- Musk de Lumière
- The materials
- Pink pepper
The materials · Spices
Pink pepper
Two trees, two heats
- Botanical name
- Schinus molle and Schinus terebinthifolia
- Origin
- Peru; Brazil and Réunion
- Part used
- Berries
- Extraction
- Steam distillation and supercritical CO2
From Peru to the atelier in New Jersey
Pink pepper is not pepper at all. It is the berry of a South American tree, rosy, sharp and faintly floral, and it has become one of the defining notes of modern perfumery. I use it from two different trees, extracted two different ways, because each chapter wanted a different heat.
What pink pepper is
Pink pepper comes from two related trees. Schinus molle, the Peruvian pepper tree, gives an oil by steam distillation that is fresh, peppery and green. Schinus terebinthifolia, the Brazilian pepper tree, gives a richer extract by supercritical CO2 that is rosier, warmer and fruitier. Both are built on the same fresh terpenes as black pepper but carry a distinct rosy, almost citrus brightness that makes pink pepper sit as easily beside rose as beside bergamot.
Where our pink pepper comes from
The pink pepper in Hayal and Rosée Blanche is the steam distilled oil of Schinus molle from Peru, where the tree grows along the dry valleys of the Andes and gives an oil that is sharp, clean and peppery. The pink pepper in Paradis de Bleu and Impériale Oud is the CO2 extract of Schinus terebinthifolia from Brazil and the island of Réunion, where the berries ripen in tropical heat and give a fuller, rosier, more fruit laden material. The Peruvian oil is a spark; the Brazilian and Réunion extract is a glow. I chose each for the chapter that needed it.
How pink pepper smells
Spicy, peppery and citrus like, rosy, sharp and fresh. The Peruvian oil leans green and bright, close to black pepper with a lift of lemon. The Brazilian and Réunion extract leans warm and rosy, with a fruity sweetness that reads as pink.
Pink pepper in our chapters
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IHayalThe Crown · in the opening
In Hayal the Peruvian oil is the sharp rosy spark of the opening, set beside ginger and black pepper.
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IIParadis de BleuThe Leaves · in the opening
In Paradis de Bleu the Brazilian and Réunion extract warms the herbal opening with a rosy, fruity heat.
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IVRosée BlancheThe Climbing Rose · in the opening
In Rosée Blanche the Peruvian oil brings a fresh peppery lift to the grapefruit and bergamot before the rose unfolds.
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VIImpériale OudThe First Root · in the opening
In Impériale Oud the same extract sits among cinnamon and thyme, the pink glow that announces the rose of the heart.
A note from the atelier
A pink pepper beside a rose is one of the great pairings of our time, and I use it in both rose chapters. The trick is choosing which pink pepper. For the white dew of Rosée Blanche I wanted the spark; for the crimson of Impériale Oud, the glow.
Questions about pink pepper
What does pink pepper smell like in perfume?
Pink pepper smells fresh, rosy and peppery with a citrus brightness, softer and more floral than black pepper. It is often used to lift rose and citrus openings.
Is pink pepper related to black pepper?
No. Pink pepper is the berry of the Schinus tree, a relative of the cashew, while black pepper comes from the Piper vine. They share fresh terpene notes but are botanically unrelated.
Which of your fragrances use pink pepper?
Hayal and Rosée Blanche use Peruvian pink pepper oil. Paradis de Bleu and Impériale Oud use a Brazilian and Réunion pink pepper CO2 extract.
The Perfumer · Musk de Lumière
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