Nigella

Note Profile

Botanical 1 perfume

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About

Nigella is black cumin seed, Nigella sativa. It is not cumin and not a flower note. The smell is buttery and cheesy on top of an earthy, peppery, bitter base, with a smoky-balsamic edge.

Scent Profile

Nigella smells buttery and cheesy on top, closer to acetoin than to cream. A sharp, peppery spice runs through it, warm and medicinal, with a smoky, balsamic amber edge underneath. The base is earthy and bitter, with an animal tang and a sulphurous edge that go with the cheesy character. A bright citrus top and a sour, acidic edge brighten it.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~6h lasting

Family Sweet & Gourmand, Spicy, Woody & Earthy, Amber · Musk · Leather

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

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ScentArt

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Materials That Can Make This Note

Perfumers can build Nigella from materials such as:

Acetoin buttery · creamy · fatty

Smell words come from published sources.

A given perfume with this note may use some of these, or something else.

Origin

Nigella sativa, an annual of the Ranunculaceae grown across the Middle East, South Asia and the Mediterranean. The matte black seeds are pressed or steam-distilled. A published aroma extract dilution analysis of the seed extract found acetoin the strongest aroma-active compound at FD 1024, giving the buttery character, and isobutanoic acid next at FD 512, giving the cheesy one. Despite the common names black cumin and black caraway, the plant is unrelated to cumin or caraway, both of which are Apiaceae.

Usage in Perfumery

A pungent, savoury seed note. It gives fermented-dairy and peppery weight where a clean spice would be too polite, and it needs restraint because it is not subtle.