Neroli: the blossom that calms the body's stress response.

Neroli — the blossom of the bitter orange — is the top note that lifts the Night candle before patchouli and cedarwood pull it down into rest. It has a better evidence base than its delicacy suggests. In a 2014 randomised controlled trial, 63 postmenopausal women inhaled neroli oil or a control; the neroli groups showed significantly lower blood pressure (diastolic across both doses, systolic at the higher dose) and improvements in the physical quality-of-life domain. The authors concluded neroli “relieves the cardiovascular response to stress” — a careful phrasing we'd echo exactly.

What it does and doesn't show

The blood-pressure findings are objective physiological measures, which is a strength; subjective stress scores, notably, did not differ significantly between groups. So the honest claim is about a measurable calming of the body's stress response, in one specific population — not a treatment for stress or menopausal symptoms.

Why it's in the Night candle

Neroli gives Night its first breath of softness — floral and quieting — and the cardiovascular-calming research fits the moment it's made for: the body winding down toward sleep.