What does Pink Pepper smell like?
Pink pepper is gentler than black pepper: it fizzes rather than bites. You notice a terpenic freshness close to juniper, a fruity sweetness and a rosy facet that brings it near to flowers. Some detect raspberry or pine resin. Highly volatile, it bursts in the first minutes and leaves an impression of brightness and zest, as if the opening had been lightly carbonated.
Origin and production
Pink pepper comes from Schinus molle and Schinus terebinthifolius, two trees of the cashew family native to South America. They are harvested notably on Réunion Island, in Madagascar, Brazil and Peru. The oil is steam-distilled or CO2-extracted, the latter giving a fruitier version. Rare in classic perfumery, it rose to prominence in the 1990s and 2000s as one of perfumers' favourite fresh spices, now found in countless launches.
How perfumers use it
Pink pepper belongs in the top notes. It instantly wakes up rose, patchouli, white flowers and gourmand accords. Chanel's Chance pairs it with pineapple and lemon, Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium sets it beside orange blossom and pear to introduce its coffee heart, and Byredo's Rose of No Man's Land turns it into the spicy counterpoint to a Turkish rose resting on papyrus.
How to wear it
Year-round, from office to evening. It suits anyone who likes lively, modern, luminous scents.
