Cardamom in perfumery: the spice that cools
A pod picked green, in Guatemala and in Kerala
Elettaria cardamomum is a herbaceous plant of the ginger family, whose pods grow at ground level on creeping stems. Kerala, in southern India, is its historic home; Guatemala is today the world's leading producer. The pods are picked while still green, before full ripeness, because a ripe pod splits and loses its seeds. Since they do not all ripen at the same time, the same plant has to be gone over several times, by hand: that is what makes cardamom one of the most expensive spices in the world, just behind saffron and vanilla. The pods are dried, then the seeds are steam-distilled. The resulting essence is colourless, highly volatile, and very little of it is needed to be noticeable in a formula.
What does cardamom smell like?
This is the point people get wrong most often: cardamom is not a warm spice. Where cinnamon warms and pepper stings, cardamom cools. Its smell is green and lemony, with a camphorous, almost eucalyptus-like facet coming from cineole, and a faintly aniseed edge underneath. It is fresher and clearer than ginger, less biting than coriander. Its real job in a composition is that of a hinge: it extends the brightness of hesperidic perfumes beyond the first few minutes, and leads gently towards the cedar or sandalwood of the base. On its own it lasts barely more than an hour.
Cardamom perfumes at Soleil d'Or
Gris Charnel by BDK Parfums, signed by Mathilde Bijaoui, gives the most legible reading: cardamom essence opens the perfume alongside fig and black tea, before iris and sandalwood. LAYTON by Parfums de Marly, composed by Hamid Merati-Kashani, uses it the other way round, as a coolness set over a powdery vanillic floral. Royal Oud by Creed files it on the green and mineral side, with galbanum and lime. Oud Stallion Extrait by Maison Crivelli, by Jordi Fernández, instead places it at the top of a very dense oud and saffron accord. And Awake by Akro, by Olivier Cresp, sets it against coffee, where it rejoins the use the Arab world makes of it.
Cardamom accords and fragrance families
Cardamom belongs of course to spicy perfumes, but it is rarely the headline act: it mostly serves as a link. With bergamot and lemon it sets up a hesperidic opening that does not collapse after ten minutes. With cedar, vetiver and sandalwood it gives those clear, breathable woody perfumes that contemporary perfumery keeps multiplying. Pushed towards oud, saffron and leather, it tips into oriental perfumes and brings them exactly what they often lack, a little air. Finally, over a vanilla or a tonka bean, it keeps the sweetness from turning to syrup.
Who is it for, and when?
Cardamom is unisex without argument, and one of the easiest spices to wear: its freshness makes it acceptable at the office and on public transport, where cinnamon or clove would seem heavy. It works in every season, with an advantage in spring and early autumn. One thing to know before buying: if you are looking for a perfume that smells of cardamom all day, none will do it. It is a highly volatile material that occupies the first hour and then hands over. What remains afterwards is the wood, the amber or the floral it was set on — and that is what should be judged.
How to choose your cardamom perfume
Start by deciding whether you want to smell it or merely sense it. In some compositions it is the subject of the first ten minutes; in others it is only an incidental freshness inside a quite different accord. Try it on skin, not on a blotter: the camphorous facet comes out far more plainly on contact, and it amplifies on warm skin. The bespoke discovery box brings together five 2 mL samples composed by hand, each to be worn for a full day. To get your bearings, compare a cardamom set in full light such as Gris Charnel with a cardamom melted into a soft floral such as LAYTON: the same word, two unrelated effects.
Cardamom at Soleil d'Or, a Lille perfumery since 1953
Founded in 1953 by Jeanne Muyllaert on the Grand'Place in Lille, Soleil d'Or is an independent perfumery passed down from one generation to the next. Hubert Maës (third generation) turned it into a reference for niche perfumery; today his daughters Victorine and Apolline Maës (fourth generation) uphold the same standards at 22 rue de la Clef, Lille (59800). Our team will let you smell the cardamom perfumes in the catalogue, with expert advice and guided trials, and can point you in the right direction using our guide to fragrance families.
Delivery & free in-store collection in Lille
Within mainland France, Colissimo delivery is free from €49 to a pickup point and from €59 to your door. Within Europe, it is free from €99 to a pickup point and from €149 to your door, depending on the destination; we also ship worldwide. Live in Lille or the surrounding area? Free in-store collection at 22 rue de la Clef is the fastest and most economical option. Full terms on our shipping page.
