What note is nutmeg?

Modern perfumery has looked to nutmeg as a middle note in perfumes that enriches perfumes, adds characteristic depth, and the allure of “the Orient”.

fragrantica.com - Nutmeg - Fragrantica

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Odor profile: It is a fruit of Myristica fragrans, it has a spicy sweet facet with earthy and pungent base notes, and is used to provide an oriental spiciness that is subtler than the usual cinnamon-clove-vanilla bouquet of orientals, thus perfect for masculine and lighter woody fragrances. Notable example is Fahrenheit by Dior and Vetiver Sport by Guerlain. Wars have been fought across thousands of miles in the quest to control spice. But did you know that the great war of the Spice Islands began because of nutmeg? The hunger for this warm, oily, aromatic fruit seed was so intense and so profitable, that the Dutch East India Company knew it was better to fight a war for control of the future than to remain at the whims of traders. Yet we can appreciate the depth of yearning that must have gripped the imagination of Europeans and North Africans when they encountered this miraculous spice, unlike anything native to their worlds. Nutmeg is a spice of deepest mystery. When dried, it is a pale brown, hardened stone, just faintly odiferous, impenetrable. But when it is pulled against the tiny blades of a grater, a room is transformed with a narcotic perfume.

How do you describe nutmeg?

It is indispensable as a distinct flavor in many cuisines to impart a particular depth of flavor. What would a béchamel sauce be without it?

Or an American pumpkin pie, or a Jamaican oxtail soup? But beyond cuisine, it’s scent casts a long, golden shadow that perfumers have been drawn to for hundreds of years. Modern perfumery has looked to nutmeg as a middle note in perfumes that enriches perfumes, adds characteristic depth, and the allure of “the Orient”. When one thinks of a mélange of spices in perfume, nutmeg is usually the most vital, carrying the most substantive weight. Because of its duality as an exotic and close neighbor, it has a versatility unmatched by other perfume components. We could not have classic scents like Christian Dior Farenheit or Molinard’s Habanita without the characteristic, sweetly warm pungency of nutmeg? As the holiday season draws ever nigh, Fragrantica’s writers draw upon the different spices that make up the grand cornucopia, taking as our first the tantalizing seed originating from a few small islands in the pacific, nutmeg.

Frapin CARAVELLE ÉPICÉE

By: Elena Vosnaki, editor of Fragrantica in Greek

The road from Kerala has been finally constructed and the cargo all the way from its verdant backwaters is getting delivered to the ship traveling from the bays of the Indian ocean to Southampton. It carries on it a small quota of the spices of the East, in wooden chests decorated with the coat of arms of the port commander for his personal use. Amongst them nutmeg is the crowning glory, the seed of the Myristica tree, cool and tingling at the same time, redolent of that curious contradiction of serenity and languor that is the east to a westerner's mind. All the splendour of the spice-laden ships has been translated into Caravelle Épicée by Frapin, a fragrance intended for armchair pirates contemplating looting one of them and sailing off to the Seychelles to enjoy the fruits of this escapade. And behold, what do I see in my pocket telescope? Here is a band of them storming the agile vessel with their sabres in hand! They're inhaling the spicy notes escaping the small hold, caraway and coriander with their cool piquancy, a counterpoint to the hotness and dryness of black pepper, a potent mix never ceding to sweetness. They're already intoxicated with the good-smelling treasure they captured. Maybe too intoxicated to get through the risky voyage to the islands. I can see it even from here. The captain lies in ambush, his particular type of pipe tobacco lingering on the vessel long after he hid. There's hope for the ship yet! Honorable mentions: L'Orpheline (Serge Lutens), Spezie (L'Erbolario), Secret Obsession (Calvin Klein), Epices d'Hiver (DSH)

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Molton Brown SINGOSARI

By: John Biebel, co-editor of Fragrantica in English

The one perfume that most wholly fulfills the warm and fuzzy promises of the grating of nutmeg is Molton Brown’s Singosari. It is part of their Navigations Through Scent line of perfumes, and represents specifically plotted points on a map of the world. Singosari brings us to a lush Indonesian kingdom in East Java. It’s no coincidence that nutmeg is indigenous to Indonesia, and it blooms like a flower in this wonderfully modern unisex perfume. Singosari uses a sparse but potent palette of elements to evoke it’s spell and charm: an opening of incense and pale ginger, a middle of warm nutmeg and cinnamon, finishing with a base of patchouli and vetiver. At its core, Singosari is a modern and airy oriental perfume that’s fully planted on a patchouli base, but its pairing with nutmeg gives it a warmth and intrigue that sets it apart from other perfumes that might be perceived as “mildly exotic”. It is applied with a freshness usually reserved for sport scents, but here it represents the crispness of a cool morning. It is a quintessential Autumn scent for the mirror it provides to the world around us in the northern hemisphere: chilly starts, warm glowing colors, a flickering puff of burning incense-like leaves or a wood fire in the fireplace. Like all the Navigations perfumes, this is an eau de toilette and a gentle affair, nothing that overwhelms or feels too heavy. Ginger and spices keep this mixture extremely upbeat and fresh, and the vetiver at the base is barely perceptible, more of a grounding footnote. The hinge of this door into autumn remains the glowing allure of the nutmeg; that versatile honey-wood spice that taps into deep memories for many of us of childhoods, puddings and autumn. There’s no question that this is a tricky element to use in perfume because of how singular it is. Singosari makes it sparkle in resonant, balsamic waves. Honorable mentions: Eaux de Caron Pure Caron, Serge Lutens Arabie, Hermès Equipage, Diptyque Eau de Lavande, Bond No 9 New York Amber, Mauboussin Histoire d'Eau

