# Crabtree & Evelyn — Neapolitan Bergamot Eau de Cologne > Neapolitan Bergamot is a bright, sunny, lightly spicy citrus-aromatic eau de cologne released in 2013 as one of four colognes in Crabtree & Evelyn's limited-edition Heritage Collection, made to mark t ## Essence Neapolitan Bergamot is a bright, sunny, lightly spicy citrus-aromatic eau de cologne released in 2013 as one of four colognes in Crabtree & Evelyn's limited-edition Heritage Collection, made to mark the brand's 40th anniversary and evoke an olfactory journey across the Mediterranean. Built on bergamot and Sicilian lemon with a warm twist of black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and herbs, it is a refreshing holiday-in-Italy splash rather than a complex or long-lived perfume. It is now discontinued. ## Scent Profile The opening is exactly what the genre promises: bergamot and Sicilian lemon, bright and zingy, with black pepper adding an immediate spicy edge that sets it apart from a plain lemon cologne. The heart turns aromatic and herbal. Lavender, ginger, and thyme push it toward a Mediterranean-herbs-on-a-chalky-cliff feeling — lemon and orange groves, herbs warmed by the sun, scents drifting on sea breezes. This herbal lift is the part that gives an otherwise simple citrus some character and place. The base of nutmeg, woody notes, amber, and musk stays light. Wearers single out how restrained the musk is, which keeps the drydown clean and airy rather than warm or heavy. The overall arc is essentially linear and transparent, as colognes of this type are: warm-sunny citrus with a spicy-herbal lift from start to finish. ## Performance Performance is this fragrance's clear weak point and the thing wearers agree on most. Longevity runs short and projection stays soft and close to the skin, exactly as expected from a splash-style eau de cologne. The practical approach is to treat it as a refresh-often summer cologne: apply generously, reapply through the day, and expect a couple of hours of presence rather than all-day wear. Concentrating it on pulse points and clothing helps a little but will not turn it into a long-lasting perfume. ## Wearing Context This is a hot-weather, daytime, casual scent — one repurchasing wearer called it ideal on a hot summer day on holiday. Its low projection makes it office- and gym-safe and well suited to humid climates where heavier fragrances turn cloying. It is unisex and unfussy. It would feel underpowered for evening, cold weather, or any occasion that wants projection or depth. Think morning-after-shower freshener and warm-climate travel companion rather than a signature statement. ## Comparisons & DNA Neapolitan Bergamot sits squarely in the classic spicy-citrus, aromatic-cologne tradition. The most useful reference is 4711 Original Eau de Cologne, the archetype of the bright, fleeting citrus splash this follows. Acqua di Parma Colonia is the more refined, longer-lasting cousin in the same citrus-aromatic family. Dior Eau Sauvage shares the citrus-plus-herbs structure with more lavender and bite. Its closest real sibling is its own collection-mate Crabtree & Evelyn Sevillian Neroli, though that scent has a distinct neroli, white-tea, and clove pyramid — the two are not the same base, despite a retailer note list that once confused them. ## Reception Documented coverage is thin, with no critic review of this specific scent and few written impressions in circulation. What sentiment exists is modestly positive on smell and consistently negative on longevity. Wearers praise a warm, sunny, authentic-Mediterranean citrus that is not overpowering, refreshing, and pleasingly low on musk; at least one planned to repurchase and lamented how many of the brand's fragrances were limited editions. The single recurring criticism is that it does not last. There is not enough volume to identify real axes of polarization. As a low-cost, easygoing summer citrus the appeal is straightforward; the catch now is that it is discontinued, so enjoying it means accepting both short performance and a secondary-market hunt. ## Versions & Reformulation This was a single composition with no documented reformulations. It was a limited edition from the start — the Heritage Collection reached shelves in October 2013 — which is why it sold through and was discontinued rather than reformulated. It sat alongside three other Heritage eaux de cologne (Sevillian Neroli, Hungary Water, and Old Windsor) and three flower waters (Old World Jasmine, Florentine Freesia, Venetian Violet), with a 2015 relaunch adding Black Absinthe and Parisian Millefleurs. Each cologne had its own distinct note pyramid. ## Acquisition Notes Original retail was $88 for the 100 ml bottle, sold in silvery glass within an illustrated cylindrical box. Because it was a limited edition and is now discontinued, current supply comes from closeout sellers, decanters, and the secondary market, where aged bottles tend to trade near or slightly below original retail. No counterfeit or batch-decoding guidance is documented for this scent specifically. As a citrus cologne it is prone to top-note degradation with age, so condition and storage matter — check freshness when buying old stock. ## Notable Facts & Lore - Released in 2013 as part of Crabtree & Evelyn's limited-edition Heritage Collection, a 40th-anniversary project (the brand was founded in 1972 by Cyrus Harvey). - Framed as a Mediterranean travelogue, meant to capture the magical moment of an Italian morning and the first rays of the sun. - One of four Heritage eaux de cologne, alongside Sevillian Neroli, Hungary Water, and Old Windsor, each with its own distinct note pyramid. - Discontinued as a sold-through limited edition, well before the brand's later retail collapse. - The brand closed its global brick-and-mortar stores in 2019 and repositioned as largely online-only, which is why the Heritage colognes are now collector and secondary-market items rather than reissues.