New Neroli Sun – the essence of a sun dappled English summer
Neroli Sun is the new Sunspel fragrance by Lyn Harris – a cologne that captures the essence of carefree summer happiness. With lockdown easing and holiday freedom on the horizon, we spoke to Lyn about the inspiration behind the scent and invited some friends of Sunspel to share where it transports them…
Lyn Harris is one of Britain’s leading perfumers. She shares our belief in craft, quality and small-scale manufacture, so it was a natural fit when we worked together on Sunspel’s first ever fragrances.
Lyn created two complementary yet contrasting colognes, each reflecting different aspects of the Sunspel brand. Oak Wood (released in 2019) is inspired by nature and our English heritage, while Neroli Sun represents simplicity, freshness and freedom.
Neroli Sun is directly inspired by the classic Sunspel T-shirt. She explains: ‘For me, Neroli Sun is the Sunspel brand. Whenever I put on a Sunspel tee, it feels so effortlessly elegant – that’s what I wanted to capture in Neroli Sun.
‘I knew I wanted a happy, uplifting cologne, but Sunspel is all about impeccable detail, roundedness and balance, so I knew Neroli Sun needed to embody that. The initial inspiration was an image: a girl and a boy on a boat on a hot English summer’s day, both wearing white T-shirts. Timelessness, freedom, easiness and simple happiness.
‘Sometimes simplicity is the hardest thing. There are so many materials and creating simplicity is about knowing all the elements intimately and then making them work and become a piece of magic that people love. For me neroli is a really precious ingredient, it brings happiness. So there is cheerful neroli, sunny bitter orange and classic petitgrain, but I infused them with herbs to make the fragrance more English and characterful.’
The result is a fragrance that captures the essence of summer freedom and naturally transports you to happy places: a carefree, sun-dappled English summer perhaps, or memories of warm island breezes and Mediterranean blues.
Lyn says that Neroli Sun puts her ‘on a boat on the Mediterranean in San Rémo. That lovely coast line, clean citrus with a green coniferous breeze. Lots of sunshine to make it ooze with freshness with an interesting woody twist to bring the English tang’.
We invited some friends of Sunspel to share where Neroli Sun takes them...
Lyn Harris, Rosa Park, Nick Carvell, Sali Hughes
Lyn Harris – Leading British perfumer and creator of Neroli Sun
‘I’m on a boat on the Mediterranean in San Rémo .. That lovely coast line, clean citrus with a green coniferous breeze. Lots of sunshine to make it ooze with freshness with an interesting woody twist to bring the English tang.’
Rosa Park – Founder of CEREAL
‘Neroli Sun takes me back to last summer in Bath, when my husband and I would take our evening walks down the canal, and up sun-drenched Bathwick Hill. I recall linen sheets hung out to dry, gently billowing; the scent of summer flowers suspended mid-air; the soft glow of the city as the day winds down.’
Nick Carvell – Menswear, grooming and style journalist
‘There’s something about the citrusy sweet-bitterness of Neroli that instantly makes me think of sun-drenched days in Italy. However, it’s this combined with the undercurrent of woodiness that transports me right back to my honeymoon with my husband Robert, specifically the day we spent on the island of Capri.
‘After a frankly hair-raising journey to the town of Anacapri (involving many hilly hairpin bends in a standing-room only bus), we spent the afternoon walking around the gardens of the Villa San Michele - the blazing heat igniting the green, herby scent of the towering cypress and myrtle trees as we looked down back across the island towards the sea.’
Sali Hughes – Journalist, author and broadcaster
‘Neroli Sun transports me to my family’s holiday spot in the Macedonian region of Greece. The fragrance shares its sunbaked warmth, of course, but also its cheerful spirit. Our favourite hotel there has wild rosemary growing all over the property and it’s this fresh aromatic quality, combined with zesty cocktails at sundown, that is somehow captured perfectly in the scent. It’s instantly evocative and triggers such a yearning to return when safe.’
