Reviews of Piper Nigrum (1999)
by Lorenzo Villoresi

I definitely detect the pepper from top to bottom, but as it drys down it just becomes a softer spice for me. My lady friend loves it. When I left the room she couldn't wait till I came back, she wanted to call me back because she liked it that much.

In general, intense peppery scents have either fanatic friends or fanatic enemies (I always try to be neutral in this war…). The untamed and non compatible nor with the summer weather neither with the daywear use, character of this note usually creates problems to many from us. Moreover the spicy and acid smell of pepper can, depending on the background, become tedious or even repellent. Being prepared for a heavy peppery-spicy scent, I was surprised by the light, bitter and herbal opening that was really pleasant and fresh. It was also great that I could accurately recognize each one of the notes that compose the top. The acidity of peppermint prepares you for the entry of black pepper, which along with the oregano dominate the spicy heart. The more you wait, the more pleasant and warm it gets, yet still bitter. For a spicy oriental, I would expect better longevity, but its mild quality make it vulnerable to time. Not my kind of scent but a must for the pepper lovers.

One of the most daring fragrance from one of the most innovative perfumer -- I haven't found a better rendition of black pepper. This is IT, period. Piper Nigrum is one of my favorite from the Villoresi line. I really like the way it diffuses on skin, cloaking the wearer with a dry and dusty aura reminiscent of a large wooden chest containing various spices, the spices disseminating in the air every time this chest is opened. Absolutely drool-worthy. Sheerly Nostalgic [to me].

The spicy aura in Piper Nigrum is done in an acutely vibrant manner with nary any "heaviness" to bring the composition down, which is an extremely positive characteristic. Granted, the heavily mentholated opening *may* smell heavy to some, but I don't perceive it as heavy -- I perceive it as a setting stage for the symphony that's to follow. To be honest I smell very little in the way of herbs in this composition, to my nose it's a pure spice-fest -- and I mean that in a very positive way. Highly recommended to anyone who has a fondness for spicy scents.

Spectacular combination of anise, pepper, mint and amber. I love this, but more importantaly, so does my wife. I can wear this anytime, anywhere, in any season. Great price for this outstanding fragrance. Excellent sillage and longevity. Five stars.

When I sampled this I had to ask myself.. why is it I like this one so much? At the time it was one of the oddest fragrances I'd ever worn, but I was really drawn in by the combination of the spice, pepper and mint.

This is part of Villoresi's "Fantasy Fragrance" line, which I think helped me a lot with falling for it. It's a dreamy fragrance that I can't imagine wearing often (and I don't). When I do I really enjoy it, and have received many compliments.

You can't go wrong with Lorenzo Villoresi, in that the quality is certainly there and the price is reasonable. I wouldn't recommend Piper Nigrum for a fragrance newbie or someone who doesn't have an open mind. The odd time I've sprayed it and then thought.. ah, that's not what I wanted today. I wish I could say I've fully figured this one out. It's been over a year now since my full bottle purchase and I'm still finding aspects of it I love more and more. A gem.

Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum

There are scents that come along and make a big splash. Usually it is because they have something new to offer. In 1999 Lorenzo Villoresi released Piper Nigrum and this scent still has something new to offer ten years on. Piper Nigrum is the botanical name for black pepper and this is what makes Piper Nigrum different. There are many scents out there that use pepper to effect to add a bit of slap and tickle to the olfactory development. Piper Nigrum puts the pepper front and center and leves it in place for the whole development. M. Villoresi chose some other herbs to join the pepper at the top namely anise, and mint. The pepper is what you smell when you are walking through the spice section and you get to the shelf holding the ground pepper. There is an arid airy quality to the piquancy of the pepper. Add to this the tang of anise and the zip of mint and the beginning of this comes off as a trip to the spice market. The mint pulls away first followed by the anise to be replaced by woods namely the cleanliness of cedar and the creaminess of sandalwood. This along with the pepper makes for a different take on the pepper as it brings out more of its resinous, almost incense-like, qualities and it tones down the spiciness of it all. This development of the pepper continues into a classic contrast of sweet and spicy as a sweet amber pairs with the central note in the base. This juxtaposition really brings out the resinous quality of the pepper to its fullest extent. I can see why Piper Nigrum was so popular when it first hit the scene. What I don't understand is why it still isn't talked about as it has a singular quality I haven't found in any other scent I've worn to date.

Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum opens with a strong medicinal note. something very similar to Vicks Vaporub. Intense eucalyptus kinds with a kitchen spices like fennel and a strong mint note! Comments like, "do you have cold?" shouldn’t surprise the wearer i love strong herbal/medicinal concoctions and this is where Piper Nigrum kicks in. Once this lovely opening notes smoothens out, the scent reveals one of the most beautiful pepper accord that one would have come across. To me it's what clove is to MPG's Secret Melange. Mesmerizing. Pepper in combination with other spices create such a delicate, soft aura or halo if you may. it's hard not to stop for a moment and think, hmm, I’m 3 hours into this scent...and all the colors it derived to paint the canvas is from, kitchen spices!? it's remarkably refined and offers total satisfaction to anyone who enjoys refined herbal concoctions. Things start to smoothen all the more with the amber kicking in with hints of incense wafting thru the remnants of the spices. A must have for anyone who enjoys herbal/spicy scents. would smell glorious on summers and winters alike.

Strong, bitter and medicinal. This one is a real rarity : An interesting Villoresi fragrance!!


Pepperminty, herbaceous, hot spicy opening is very captivating, almost intoxicating.

Black pepper in this is very much blended in to be an almost nondescript part of the whole entirety, but you know what; once when I wore this scent my girlfriend started to laugh and she said “you smell like a black pepper” (!!)
And I hadn’t told her anything about this fragrance! True story.

I consider that comment of my gf one of the most interesting ones I have ever had on any fragrance – from anyone.

Sweetening woody drydown remains very spicy and herbal.

One of the strongest scents I have ever tried. All in all, Piper Nigrum has a huge wow-factor to it. It is a striking fragrance and very much fun to wear.

Piper Nigrum isn't really me...that being said, it has the great, refreshing blast of icy coolness of Noxema face cream. If you want clean, refreshing, just out of the shower fragrance, this one is it.

This opens like a cacophony of notes, like the best spice rack you’ve ever smelled. Cardomon, cinnamon, clove, pepper, nutmeg, etc. Smells amazing. Would I wear it? Probably not. This stuff is very mature and classy, but not in the way I like to smell, and not in the way that I find appealing or sexy. It is however very, very well blended and top quality. If I wanted to smell like a spice rack, I would have found my holy grail.

9/10 for quality and craftsmanship (even though I don't want to wear it)

I was expecting a fresh peppery perfume from Lorenzo Villoresi's Piper Nigrum but instead, in the top and middle notes I experienced mostly whiffs of pungently fresh oregano and thyme. Piper Nigrum is one of the more astringent fragrances I've ever smelled and while it is not awful, it sure isn't very likeable. Once the base note finally appears, I will concede that Piper Nigrum has a distinct black pepper aspect but I am not crazy about the journey to get there.

If you want a superb and exciting pepper fragrance that you will never smell on another person, I'd highly recommend Ormonde Jayne's Isfarkand. For a stylish, English country house sort of pepper perfume, there is the faultlessly exquisite L'Artisan Parfumeur's Poivre Piquant.

I agree with the_good_life that this is a special scent.

It does indeed have a medicinal character, a combination of mint, pepper and edible herbal notes (without reaching gourmand territory) all underscored with a dusty but sharp nutmeg and supported by a lovely amber at times in its development giving an effect not entirely dissimilar to L'Air De Desert Morocain. The quality of ingredients is very high and the blend in villoresi style allows all the notes to show individually without fighting each other, distinct yet in balance.

