MACE

Mace smells warmly spicy and gently sweet, with a familiar resemblance to grated nutmeg. Some mace oils also reveal a softer, rounded quality, followed by woody or balsamic nuances: a resin-like warmth beneath the spice. In perfume, this character can bring a seasoned edge to a floral or woody composition without necessarily making it smell like dessert. The balance with other notes determines how sweet or dry it feels.

Mace and nutmeg come from the same tree, Myristica fragrans, but from different parts of its fruit. Nutmeg is the seed; mace is the lacy covering around it, called the aril. Steam distillation of dried arils produces a natural mace essential oil. A listed mace note describes the fragrance impression, however, and does not by itself confirm that this oil is present.