Hello plant friends,
Invigorating, refreshing, sparkling. Fruity, peppery—but gentle and exciting. Lately, I’ve been so drawn to Pink Pepper. It’s sassy in the best way. Bright, a little wild, and totally mesmerizing. A gorgeous addition to any perfumer’s organ.
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Pink pepper is especially lovely with heavier florals and woods—jasmine, rose, sandalwood. But it also plays so well with vanilla, citrus, patchouli, and resins. It lifts, adds a bit of a twist. There’s something adventurous about it. It’s edgy, but soft enough not to shout.
And though it’s called pepper, it’s not related to black or white pepper at all—just has that same tingly brightness.
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From a molecular perspective, it’s full of limonene and caryophyllene. Which is interesting, because that means it not only smells amazing, but also helps to repel insects (bonus!) and has a calming effect on the nervous system. I love when nature multitasks like that.
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The oil itself can be a bit sharp on the skin, so best to use it diluted—but oh, the magic it brings when blended just right.
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Pink pepper has really found its way into my heart lately. I'll keep reaching for it. Again and again.
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Much love,
Merle
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Pink Pepper: a trickster
Don’t let the name fool you! Pink pepper isn’t really a pepper, and it’s not quite a berry either. It’s a bit of a trickster (the French call it baie rose, or ‘pink berry’ just to keep things interesting). Technically, it’s a drupe: a fruit with a single kernel, a bit like a cherry. But in the world of scent, it’s pure mischief.
Pink pepper crackles, sparkles, and brings an instant brightness to any fragrance. It’s spicy, but not in a heavy way - think of it as the flirtier cousin of black pepper, with soft floral undertones and a gentle warmth that tickles the nose. Extracted from the sun-ripened drupes of the Schinus tree, often grown in Madagascar or Brazil, it’s become a beloved ingredient for perfumers who want a playful twist with a scent that dances between pepper, citrus, and cardamom. Just like every good fragrance, pink pepper keeps you guessing- and keeps you coming back for more.
In your box this month:
Pink Pepper essential oil from Madagascar
Pink Pepper chocolate
The Schinus tree
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The Schinus tree, source of our beloved pink pepper, is as adventurous as the scent it gives us. It’s native to South America, but it didn’t stay still for long. Now it’s also thriving under the sun in places like Brazil, Madagascar, India, and even along the Mediterranean coast. It was often planted for its beauty, with feathery green leaves, creamy spring blossoms and bunches of blushing pink berries in autumn. The most common variety, Schinus molle, looks like a tree with a flair for the dramatic. It sways like a weeping willow, standing tall: up to 15 meters in ideal climate.
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Despite it’s beautiful appearance, Schinus can also be a bit of a troublemaker. In some regions, it grows so enthusiastically that it edges out other plants entirely, earning itself a reputation as an invader. (In New Caledonia, it’s even banned for being too good at what it does.) Still, it’s hard not to love. With its twisted trunk, graceful branches, and playful pink fruit, it’s as bold and bright as the scent it brings to life. A tree with personality - just like pink pepper itself :)
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The flowers of the Schinus tree are very different than the drupes and smell like turpentine. Image by Diego Bonetto.
Etymology
Pink pepper loves to keep us guessing. It’s not really a pepper, and it’s not truly a berry either - just another little trick in its playful repertoire. Known as baies roses in French, it comes from the dried red fruits of the Schinus molle and Schinus terebinthifolius trees, native to South America.
The name Schinus comes from the Greek word for ‘mastic tree’, thanks to the resinous sap the tree produces: another hint at its aromatic potential. And while pink pepper might sound fiery, you won’t have to expect a burn: the mild kick comes from a terpene called carene, which leans more towards piney-fresh than pepper-hot. You’ll get sparkle, not spice!
It’s been known since ancient times, but only recently earned its spotlight. Today, pink pepper charms perfumers with its unique scent, and a name that keeps the mystery alive.
Harvest
Native to South America, pink pepper found a new home in Madagascar in the mid-20th century, which today is the world’s leading producer - and the source of the pink pepper we use. The resilient trees grow wild across the island, easily adapting to different environments. Though harvests can be affected by droughts and cyclones, the hardy trees bounce back, with new growth each year.
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In April, the trees bloom with tiny white flowers, followed weeks later by clusters of green berries that slowly blush pink, then bright red when ripe. Harvest season runs from May to late July. It’s a community effort: farmers gather in cooperatives, helping each plot in turn. It takes 15 to 30 people to harvest a single hectare in a day, with the host providing a meal in return. A beautiful system of shared labor, tradition, and resilience.
A glimpse behind the scenes of harvesting Pink Pepper in Peru with DoTerra.
The origin and journey of Pink Pepper
Before pink pepper turned heads in perfumes, it was mostly used in kitchens. With its mild sweetness, floral warmth, and gentle kick (no fiery burn like black pepper), it became a favorite for chefs looking to add a delicate spark: sprinkled over salads, meats, even in chocolate. As versatile as parsley and as elegant as orange blossom water, it brought that mysterious extra something to a dish, especially for fine dining.