Givenchy ORGANZA

By: Lucia Remigi, editor of Fragrantica in Italian

As one of the most outstanding powerhouses from the Nineties - a prosperous era in perfumery from my point of view, seeming now so remote - Organza by Givenchy probably needs no introduction to an audience of perfumistas and perfume lovers even though, paraphrasing Italo Calvino, a classic fragrance never ceases to say what it has to say: I still vividly remember eyeing its elegant slender bottle on the shelves of fragrance shops when it first launched in 1996 and finding myself stunned by the voluptuous, plush and yet somehow shimmering aroma clearly perceivable just by taking off the golden-hued cap (whose shape reminded me of a capital). The harmonious and vaguely narcotic fusion of white floral and vanilla/ambery tones embodied by this Sophie Labbé creation, which I consider a progenitor or at least a relevant role model for several oriental floral/vanilla compositions conceived throughout the last two decades, wouldn’t have been so compelling and unique without the indolent and enveloping shade provided by nutmeg - a note that to my nose rules the opening of Organza where it shows itself in all its spicy and familiarly piquant glory, but never completely leaves the stage. Sensually intermingled with the lush bouquet forming the heart of the fragrance (a gardenia, tuberose, jasmine and honeysuckle little miracle), from there on nutmeg starts rounding off its tanginess before dissipating into a velvety, creamy nuance brought to the base by a full-bodied opulent vanilla enriched with woody-nutty accords and subtle animalic accents. “The epitome of timeless beauty and smooth as silk”, as efficaciously described by the brand itself, Organza may have been through reformulations and could now perhaps feel a bit outdated to some; still I can’t help but recalling the initial impression it made on me - that of a mysterious potion devoted to an ideal, majestic, powerful woman. Honorable mentions: Hervé Gambs Paris Infusion Noire, Cacharel Pour Homme, Calvin Klein Secret Obsession

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Cacharel POUR L'HOMME

By: Marlen Elliot Harrison, co-editor of Fragrantica in English

Though it's not necessarily my favorite fragrance to feature this week's star note, I felt that any article about nutmeg would be remiss if it didn't mention the infamous Cacharel pour L'Homme (1981) by Gerard Goupy. When I first experienced pour L'Homme in 1991, I dubbed it "the tire" scent. While it wasn't actually rubbery, my young, inexperienced nose couldn't quite grasp the roughness of what it was smelling; there was something practically industrial about the aroma. At the time, I had grown accustomed to enjoying fresh aquatic and sweet oriental fragrances such as CK Eternity and Benetton Colors for Men, and pour L'Homme with its spicy earthiness couldn't have been farther from these aromas. Nutmeg, fir, vetiver, sage, carnation, woods, and oakmoss make up the backbone of Cacharel's first men's scent (one of only three men's pillars from the brand, the others being the discontinued Nemo and Amor Amor). Theses notes are so well-blended that the fragrance creates a unified impression rather than unfolding in waves of development. Thirty five years after its launch, reviews suggest that the current formulation is quite faithful to the original, though no doubt slightly re-orchestrated due to modern regulations. Although nutmeg may often be associated as an autumnal pie and beverage spice, there isn't a hint of sweetness or cinnamon here. Rather, "dry" is the first word that comes to mind (well, after "tire", lol). Sniffing it again as an adult this past year, after years of not paying any attention to it, I could understand the aroma a little better as an ode to nutmeg and woods. The current marketing for the fragrance describes it as "burning freshness" and in this regard the aroma is indeed warm...and slightly bitter. But L'Homme certainly has its passionate devotees of both genders. I'd wager that lovers of fragrances like Cartier Declaration, Terre d'Hermes, or original Azzaro pour Homme, or even those who enjoy woody chypres, would be charmed by Cachael pour L'Homme. Honorable mentions: Donna Karan Black Cashmere, L`Occitane en Provence Eau de Vétyver, Nina Ricci Memoire D'homme