Nutmeg Perfumes & Fragrances

Nutmeg smells warm, woody and faintly sweet, with a peppery bite and a soft, nutty heart. It is gentler than black pepper and more aromatic than cinnamon, sitting between kitchen spice and fine fragrance.

The raw material is the seed of Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia, now grown also in Grenada, Sri Lanka and India. Whole seeds are steam-distilled to produce a pale yellow oil dominated by sabinene and alpha-pinene. Mace, the lacy red aril surrounding the seed, yields a related but lighter oil. Nutmeg has been traded globally since the fifteenth century and sparked colonial wars over supply.

Nutmeg sits between top and heart. Perfumers use it to add warmth to fougeres, to bridge citrus and woody bases, and to give sophistication to amber and oriental compositions (Egoiste, Rochas Man). It pairs beautifully with cardamom, clove, lavender and sandalwood.

Nutmeg performs best in autumn, winter and evening wear.