What does Quince smell like?
Leave a ripe quince on a table and the whole room ends up smelling of it. Pear and yellow apple, a little honey, a touch of rose. The downy skin adds a waxy note. Quince feels drier and more aromatic than peach. In a perfume it lights up the top and fades fairly quickly, leaving a quiet fruity trace.
Origin and production
The quince tree (Cydonia oblonga) comes from western Asia, around the Caucasus and Iran. It has been grown around the Mediterranean since antiquity. The fruit gives no usable perfumery extract. The quince accord is built from fruity esters, pear notes and a hint of rose. Each perfumer adjusts the share of honey and green.
How perfumers use it
Quince pairs with pale flowers such as freesia and peony. Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia uses it to give the pear more relief. Chanel Chance Eau Tendre sets it at the top of a bright floral. Christine Nagel's Galop d'Hermès brings it close to leather and rose, a less obvious choice. Britney Spears Fantasy blends it with gourmand notes.
How to wear it
Quince suits autumn, or spring in floral versions. Chance Eau Tendre works anywhere by day. Galop d'Hermès is denser and better in the evening.