Fresh Spicy

To classify spicy notes, it is customary to distinguish between two categories: hot and cold spices. This classification has its origins in Ancient Greece and traditional Chinese medicine, which used to say that plants are sources of heat or coolness. Depending on their category, plants were used to regulate body temperature and to treat various ailments. Plants and herbs with a sour, bitter, or tart taste are then cold spices, while woody and sweet flavors are associated with hot spices. Among the warm spices most commonly used in the perfumery, there are cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and cloves. This category of ingredients gives off strong and powerful scents and lasts well over time. These will develop into the middle and base notes of a perfume.

On the side of cold spices, we find aromatic and more vegetal notes, which evaporate more quickly. They, therefore, take their place at the top of the olfactory pyramid of a fragrance. We think about cardamom, ginger, coriander or juniper berries.