Fresh · Natural material · Top notes, Heart notes
Pink pepper
Pink pepper is an oil made from the pink berries of Schinus trees, sold as pink peppercorns even though they are not related to black pepper. It smells fresh, dry and peppery, with a rosy, dried-berry side. In perfume, pink pepper usually sits in the top or heart notes.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does pink pepper smell like?
Pink pepper opens with a cool, sparkling spice and none of the heat of black pepper. Then comes a soft rosy, dried-berry side, followed by a thin woody, resinous trace. The effect is bright and clean, so perfumers use pink pepper to make an opening feel more lively.
Compared with black pepper, pink pepper is lighter and a little sweet. That is why pink pepper fits easily into floral, fresh and woody perfumes alike.
Why pink pepper is not true pepper
Pink pepper is the fruit of two South American trees, Schinus molle and Schinus terebinthifolia. Despite the name, these trees belong to the Anacardiaceae family, together with mango and cashew, and are not related to true pepper (Piper nigrum). The oil is steam distilled from the dried berries.
Pink pepper for perfumery comes from Réunion, Madagascar, Brazil and Peru, among other places. Indonesia is a major producer of black pepper, but that is a different plant. Pink pepper became widely used in perfume in the 2000s.
Pink pepper's role in a perfume
Pink pepper usually sits in the top notes and sometimes in the heart. It adds a spicy sparkle to the opening and makes the notes around it feel brighter and more diffusive. Like other opening materials, pink pepper is clearest at the start and then fades gradually.
Common partners are bergamot and grapefruit, then rose and iris, with musk, vetiver or patchouli in the base. Pink pepper appears in many fresh, floral and woody perfumes, including unisex ones.
When to wear a pink pepper perfume
A perfume with pink pepper and citrus feels light for daytime and hot weather. When pink pepper meets rose, woods or amber, it turns warmer and suits late afternoon, evening or events in air-conditioned rooms.
