Fresh · Natural material · Top notes, Heart notes
Black pepper
Black pepper is the scent of the dried fruit of Piper nigrum, known in Indonesia as lada hitam or merica. It smells dry, warm and fresh, with a woody side and a hint of citrus peel, but without the heat you taste. In perfume, black pepper usually sits in the top and heart notes.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does black pepper smell like?
Black pepper smells dry and warm, with a fresh opening like lime peel and pine needles. Black pepper in perfume does not sting the way freshly ground pepper does, because the compound that makes pepper hot does not come through in distillation. What you smell is its aromatic side.
On skin, black pepper slowly turns rounder and warmer, with a dry woody feel like cedar.
Where does black pepper come from?
Piper nigrum is a climbing vine from South or South-East Asia. Black pepper is the fruit dried with its skin on, while white pepper is soaked and peeled before drying. Indonesia is one of the three largest pepper producers in the world, and within the country, most black pepper comes from Lampung.
Black pepper oil is steam-distilled from dried, crushed peppercorns. There is also a CO2 extract with a fuller scent. Piperine, the compound that makes pepper hot, does not evaporate, so the oil smells of pepper without its bite.
Black pepper in a perfume
Black pepper usually sits in the top notes, sometimes reaching the heart. It gives an opening that is fresh and warm at once and makes a perfume feel more lively. Black pepper also often bridges citrus in the opening and woods in the base.
Common partners are bergamot and grapefruit, cardamom as a fellow fresh spice, then vetiver, cedar and patchouli. You find black pepper in many woody, fougère and spicy fresh perfumes.
When to wear black pepper
Black pepper with bergamot or grapefruit feels fresh, so it suits daytime and hot weather, including the office. When black pepper meets woods, leather or amber, it turns warmer and fits evenings or events in air-conditioned rooms.
