Tangerine

NaturalCITRUSfruity · fresh

TopPyramid

3/5Strength

4hTenacity

7Origins

Specimen

Citrus reticulata

Definition

Bright, zesty, and slightly greener than mandarin. Tangerine occupies the middle ground between mandarin's sweetness and orange's roundness — familiar citrus with a livelier edge.

MANDARIN TANGERINE ORANGE CITRUS RETICULATA

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Citrus
Subfamily: Bitter citrus
Cluster: Orange-mandarin sweet citrus
Source: fruit peel
Chemical class: complex natural (expressed oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

4hours

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

China Spain Turkey Brazil Japan Egypt United States

Scent

Brighter and greener than mandarin, with a zesty, slightly herbaceous edge that mandarin's tangy sweetness lacks. Less round than sweet orange, less acidic than lemon, with a clean, energetic quality. The overall impression is familiar citrus rendered slightly sharper — the zest is more present than the juice. A faint green-leafy undertone connects it to aromatic herbs.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Expressions

The Full Story

Tangerine and mandarin are commonly treated as the same species (Citrus reticulata) but differ in cultivar selection. Tangerine is typically smaller, deeper-orange, slightly more acidic and zestier than the rounder, sweeter mandarin. Both yield cold-pressed peel oils with closely related but distinguishable chemistry.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

Chemistry

Tangerine and mandarin peel oils are limonene-dominant (~80–95%) with characteristic methyl anthranilate (CAS 134-20-3) [A] — the grape-skin / orange-blossom angle that distinguishes the mandarin group from lemon, lime and orange. Tangerine carries methyl anthranilate at ~0.5–1%, mandarin slightly higher (~0.8–1.5%) and more pronounced in the dry-down.

Sources & Notes

[A] PubChem CID 8635 — methyl anthranilate, CAS 134-20-3. The mandarin-group signature compound. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8635.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Cold pressing of the peel of tangerine cultivars (mandarin-type citrus with looser skin). The method is identical to other citrus expression — mechanical rupture of flavedo oil glands without heat. Major producers: United States (Florida), Brazil, China, Morocco. Yield and pricing are comparable to mandarin oil.

Formula: complex mixture (limonene C₁₀H₁₆ ~90%, key component)
CAS: 8008-31-9
Botanical: Citrus reticulata
Appearance: colorless to orange clear liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 4 hours at 100.00%
Synonyms: MANDARIN TANGERINE ORANGE CITRUS RETICULATA

IFRA status

No restriction

No known restrictions

Physical properties

Flash point: 121.00 °F. TCC ( 49.44 °C. )
Specific gravity: 0.82500 to 0.85000 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive index: 1.47100 to 1.47400 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Tangerine is a top note providing bright, energetic citrus between mandarin's sweetness and orange's roundness. The peel oil (cold-pressed) contains 85-95% limonene with supporting gamma-terpinene and myrcene. Lower methyl N-methylanthranilate than mandarin gives a less tangy, more straightforward character. Tangerine is adaptable across colognes, fresh-green blends, fruity florals, and citrus-spice accords. It pairs with neroli, petitgrain, ginger, and green herbs.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02signature note

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

expressed oil