The Spicy facet

In perfumery fragrances are classified into categories, called “families” (according to the classification of the French Perfume Committee - CFP). They are six of them:

  1. The citrus family
  2. The floral family
  3. The amber family
  4. The chypre family
  5. The woody family
  6. The fougère family

Olfactive family is determined by its accord, or main theme, made up of 5 to 10 different components, and giving all its soul to the fragrance. In addition, each main theme, or family, can be dressed with one or more olfactive facets. The more perfume is faceted, the more complex it will be.

The spicy facet can dress all the families listed above.

 

The history of spices 

The potential of spices was first exploited in ancient Egypt. The pharaohs were great consumers of spices, both for use in daily life and for embalming at funeral ceremonies. Wealthier Egyptians burned cinnamon in their homes to combat the foul odor that emanated from the streets.

Egyptian pharmacopoeias (collections of prescriptions for medical products) contained large stocks of spices, most of which were considered to be real remedies.

There are several reasons why the spice trade became so important. First, it was a profitable business; second, spices were easy to transporte and to consume in large quantities, especially by the upper classes of society; and third, the success of spices can finally be explained by the poor quality of the food consumed.

When food wasn’t rotten, it was bathed in salt during mass production. 
Wines, beers and vinegars shipped by boat were among the few preserved commodities.
Spices were very expensive, so spicy drinks were especially popular among people of a certain social class.

Until about the 16th century, the flow of spices followed the trail of Arab caravans to Constantinople and Alexandria. From then on, the goods were shipped to their destinations by Italian ships. The spice trade thus transformed the small cities of Venice and Genoa into brilliant metropolises.

In the same way, the economic wealth of the spice trade made great cultural advances possible in northern Italy, thanks in particular to the generosity of rich merchants, artists, architects and philosophers.

The spice trade 

In the 15th century, the old trade routes were interrupted, breaking the monopoly of Italian ports on the spice trade. The race for spices and the hard search for new trade routes launched great explorers towards the seas. Christopher Columbus in 1492, thinking he was heading for India, landed in the Bahamas where he discovered allspice peppers from Jamaica and vanilla.
In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama landed in India, where he discovered cinnamon, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and mace.

* The expression "expensive as pepper" used by Voltaire, referred to the invective "pepper bag", dating from the Middle Ages, which was used to designate a very rich man (spices were very expensive at the time).

 

Spice categories

There are two categories of spices: hot spices and cold spices.
In perfumery, spices immediately evoke warmth and a "spicy" side. But although they can be hot, they are also vectors of freshness. Fresh spices act more as top notes, while warm spices develop mainly in heart and base notes.

 

Fresh spices

Cardamom, coriander, ginger, juniper berries as well as pink and timut peppers are considered as fresh spices.

  • Cardamom

Cardamom, a plant native to India, comes from the same family as ginger and turmeric. It comes mainly from Guatemala and India.
In Egypt, it was called "the seed of the angels", it had divine properties. Cleopatra perfumed her palace with it before each visit of Mark Antony.
The plant itself can grow up to five metres tall. There are green and black cardamoms. 
Its fragrant seeds are distilled during the production of essential oil for perfumery. 
This essence of cardamom is very expensive because it is very labour-intensive. 
30 kg of cardamom gives 1 kg of essential oil, also exists in absolute form and can be treated by the C02 process.
It is considered a cold, slightly camphorated, green and terpenic spice.

  • Coriander

Native to the Middle East, coriander is also known as "Chinese parsley" or "Arab parsley". It belongs to the same botanical family as the carrot. Its scent is very uplifting, fresh like citrus fruits, lemony and slightly camphorated. There are olfactive differences depending on the part that is being treated (the leaves or the seeds).

  • Ginger

Ginger was brought back by Marco Polo from China and corresponds to the rhizome of a tropical plant. Ginger is a rising note, popular among perfumers; it is fresh, citrusy and rosy. 
Its spicy side can sometimes give a soapy scent to perfumes. 