Wonderful.

I really wanted to like this one, as I'm fond of SMN's PotPourri. (Both fall into the same "old school" category of medicinal frags, iMHO.) That said, I couldn't bring myself to wear Piper Nigrum again. The mint note (i.e., the same thing that makes me queasy when Live Jazz and other mint-heavy frags) was extremely strong. Also, I could see how PN's mega-sillage could easily disrupt even the most otherwise convivial office environment. (No matter how much you yourself might like it, bear in mind that your colleagues might have a very different take on this Italian powerhouse.)

It's a beautifully blended fragrance in spite of my personal inability to wear and enjoy it, though, and unquestionably a Villoresi everyone should at least try at some point. I'll give this one a thumbs upl, but with two provisos: a) try it before you buy it and b) bear in mind that it may not be the world's best choice for an office frag.

Powerful licorice and peppermint in the opening. I felt a chill at first sniff. It was... unsettling. Hardly find this refreshing because there's spices in here that warm it up. I get BOTH of the mint and pepperiness. Very confusing,

There is a pleasantly spicy, almost medical herb feel to the start, from which a wonderful rendition of the titular pepper emerges and dominates for a few minutes. The drydown is warm amber/incense that retains a hint of the pepper. There is an old-school feel to the composition. For my taste, this amber-y base is too sweet and creamy. However, it is a well-made scent some might find it very enjoyable.

Amazing! Reading reviews from people who get the mint and not the pepper really forces me to stress that wearing a perfume is highly subjective. Just spot a reviewer who senses the same notes as you and ignore the ones that contradict him. They are not wrong! They just have a different skin and different memories. Because smell is the sense more closely associated with memory, The olfactory epithelium is derived from cells that migrate from the embryo's brain to the nose and so smell keeps the closest association to feelings and memory in particular.
To me PN is PEPPER! Not just black. All kinds of pepper. Black, pink, red, green (a very green scent indeed) and somewhere in the mid range of ingredients I even get curry (must be the fennel). Very peppery but very wearable at all times of day and year.
Excellent

My plea for adding this to the pantheon of the great perfumes: few scents develop in a more brilliant and meaningful way. Piper Nigrum is a day in a mediterranean dream world. We begin in the morning, the coolness of the night still blankets the fields of wild herbs and refreshingly welcomes you at the open window of your Tuscan farmhouse. Mint and anise enliven you and prepare you for the day. A day, rich and full of nature and culture intertwined as only it is in these old, old lands. As you stroll through the streets, across the markets, you recall the merchants bringing the invaluable pepper and other spices, like nutmeg, from afar, creating powerful dynasties in the wake of their success, to which the beautiful palazzo you now admire bears witness. Beside it stands and old woman selling local herbs, fresh and dried oregano, and with the oriental odours it blends into something both invigorating and soothing, like sitting in the cool shade of ancient ochre walls on a warm day, watching life on the piazza, the plaza, in the mdinas of the Maghreb. The day passes quickly and you retire to your fireplace, burning spicy woods, with a libation of wine and warm bread, and now the pepper embraces you, with styrax and amber, like a silk and cashmere blanket, like the glow of the embers, power in the service of tranquility.

Piper nigrum is unique in the way that it suits my olfactory needs at every phase of the day in its own specific way. There may be other beautiful drydowns, but none can be more beautiful, pefectly timed or more tailor-made than this one. This will always be one of my most cherished scents.

Simply GREAT one! One of the most masculine scent ever made, well done Lorenzo!

