What does Cacao smell like?
Open a tin of unsweetened cocoa powder. The smell is dry, earthy and a little dusty, with a bitterness that almost catches the throat. A roasted shade recalls coffee. Then comes a roundness that hints at chocolate without getting there. In perfume, cacao keeps that dryness as long as vanilla doesn't drown it. It usually sits in the heart or base and lasts for hours on skin.
Origin and production
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) comes from the Amazon basin. Mesoamerican peoples such as the Maya and the Aztecs grew it long before the Spanish arrived. The beans are fermented, dried and roasted. Perfumers can use a cacao absolute, solvent-extracted from the beans, dark and almost bitter. It is expensive. Most cacao notes are therefore accords that mix it with roasted or powdery molecules.
How perfumers use it
Cacao bridges sweet and woody. It loves tonka bean, sandalwood, rose and spices. Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule (2012) uses it to give sandalwood a powdery, slightly bitter floor. Carolina Herrera Bad Boy (2019) sets it in the base with tonka under a cedar heart. Paco Rabanne Pure XS Night (2019) heats it with cinnamon. On the women's side, Louis Vuitton Contre Moi (2016) slides it under vanilla, while Burberry Goddess (2023) opens on it with lavender.
How to wear it
Cacao is an October to March note, best in the evening. Santal Majuscule works at the office with two sprays. Pure XS Night is far sweeter and belongs to nights out.