Spicy Woody is subfamily E3 of the Woody family in the SFP table. The SFP describes it as a soft sandalwood base warmed by very present spice notes: pepper, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon. Here the spices do not stay in the top; they travel with the wood for hours.
In perfumery spices are usually split into two groups. Cool spices such as pepper, cardamom, ginger and pink pepper feel fresh and dry. Warm spices such as clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and pimento feel sweet and round. The four spices the SFP names for E3 are pepper and three warm spices.
Part of the smell of black pepper comes from rotundone. In 2008 Wood and colleagues at the Australian Wine Research Institute showed that rotundone is the peppery odorant of Shiraz wine and also occurs in black and white pepper; some study participants could not smell it. Clove and pimento are rich in eugenol. Ceylon cinnamon bark is rich in cinnamaldehyde. Nutmeg contains myristicin, elemicin and a little safrole. The wood is sandalwood, often with cedar and guaiacwood.
Eugenol and cinnamal (cinnamaldehyde) were already labelled allergens, and both have IFRA restriction standards. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 adds clove oil, Ceylon cinnamon bark oil, cassia leaf oil, eugenyl acetate, beta-caryophyllene, santalol and Santalum album sandalwood oil to the list. Safrole in nutmeg falls under the IFRA standard for the safrole group, which counts contributions from natural oils.
Chanel's Égoïste (1990), composed by Jacques Polge, is often cited as a men's fragrance with sandalwood as its theme, with spices; it grew out of Bois Noir, a Chanel scent sold earlier. Cartier's Déclaration (1998), composed by Jean-Claude Ellena, uses cardamom, tea and bergamot over cedar and moss, according to The Fragrance Foundation France. The SFP has not published online which branch either belongs to.
The SFP website publishes only subfamily names; perfume lists per subfamily are in the printed Classification officielle des parfums. Perfumes named here are commonly cited examples, not official SFP placements.
| Layer | Materials |
|---|---|
| Top | Black pepper, Cardamom, Pink pepper, Black pepper CO2 extract, Rotundone |
| Middle | Clove bud, Cinnamon bark, Nutmeg, Pimento berry, Eugenol |
| Base | Indian sandalwood, Western Australian sandalwood, Atlas cedarwood, Guaiacwood, Santalol |
A natural version can take Western Australian sandalwood, or East Indian sandalwood from documented plantations, as the base, with Atlas cedar for dryness. Black pepper and cardamom give the opening; clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and pimento give the warmth. CO2 extracts of black pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon bark smell closer to freshly ground spice than distilled oils do.
Warm spices are very strong; a small amount can already overpower the wood. Total eugenol, cinnamal and safrole must be calculated against IFRA limits for each product category. This page gives no formula percentages.
| Name | House | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Égoïste | Chanel | 1990 | Jacques Polge. Sandalwood as the theme, with spices; grew out of Chanel's earlier Bois Noir. SFP placement not published. |
| Déclaration | Cartier | 1998 | Jean-Claude Ellena. Cardamom, tea and bergamot over cedar and moss. SFP placement not published. |
| Spice and wood constituents · Rotundone · Eugenol · Cinnamaldehyde · Myristicin · Safrole · Caryophyllene beta · Santalol | Rotundone, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, safrole, santalol. |
| Cool spices · Pepper black · Cardamon · Pepper pink · Ginger | The opening. |
| Warm spices · Clove bud · Cinnamon bark · Nutmeg east indian · Pimento berry | The four spices the SFP names, minus pepper. |
| Sandalwood and cedar · Sandalwood east indian · Sandalwood western australian · Cedarwood atlas | Woody base. |
Updated 09/2026. Figures follow the year stated in each source.
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