Poivre Piquant was created by Bertrand Duchaufour in 2002 as one of the three "Les Epices de la Passion" series for L’Artisan Parfums. Their website says it was “inspired by a wedding story in the Kama Sutra. Sugar and pepper were sprinkled on the bride’s wedding veil. Sugar for the sweetness of life, pepper for the sparkling joy (and sensuality!) to come.”

Poivre Piquant translates as ‘hot pepper’, and a white pepper note is right at the opening. Potent, but not pungent, it has an exotic, refined and elegant spiciness that’s unexpected and exciting. There’s also a mustiness here that white pepper often has in perfume. As it blooms, a note of sweet, milk comes forward, its sweetness heightened by a touch of honey. The creaminess of the milk balances the dry piquancy of the white pepper, giving Poivre Piquant a warm sensuality. The sweetness links to a gentle note of sweet, licorice-like anise, tilting the composition towards gourmand, but the herbaceous and spicy undertones of the anise temper the sweetness. As it evolves, a delicate, romantic floral accord of peony and rose joins the mix. It’s light and airy, softening the spiciness and sweetness as the gentle woodiness of the white pepper anchors the fragrance.

Poivre Piquant dries down to a soft, airy, romantic skin scent that’s surprisingly cool in character.

In Poivre Piquant, Bertrand Duchaufour has brought together the opposites of hot/cool, sweet/spicy, passionate/tender to create an entrancing fragrance that beckons to be worn any time of the year.

Notes: White pepper, milk, honey, anise, peony and rose.