Piper Nigrum fragrance notes
Head
- Anise, Wild Fennel, Peppermint
Heart
- Black Pepper, Origanum, Nutmeg
Base
- Amber, Styrax, Myrrh
Where to buy
Latest Reviews of Piper Nigrum

The piquancy of Piper Nigrum may almost be too overwhelming for those who can only handle pepper, spices and herbs sweetened and softened into amber or vanilla rather than laid bare and raw. It does, however, satisfy my yen in a way that Serge Lutens Serge Noire did not, as I find that it transcends my threshold for acridness and comes off as unsettling (a review to come soon). Here, Villoresi does bring it to the brink, and those who are familiar with his perfumes know his knack for bringing on the spices. However, his works often have a rustic, rather than aloof character, and this is no exception, especially as the base of Piper Nigrum enters this phase of warm, dry balsams and incense. If you want a real "Spicebomb," you've got it here.

Pepper is the dominant note followed by some soft star anise, a twist of lemon, and something smoky. There is an Iso-E-Super type of synthetic cedar-wood base that i don't typically enjoy, but in this perfume it creates a watery effect that i like.
In the dry down there is the resinous wood, tempered by the mint and cloves with a slight trace of the remaining camphor. Didn't get enough of a spritz to really measure it's attacking or staying power but both seemed respectable.
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May cause: vomiting, nausea, heartburn, diarrhea.

Piper Nigrum arrived today. Fresh and minty and slightly powdery. Most reminiscent of Creed Viking in the opening then settles to a powdery barbershoppy powdery minty freshness. Almost medicinal but not terminally so. Longevity is good, Projection is C+. Lacks the smoothness and depth of Creed Viking. After 2.5 hours is a nice faint sweet skin scent.
Will test this on my wife as she likes the more subtle ones . Let's see if it topples Byredo's Super Cedar!
I also recieved Uomo which is a pleasant damp Vetiver. Nothing more.
Fragrance: 7.5/10
Projection: 6.75/10
Longevity: 7/10

Arthur Melville 1890

It works so well on a sunny day that I'm very curious on how it will be in the middle of winter - I could be looking at this year's Christmas present to self!

Unfortunately for me, as a unisex fragrance it's just too sweet. If they brought out a drier men's version with a touch of wood in the base, this would be my signature scent. A real shame as, if you like pepper, this is probably as good as it gets.


Today, while enjoying a chunk of black licorice 'tween cheek-n-gums like I like, I took out my three bottles of anise-minded fragrances for a spin. First off, if One has a problem with black licorice... One should stay away from these. Here are my other thoughts:
Piper Nigrum - Mint and anise are there up-front supporting the prominent pepper. The pepper is there throughout, with clove and other spice, even into the resinous vanilla-incense drydown. Much more pepper than anise, but still.
Reglisse Noire - Mint and pepper are there up-front with the prominent anise which lasts throughout the rather fleeting heart and is noticeably supportive in the exquisite vanilla drydown. Classy. A very nice evening scent.
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin - Powdery synthetic vanilla and anise from the start. There are bothersome sour and floral facets as well. Strong and linear. It all wears this black licorice fan down... much in the same manner this tobbaco fan cannot find the appreciation for The Dreamer. No matter.
Sure, there are a ton of other black licorice / anise fragrances. These are my first three and I think I've drilled deep enough. Two outta three ain't bad! They shine bright in early Autumn.

I blind bought this (against my best judgement) and was quite nervous about the purchase as I normally do not like scents that have a strong medicinal quality. However, I love the mint & pepper, strong Icy Hot opening of Piper Nigrum. I think the pepper makes the medicinal mint interesting and very pleasant. The opening doesn't last long before the sweet, resinous balsams take center stage and play the leading role for the remainder of the duration.
I will say that PN is a very interesting scent as I have experienced its many different facets during different wearings. At times I get a lot of pepper and other times no pepper. I frequently experience the root beer vibe that others talk about with wisps of pepper peaking through and during other wearings I get a very linear, sweet balsam smell for hours.
Scent: 9/10
Longevity: 8/10
Projection: 8/10
Sillage: 8/10

