Plants Illustrated
Fragrance notes
Black Pepper opens Plants Illustrated with a sharp bite that cuts through the pale green snap of bamboo. Pear adds a juicy softness that prevents the spice from feeling too dry. Cypriol enters with an earthy weight that pulls the scent downward. Violet sits beside it, offering a powdery floral haze that feels more dusty than sweet. Bourbon Vanilla warms the base, but it never dominates. Frankincense and sandalwood provide a resinous woodiness that feels polished. Papyrus adds a dry, papery roughness to the foundation. Musk lingers in the background, blurring the edges of the heavier notes.
Jérôme Epinette composed this 2023 release for And Other Stories as a feminine oriental woody blend. The accord list reads like a study in contrasts. Fresh spicy meets warm spicy. Woody meets powdery. Amber meets musky. Sweet sits next to earthy. The result is a fragrance that feels busy rather than chaotic. It suits someone who enjoys a scent that shifts between pepper, flower, and resin without settling on a single identity. Those who prefer a clear, linear path from start to finish may find the constant movement frustrating.
The bamboo and pear give the opening a crisp, garden-like quality. Violet and cypriol turn that freshness into something more grounded and slightly austere. The vanilla and frankincense eventually wrap the woods in a gentle, golden heat. It works best during cooler seasons when the spices can breathe without feeling overwhelming. The dry papyrus and sandalwood keep the sweetness in check. You are standing in a quiet library where the shelves are made of rough sandalwood planks and someone has just closed a book of pressed violets.
Smells similar
Built from the same materials — ranked by how unusual the shared notes are, not by how many.