But pink pepper’s story goes way back: long before it hit European spice blends in the ’80s. Indigenous peoples in South America were using the berries centuries earlier, not just in food and drink, but also as natural medicine, treating everything from joint pain to digestion. In places like Brazil, Peru, and Argentina, the bright pink drupes were both flavor and remedy.
As the world’s appetite for exotic flavors grew, pink pepper crossed into fine cuisine, and eventually into perfumery, where its sweet, sparkling scent found a whole new kind of spotlight.
Rare 19th-century photos of the Amazon rainforest by Albert Frisch in 1867.
Nature’s Apothecary
The cure is in the forest: A shaman’s journey in the Brazilian Amazon by Dialogue.Earth. Read it here.
Pink pepper doesn’t just smell good - it has a long history of healing, too. In its native Andes, the Schinus tree has been used for just about everything: firewood, crop protection, homebrew ingredient and even as a bonsai. But its most fascinating role? Natural medicine.
For centuries, communities across Central and South America have turned to this tree for its powerful plant magic. Leaves were chewed to soothe toothaches, brewed into tonics for digestion, or used to calm everything from cramps to high blood pressure. The bark helped ease joint pain, the sap worked wonders on wounds, and the essential oil was massaged into sore muscles, or even used to aid weight loss.
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Even the berries, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, had their uses: rubbed on mosquito bites, stirred into drinks, or simply enjoyed for their gentle sweetness. The 16th-century chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega once described it as: "the Indians make a drink of it, squeezing it slowly in their hands in hot water until it renders all its sweetness, without reaching the bitter part, else all would be lost. They strain the decoction and keep it three or four days, until it is ready. It is delightful to drink, delicious in taste, and excellent for curing urine incontinence, stitches, kidney stones and bladder diseases.”
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Looks like pink pepper has been quietly caring for people long before it ever made it into a bottle of perfume.
In ritual
For the Inca civilization, the Schinus tree was more than just useful ~ it was revered. Its fragrant resin was used in ceremonial practices, even playing a role in royal embalming rites. The resin’s natural drying properties helped preserve the bodies of kings, with the desert climate doing the rest. The Incas saw it as a gift from nature, valued for its healing powers, sweet berries, and spiritual significance.
Manco Capac, first Inca king, probably mid-18th century painting in the Brooklyn Museum.
The invigorating scent of Pink Pepper
Pink pepper is a very bright and sparkling scent. It feels awake, invigorating, and brings a real sense of clarity. There’s a soft floral edge to it, even something lightly fruity and gently spicy. Compared to black pepper, it feels way more balanced and nuanced to me! It reminds me a little of Angelica (engelwortel) with its fresh, green brightness. Pink pepper is a full note, not thin or fleeting. Though it plays a role as a top note, it doesn’t disappear quickly: it lifts a fragrance while also supporting the heart.
It often dances somewhere between black pepper and cardamom, but with its own modern twist. There’s a light lemony lift, a gentle warmth, and even a touch of piney resin, giving it depth without heaviness. It’s this balance (zesty yet soft, spicy yet airy) that makes pink pepper such a favorite among perfumers. It blends effortlessly with everything from crisp citrus and woody notes to green florals and warm spices, making it feel at home in both bold masculine scents and delicate feminine ones.
We use it in Repel, where it adds sparkle, lightness, and a diffusive quality that helps floral notes shine in the opening. It’s a powerful material though, you have to use it with restraint, but when it’s in balance, it gives energy and elegance.
The first Pink Pepper fragrance
The first fragrance to truly showcase pink pepper as a note was Pleasures by Estée Lauder, released in 1995. It was as well a bestseller as a trendsetter, and it marked the start of pink pepper’s journey in modern perfumery.
What makes it interesting is that pink pepper isn’t simply crushed and distilled like a typical spice. Instead, it’s captured through advanced techniques. For Pleasures, Lauder used a COâ‚‚ "soft extraction" method, where carbon dioxide gently draws out the aromatic molecules from the dried berries. This results in a pure bright scent - highlighting pink pepper’s sparkling top notes without the heaviness that traditional methods can bring. It was a technical leap at the time, and one that helped define the fresh, radiant character pink pepper is now known for.
A Pink Pepper favorite of ours
Pepper by Perfumer H is a beautifully striking fragrance: a sculptural blend of pink and black peppercorns, where spice meets softness. Bright elemi and coriander add a crispy lift, while carrot seed and iris lend an unexpected, powdery note. Anchored by warm gurjum balm, cedarwood and a whisper of frankincense, it’s really feels like a refined interpretation of spice; clean, airy and beautifully composed!!
“Pink Pepper is appropriate for these challenging times because it's uplifting and has a certain optimism to it. It's bold and zesty, but has a warmth that's comforting. It's the contrasts that make it exciting: feminine and floral, yet sexy and exotic.” ​
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- Tom Pastre, President of Creatique
The sound of Pink Pepper
Reach out or say hi
Thank you so much for accompanying me on this fascinating journey through the realm of perfuming materials, where we explore not only the sensory beauty of scents but also the deeper intelligence of plants and their natural essences. It’s been a wonderful adventure, navigating the intricacies of fragrance and nature’s wisdom. I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights on this experience!
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or DM @linguaplanta