Pink pepper is now a ‘hot’ perfume ingredient (in several senses): bright, cheerful, with a woody-rosy scent that’s quite different to the nose-tingling spicy warmth of the more-familiar black pepper. And the difference shouldn’t surprise us: pink pepper comes from the Brazilian pepper tree and the Peruvian pepper tree (relatives of mangoes and cashews), not the Piper nigrum plant which provides the spice we scrunch onto our food. (Pink pepper – a.k.a. baies rose – is also edible, though, with a citrussy flavour.)
Jean-Claude Ellena and Geza Schoen – who creates scents for Ormonde Jayne – use a lot of pink pepper, and Karyn Khoury (Creative Director for Estée Lauder) has long been a fan, first introducing it into Pleasures, which has become a major classic: pink pepper adds a ‘piquancy’ and freshness, and it’s here to stay.
Smell pink pepper in:
Burberry The Beat
Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy
Cartier Délices
Chanel Chance
Escentric Molecules Molecule No. 1
Estée Lauder Pleasures
Gucci Guilty
Kate Moss Kate
Max Mara Le Parfum
The Different Company Rose Poivrée
Yves Saint Laurent Elle