Intense Pepper

Montale's Intense Pepper, composed by Pierre Montale and released in 2014, does what its name says: it is a spicy, woody scent built around pepper, and it is worn by anyone. Wearers describe it as spicy and woody in equal measure, with about half also calling it green, musky, floral or citrus.

It opens with black pepper and pink pepper together, so there is both a dry, sharp bite and a softer, rosier, slightly fruity spice, lifted by the brightness of Sicilian lemon. The heart is described only as floral notes, a soft, unspecified bloom that cushions the pepper. The base is where the woods take over: cedar and agarwood give a dry, resinous, faintly smoky depth, amber adds warmth, oakmoss a bitter, earthy dryness and white musk a clean finish.

Wearers are split between calling it long lasting and eternal, so it stays for many hours, and sillage is moderate to strong. It is voted mostly for daytime and for spring and autumn, which makes it a sharp, dry daytime scent for someone who likes spice without sweetness.

Intense Pepper — unisex fragrance by Montale (released 2014). Top notes: Black Pepper, Sicilian Lemon, Pink Pepper. Heart notes: Floral Notes. Base notes: Cedar, Agarwood (Oud), White Musk, Oakmoss, Amber. — Parfica open fragrance database