Unlike some previous reviewers, I have no problem finding the black pepper in this one. It jumps out of the topnotes and grabs me by the short hairs. The development is stupendously complex and surprising, and the rich, ever so slightly sweet drydown is a comfort and a joy. The brisk minty note and the peppery kick make this oriental easy to wear in warmer weather. A masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

Highly aromatic in its opening, a forceful green note featuring a clear mint comes on so strongly that its aromatic ambiance completely overwhelms the rest of the accord for a short time. I really don’t smell the anise in the accord but I think I can smell the clean sharp bitterness of the dill. A change comes in when a solid black pepper note begins replacing the green accord as the dominant note. After several minutes the pepper totally dominates and the green is reduced to providing a solid background to the pepper. The pepper note is very nice, and the green note is too, but I don’t think they necessarily go together very well. With the base notes Piper Nigrum does settle down to a comfortable green / wood dry down that is long on the coniferous notes with a bare touch of amber and myrrh. The drydown does not throw very much sillage but it lasts beautifully.

This scent very much takes getting used to, as far as I’m concerned… I like it a bit better each time I wear it but my learning curve on this one has a long road to travel. I doubt that I will ever get to the point where I will purchase a whole bottle. I can understand why some people love it, but it just doesn’t do very much for me. It’s about the only Lorenzo Villoresi fragrance that I do not admire.

The initial blast here is of a combination of pepper, clove, mint and nutmeg, which dries down to cedarwood. Overall it's a light spicy scent, but mediocre compared to Villoresi's Spezie. For those who like it light, it may just be the ticket. For those who like a complex spice, Villoresi's Spezie is the way to go.

From the Villoresi site:

19 notes in all
Top: Cirus, Anise, Fennel, Peppermint, Conifer
Middle: Black Pepper, Origanum, Nutmeg, Elemi, Olibanum, Petitgrain, Clove Leaves, Rosemary
Base: Amber, Styrax, Benzoin, Peru Balsam, Myrrh, Cedarwood

LV's Piper Nigrum is simply wonderful. It should be called Pepper Cream, but Piper Nigrum is definitely cooler! I have sampled a pretty good range of so called 'niche' fragrances, but nothing has held my interest like PN (and his 'brother' Yerbamaté). The ingredients in both of these are unusually 'raw' and 'natural' (certainly you have noticed how these adjectives keep coming up in descriptions of Villoresi fragrances). I find the Artisan fragrances anemic by comparison (and I have tried many of them: 'Tea for Two' is the best of the lot and my wife likes Té pour une été.)Similarly the Creeds are complex and beautiful but fleeting (and who can argue with the genius of Green Irish Tweed, Bois du Portugal, and Imperial). Still, I've ended up selling off (or wishing I could sell off!) many of my 'niche' fragrances over the years but I'd never sell my PN or Yerbamaté. Never!

Piper Nigrum is a great everyday background fragrance note. It doesn't shout its presence, but is very masculine and warm. The opening of is intriguing with mint followed by a wave of black peppery mint. But, the mint blends in and the pepper sort of recedes into the background offering strength and lift to the other notes. The finely blended drydown smells of tradition. An old world men's barbershop fragrance that recalls the best hard milled soaps. The anise, mint, nutmeg and myrrh are rounded out by a soft amber that is lifted by pepper. This one hits deep in the tribal memory as a soothing, men's comfort fragrance.

I usually give Lorenzo Villoresi high marks for development--as evidenced by the orchestration of notes in Sandalo (from herbal lavendar, through tangy vetiver, through rose and sandalwood, to sweet amber) and Yerbamate (from citrus to rosewood to a plethora of greens and a bit of smoke, to delicate powder) so I expected the same from Piper Nigrum. It did not behave similarly; it started with a ton of black pepper which trailed off somewhat but still remained the dominant note from start to finish. I like black pepper, but this one had too much of a presence for me.

This fragrance is one that is at its crescendo about an hour after application. Masculine and robust but I dont think the price really justifies this scent.

I completely agree with teflondog on this one. Although it's one of the better (and most interesting) creations by Lorenzo Villoresi, I still wouldn't wear this stuff.

What more can one add to good_life's description? He's right, though, this is a brilliant scent. It goes on a little strong with the mint, but soon settles down and creates a unique, warm, inviting experience. Unlike anything I've tried before and DEFINITELY worth the effort of locating.

