COLD SPICES

Cold spices describes a fresh, bright or airy side of spice in perfume. The impression can be aromatic and brisk while retaining a distinctly spicy edge. It need not resemble mint, and “cold” does not promise that the perfume will physically cool the skin. The contrast is olfactory: spice can give a composition a lighter, more sparkling emphasis as well as warmth.

This is a descriptive grouping, not one plant or a standard extract. Guerlain identifies cardamom and pink berries as cold spices in its description of Mitsouko; Dossier’s broader grouping also includes coriander, ginger and juniper. These examples are not a mandatory ingredient list. The exact materials, their proportions and the surrounding notes determine how a cold-spice accord smells, so the name alone cannot establish a botanical source or extraction method.