Pomegranate is a tart, ruby-red fruit note with a crisp, slightly astringent juiciness, used in fruity-floral, chypre and oriental (amber) perfumes. It is always an accord built by the perfumer, as the fruit yields no fragrance oil, and it typically brings a jewel-like, sweet-sour brightness with a hint of spice or wine.

What does Pomegranate smell like?

Pomegranate smells like fresh-squeezed juice from its glossy seeds: tangy, bright and only mildly sweet, with a slightly bitter, tannic dryness from the pith. Perfumers often read it as a cross between red berries, grape and cranberry, with a rosy, wine-like nuance. Compared with raspberry or strawberry it is less sugary and more refreshing; compared with cherry it lacks the almond note.

How perfumers create Pomegranate

A pomegranate accord usually combines fruity esters for juiciness, raspberry ketone or blackcurrant bases for red-berry tartness, a touch of rose materials for the jewel-like floral lift and green or citrus notes for crispness. Warmer interpretations add pink pepper, clove or a wine note for darkness.

• Also known as: Grenade, Punica granatum
• Fragrance family: Fruity
• Type: Accord (created by the perfumer)
• How it's obtained: Built from fruity esters, berry synthetics and rose notes
• Key aroma molecules: Fruity esters, raspberry ketone, rose alcohols

Pomegranate in perfume history

The pomegranate is one of the oldest symbolic fruits, native to the region from Iran to northern India and prominent in Persian, Greek and Jewish tradition. In Greek myth, Persephone's pomegranate seeds tie her to the underworld. As a perfume note, pomegranate rose to prominence in the 2000s, alongside the fashion for exotic and antioxidant-rich superfruits.

Pomegranate in modern perfumery

Pomegranate is popular in fruity-florals and in darker compositions where its tartness offsets spices and woods. Jo Malone London's Pomegranate Noir is one of the best-known examples, pairing the fruit with pink pepper and woods, and niche brands frequently use pomegranate in rose-and-oud blends.

How Pomegranate wears and what it pairs with

Pomegranate is a top-to-heart note with a crisp, bright opening. It pairs well with rose, pink pepper, raspberry, peony, patchouli, oud, frankincense and amber.