I enjoy the black pepper and wood notes, I'm less fond of the dill, fennel and peppermint that I think get more prominent with time altough they're listed as topnotes. I'd say the pepper is actually the topnote and I'm sad to see it go. I wish there were more pepper perfumes, if there were, I might not have to keep this despite its flaws.

I agree with the previous reviews that this scent is hardly about pepper at all. It starts off smelling like sharp menthol, similar to Vicks vapor rub. Then it quickly evolves into an herbal accord right before it becomes hardly detectable on my skin. There's also something in the basenotes that smells like powdery rubber to me. It reminds me of the rubbery smell of bicycle tires (Not the outer tire shell itself, but the rubber tubing that goes inside of it).

Perhaps if I had approached this scent with fewer expectations, I would not have been quite so let down by the thing in the flesh. Piper Nigrum has very little of the livelier and more savoury aspects of freshly ground black pepper for which I had been hoping; instead, it zeroes in on the warm, sweet, and menthol-like notes. Still, it remains worthwhile, particularly if you are searching for a masculine oriental with an uncommon yet natural feel to it.

Piper Nigrum, my first niche love. Wonderful stuff. Every time I leave it for a while, I come to believe all the negatives that I read here on Basenotes: it's too harsh, too chaotic, too thick, too strong, too unusual, too un-wearable, etc., etc. Then, after a bit, I walk to my bedroom, remove the box from the closet, carefully pull the bottle out of the box, and just sniff the sprayer. Then I am in love again. There is something so raw, so natural, and so pure about Piper Nigrum's herbs and spices...this draws me in every time. I can't help but spray it - somewhere, anywhere. As it dries, the amber comes on board, and the scent smoothes out and sweetens. It gets richer and less "chaotic," but it never loses that raw and natural edge. It lasts almost days, really. The sillage is great - like a huge aura that surrounds the wearer. Not an overpowering presence, not one of those "wake" sort of fragrances that spew off beams of sillage, but rather a warm and slowly enveloping cloud of scent that intrigues and amazes everyone around. I had two coworkers comment me on this one, and actually go so far as to seek out scents that they felt were similar to place in their offices. I still love Piper Nigrum.

simply stunning ,as many villoresi fragrances ,very masculine and powerfull sillage

It starts off sweet, but there is a spicy undercurrent to balance it out. After several minutes, wave after wave of pepper and other spices waft up, it's a spicy somewhat sweet heaven, one of my favorites!

Had to try this one, as it has achieved what could only be called "cult status" for many. Well, I have to say it is amazing how the fragrance morphs from sharp pepper to nutmeg and ginger bread. I think that on me the lingering essence is the nutmeg, and all I can think about is cookies. Not good when you are on a diet, but you have to admire LV for his unique approach to blending essences. Not for me, but very singular, and could well be a classic in the making.

Black pepper is one of my favorite notes. How disappointing to discover that this scent is not really about pepper at all, but more about mint, with sickly sweet drydown to boot. Not what I want to smell like.

I wish I could both understnad the appeal and find the beauty in this, but it is nothing more than bitter pepper made worse with fennel and anise, sharp and one-dimensional.

Starts out strong on the mint. A pleasant dry down to pepper, dill, and a delicate amber musk. One of my faves from LV.

Piper Negrum is one of those scents that need a little time to unfold their true brilliance. Cloying and somehow rotten during the first two or three minutes, it soon turns to a rich, warm, soft fragrance. It stays all days long and goes best with cold winter days. While it's one of my favourites in winter, I can barely imagine to wear it during summer.

Buy it and then use it very sparingly. A little goes a long way and, as absolutely fabulous as this singular fragrance is, if you overdo it (wearing it for days at a time or too heavily), it will turn you off.

