Mignonette
Bourbon French Parfums

MIGNONETTE (Bourbon French)

Perfume Intelligence lists 22 scents bearing the name Mignonette. These stretch from the 1800s through 1940 (Lucien Lelong) with just one produced after that date, and rather recently, by Voluspa (2007). Wikipedia notes it was used as a sedative and a treatment for bruises in Roman times, and was grown in our own age for its “sweet, ambrosial scent,” profusely used in flower arrangements, potpourris and perfumes. Like so many other “old-fashioned” floral oils (wisteria, lilac, etc.), it has lost its popularity in modern times and is rarely experienced. Bourbon French's offering fills the gap.

Bourbon French's Mignonette is part of their Lagniappe Oaks series. It is sweet, but with a green, herbal undertone, which keeps it from becoming too sweet. It is quiet, dusty, warm, a trifle sharp in a good way, and wears close to the skin. The overall impression is more herbal than floral. It is quite nice in a subdued sense.

The French term, Mignonette, was originally named for a sachet of peppercorns, cloves and spices. There is also a Mignonette sauce of shallots, pepper and vinegar, used as a cocktail sauce for oysters. From these two we get the common ingredient of pepper and this is most probably the cause of the herbal impression I am getting from the parfum.

A very decent, dry scent, elusive with quiet demeanor.