Most people think of black pepper as something they put in their pepper shakers. However, this ‘king of spices’ – as it’s often called – carries a far more colorful heritage. Since the Roman empire, black pepper has been traded and used in both culinary and medical applications. The early 1900s also saw black pepper’s introduction into the world of olfaction, where it was added to modern perfumes for the first time.
Black Pepper Perfume
Other Themes
One Spice To Rule Them All
What does the black pepper perfume note smell like?
Hot, musty, almost too sharp to sniff – black pepper is as peppery as it gets. Its scent tingles the noses in a warming, luscious, exotic sort of way. You’ll find it surprisingly fresh (thanks to citrus undertones) layered with fine woods and balsam.
It’s highly regarded by some perfumers for the way it seems to connect the top and bottom notes of a fragrance – bringing them together in a hot, tongue-tingling sort of way – all while creating a smooth silky finish in the dry down. In general, we find that black pepper notes work best when combined with musks, aromatics, and resins. They also offer a beautiful contrast to the brightness and fuzziness of citrus fruits such as lemon and bergamot.
Perfumes With Black Pepper
To make black pepper perfume oil, young peppercorns from the Piper Nigrum vine are dried, crushed, and then steam-distilled. The resulting oil provides an exotic kick and lends its grounding properties to perfumes. Case in point: these four intriguing black-pepper-scented fragrances.
Take Salvatore Ferragamo’s Uomo, which begins with sweet notes and cardamom before revealing its deeply spicy scent that has black pepper written all over it. Then there’s Histoires de Parfum’s 1899, an ode to Paris’s glitzy nightlife and chic style. A fresh and spicy vanilla-black-pepper perfume enriched with intense vetiver and cinnamon spice accents. Also worth mentioning here is Marc Jacobs’ Bang, a woody scent that resonates with the modern man because of its unique, masculine character. Initially, the fragrance begins with a prominent black pepper note, then follows with a woody, somewhat transparent vetiver, and finishes with just a tiny hint of spice from patchouli. Last but not least, there’s Korres’ Black Pepper, a unisex perfume with rich marine notes, aromatic woods, and a touch of fresh black pepper. This simple and straightforward scent is perfect for just about any occasion.
Whether you’re looking for a little something extra in your next perfume or you’re simply curious about this unique ingredient, black pepper fragrances are definitely worth a shot. Browse through Dossier’s spicy and seductive selection of the best black pepper perfumes now and find your signature fragrance today.