That said, the beauty of Piper Nigrum isn't just in its intial exotic and heady blend. The variations of notes slurring, appearing and disappearing over the basso profundo pepper sostenuto is never quite the same with each wearing. A mysterious changling, no collection should be without.

Griff

Piper Nigrum was the let down of the year for me. I was expecting a rich and exotic pepper based fragrance, but instead, what I got was a minty fragrance that was so totally out of proportion. Piper Nigrum is a mélange of strong and powerful notes that didn’t really complement or work with each other. It has that typical Villoresi style that is so stereotypically Italian.

Smells of dill pickles and mint. I am a huge LV devotee, yet though I like this fragrance, I think its appeal wears off quickly. Very herbal . Still, it's a striking fragrance, just not one of my faves.

Well-named, and the best Pepper fragrance I've experienced. The drydown is absolutely gorgeous - the highlight of this scent. Pepper takes center stage from start to finish, but three different facets are presented during the life of the scent. The opening is predominantly herbal, with hints of spice - the p.nigrum presented here is dry peppery-musty. The more typical woody, warm aspect of pepper unfolds in the heartnote, with the sharper herbals of the topnote dissipating and mellowing, and a touch of enhancing warm spice and slight sweetness emerging. The drop-dead wonderful drydown does something special with pepper and is the raison d'etre of this fragrance - it sweetens, spices and smooths out to a woody, warm, spicy, sensual note, almost haunting in it's elusiveness. Sandalwood isn't listed as an ingredient, but I smell its influence heavily in the basenote, turning this pepper into the smooth sensual creature it becomes at the end. Who would have thought a pepper note could be so sensual? Highly recommended for Pepper fans.

If you really want to smell like an antique church book you will not go wrong with this stuff!!!!

The opening is like suddenly walking through the door of an apothecary's shop: a strong blast of medicinal herbs and spices. You think: this is a highly evocative scent but I am not sure that I would want to wear it or to smell like this. Then it changes gradually to what I can only describe as the quite inviting smell of a thick, strong cola. You are still unsure if you waould want to wear it. Finally it evolves into a gentler and thoroughly wearable background of herbs and spices with, yes, still that hint of cola,

This is fabulous. I ordered from Lafco, NY--a good online vendor. Amber has always been a tricky scent for me, and other scents I've tried with amber notes haven't worked. This one works very well.

This scent is simply superb!

Just received my sample of this intoxicating fragrance from Luscious Cargo.Trying to explain its' complex make-up is dificult as it 'metamorphises' itself over a period of time. It was applied at 830 and was still there are 2200. Needless to say a wondeful nose and well worth the money. A truly amazing scent.Lorenzo Viloressi has done it again.

No hyperbole below. A masterpiece plain and simple.

This scent is pure brilliance. It starts off like, many Villoresi's as a mess and takes a few minutes to get settled. When it does, it's magical. Like all Villoresi's this scent is balanced. None of the notes really overpower it, and I think it could be the first fragrance I've seen with Styrax that doesn't smell sickly sweet. This scent has unbelievable lasting power but is not overpowering or cloying. This is quickly on its way to being a signature scent for me. Absolutely amazing stuff.

This is exactly what I would imagine the Grand Bazaar of ancient Constantinople to smell like.
The bazaar was once a major world trading hub between the orient, mideast, and europe.
All of these wonderful spices brought together in one area, I imagine would create this effect.
The notes that dominate this scent are the freshness of the peppermint, a solid base of amber and myrrh, and the consistent swirling of fresh, unrefined black pepper.
A spicy scent good for most of the year with a breath of fresh air. Excellent work by Villoresi, who himself was introduced to his business by the cultivating and mixing of spices.

BOLD!! A new twist in fragrance for me and a welcome one to be sure. Didn't care for it that much at first, but after having worn it several times I can say it has a SUPERB development that ranges sublimely through almost all the notes with the mint, pepper and amber dominating. A surefire hit with those seeking a unique fragrance to identify them.