What does Pimento smell like?
The name allspice says it all. You seem to smell clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper at once. Clove leads, thanks to the eugenol both share. Pimento is rounder and less medicinal, though, with a warm and almost sweet side. In perfume it adds heat without bite. You rarely pick it out alone. It shows up as a spicy warmth under the woods.
Origin and production
The tree (Pimenta dioica) grows in the Caribbean and Central America, and Jamaica is its historic source. Spanish explorers brought it to Europe in the 16th century, mistaking it for pepper. Hence the name pimienta. The berries are picked green and sun-dried. The essential oil is distilled from the berries. A leaf oil, richer in eugenol, also exists.
How perfumers use it
Perfumers treat it as a softer clove. Gucci Pour Homme II pairs it with black tea and violet. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver uses it in the heart to warm a very dry vetiver. Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet puts it in the top with pepper. Dolce & Gabbana K and Givenchy L’Interdit Rouge use it for spice. Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Infrared buries it in a hot accord.
How to wear it
Wear pimento from autumn into early spring. It is office-friendly when it stays in the background, as in Grey Vetiver. Two sprays are enough.