Cumin oil

Say itKOO-min oil

Warm, sweaty-skin spice, pungent and earthy, like curry and armpit.

What it is: Natural oil from seeds of Cuminum cyminum.
Where it comes from: India, Egypt, Iran
When you smell it: Heart: as it settles.
What perfumers do with it: Tiny doses give sensual, skin-like warmth to florals, leathers and orientals.
Worth knowing: Perfumers use it to hint at body odour; a little reads sensual, too much reads unwashed.
Known in: Déclaration (Cartier, 1998)
Rules: Limited. IFRA limits it because it is phototoxic.
Also called: Cuminum cyminum seed oil