  • Juniper berries

Produced from juniper (Juniperus communis), these small European fruits are used in cooking to accompany dishes, as well as in the production of gin. Juniper berries are used in perfumery thanks to the distillation of the fruit.

  • Pink pepper

Coming from South America, pink pepper, or pink berries, is a fresh and airy "false pepper" that goes very well with citrus notes. It is frequently used in perfumery as a top note.

  • Timut pepper

A variety of pepper recently used by perfumers, Timut (or Timur) pepper is a false pepper, close to Sichuan pepper. It diffuses grapefruit scents.

 

 

Warm spices 

Warm spices used in perfumery include: nutmeg and its husk (mace), cinnamon wood, peppers, saffron, and chilli pepper berries.

  • Nutmeg

Among other things, nutmeg has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It is also used in cooking to embellish a dish (it is part of the famous "Four Spices").
Its note is spicy, dry, warm and deep, and can evoke a leathery note, with a medicated camphor side, a clove facet, and an earthy note.
Eugenol, methyl-eugenol and Iso-eugenol are molecules present in clove and nutmeg. All these molecules are limited or even prohibited by IFRA (International Fragrance Association) laws and are naturally present in ylang-ylang and rose essence.

  • Cinnamon wood

Cinnamon has been used for several millennia. Most cinnamon wood production is found in Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and Madagascar. The spice is harvested every two years and the wood, which is very fine, must dry in the sun before being processed by distillation.

  • Peppers

There are three kinds of pepper (black, white and green). They come from different degrees of ripeness, but from the same variety: Piper Nigrum. It is a very popular spice, both for consumption and in perfumery.

  • Saffron

Nicknamed "red gold", saffron, which comes from a crocus pistil, is the most expensive spice in the world. It is not used in perfumery because it contains allergenic components. However, a substitute exists: saffronal, which gives a very strong and spicy leather note to perfumes. 

  • Pepper berries

Originally from the West Indies and mainly harvested in Jamaica, chilli pepper berries are processed by distillation, as are the leaves (which are then called "chilli leaves"). Its perfume is spicy, and lies between nutmeg and cinnamon, while evoking cloves.

Spicy perfumes

Here are some spicy facetted fragrances, classified by spice : 

Ginger perfumes

  • Déclaration by Cartier
  • Five O’clock by Serge Lutens
  • Allure Homme sport Edition Blanche by Chanel
  • Vangelis by Sylvaine Delacourte
  • Eau de Gingembre by Roger Gallet
  • L’Eau by Diptyque
  • Fou d’Absinthe by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • Dzing from by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • Ginger Picante by Guerlain
  • Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens


Juniper berry scents


Cardamom perfumes


Chilli pepper berry perfumes

  • Mitsouko by Guerlain
  • Piment Brûlant by L’Artisan Parfumeur


Saffron perfumes


Pepper perfumes


Coriander perfumes

  • Héritage by Guerlain
  • Gentleman Only by Givenchy
  • Intense by Jean Couturier 
  • Coriandre by Jean Couturier


Cinnamon perfumes

  • Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
  • Égoïste by Chanel
  • Rousse by Serge Lutens
  • Black Orchid by Tom Ford
  • Noël au Balcon by Elo
  • Dolce Vita by Dior
  • L’Eau Lente by Diptyque 
  • Eau by Diptyque


Nutmeg perfumes

  • Cacharel pour l’Homme by Cacharel
  • Vétiver by Guerlain
  • Opium pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
  • Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens
  • Vangelis by Sylvaine Delacourte


Perfumes with mixed spices


Confidential spice perfumes

  • Cumin present in Edmond Roudniska's by Femme de Rochas.
  • Clove, which, together with rose, creates the "carnation" note present in Coco from Chanel, Opium by YSL, Aromatics Elixir by Clinique, Miss Dior by Dior, Tam Dao by Diptyque, Florentina and Vangelis by Sylvaine Delacourte.

 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musks and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.