Campari

Note Profile

Prepared

About

Blood orange peel over a bitter herbal frame, with a spirit tingle and a warm spice edge.

Scent Profile

Citrus leads and every source agrees, including the maker: blood orange peel first, then orange sherbet, ruby grapefruit zest and dried lemon peel. Aromatic_herbal is the frame under it and is nearly as strong - gentian root, quinine, bay leaf and lemon thyme, the part that carries the bitterness the drink is named for. Warm_spice comes next as cinnamon and clove, and fruity as the cherry sweetness two sources put in the background. Boozy is the spirit itself, the peppery tingle Difford's names, and dry_woody is the 'herbal woodiness' the maker's own copy lists third after orange and herbs. Lower down sit the earthiness of gentian root, a sour edge, and the floral note the maker claims but nobody else does.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~4h lasting

Family Fresh & Citrus, Green & Aromatic

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

Origin

The Italian aperitivo bitter made by Campari Group since 1860. The recipe is not published. The company confirms orange and will say only that the drink is an infusion of herbs and fruit in water and alcohol. Gentian root, rhubarb, quinine, bay, lemon thyme, cinnamon and clove are third-party tasting attributions from Difford's Guide and retail copy, not a disclosed formula. In perfumery it is a fantasy note, a built accord standing in for the drink, and Fragrantica files it under beverages as useful for sparkle and vibrancy.

Usage in Perfumery

A heart note used for a bitter citrus lift. It gives an orange that is not sweet, which is what a straight orange note cannot do. Attested 19 times on Fragrantica and 4 on Parfumo across 2 brands, so it is a small but real note. Its natural partner and nearest neighbour is aperol, which is the same idea run sweeter and lower in alcohol.