The trees fare best in warm climates where it rains often during their harvesting season. The trees are abundant in the wild but farmed commercially as well. Yuzu produces an essential oil, and it has been utilized as a health remedy for several centuries.
Yuzu is typically implemented as a top note because it is evaporative and unstable Whereas most citruses exhibited in fragrances are exclusively sweet, Yuzu is sweet and tart. Its aroma is distinctly clean, energizing, and fresh. Yuzu blends especially well with woody and aromatic herbal scents like that of sandalwood, oak, thyme, and lavender.
Yuzu trees don't mature and bloom flowers until an estimated eight to ten years after being planted. Due to their volatility, Yuzu flowers must be processed quickly after harvesting. Usually in full bloom by the end of spring, Yuzu flowers must be handled with care so as to keep the petals intact.
Oil from yuzu flowers can be extracted in two ways, through steam distillation and by being cold-pressed. In steam distillation, yuzu flowers are exposed to hot steam, which then transfers and traps the fragrant oil in what is called a condensation chamber. There, the oil and water combination separate into their original components. After this process, the oil can be collected and incorporated into its intended perfume.
The cold-pressed technique entails a different procedure. In this approach, the oil is mechanically squeezed out from the flowers and then spun using a centrifuge machine to isolate the pure oil from other possible remnants. The oil obtained from this practice is more concentrated and odorous than that of steam distillation.
Yuzu is being used more frequently in fragrances nowadays because consumer preferences have shifted, and natural, less artificial scents are more in demand. Yuzu fragrances are bound to be more commonplace and easier to acquire in stores over the next few years.