Warm-aromatic, sharper than nutmeg, with a peppery-citrus top note and a warm-spicy base. Less sweet and heavy than nutmeg, more terpenic and lifted. The sabinene and pinene content gives it a piney freshness absent from nutmeg. On skin, it resolves to a warm, dry spice note with less persistence than nutmeg.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sharp, peppery-citrus spice burst
After a few hours
After a few hours
Warm aromatic spice, softer and rounder
After a few days
After a few days
Faint warm-spicy residue, dry and quiet
Terroir & Chemotypes
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Mace (Myristic a fragrans) is the crims on, lace-like aril surrounding the nutmeg seed. Both spices come from the same fru it, but their essential oils differ significantly. Mace oil is sharper, more aromatic, and less sweet than nutmeg oil, with a particular pepper-citrus edge.
The essential oil contains sabinene, alpha-pinene, myristicin, and eugenol — similar to nutmeg but in different proportions. Mace has more terpenic (pine-like) character and less myristicin-heavy warmth. The overall impression is brighter and more lifted than nutmeg, with a fresher, almost citrusy top note.
In perfumery, mace oil offers a more clean, less heavy spice character than nutmeg. It is used in compositions where nutmeg warmth is desired but the heaviness and potential nause a-inducing quality of high myristic in levels is not.
Mace and nutmeg were once among the most valuable commodities on earth. In the 17th century, the Dutch traded Manhattan Island to the British in exchange for Run Island in the Banda archipelago — a tiny island that was the world's sole source of nutmeg and mace. The deal was formalized in the 1667 Treaty of Breda.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Steam distillation of dried mace (aril of Myristica fragrans). The essential oil is a pale yellow liquid. Yields are approximately 4-14% from dried mace. Major production in Indonesia (Banda Islands — the historical 'Spice Islands'), Grenada, and India. CO2 extraction is also used for a fuller product.
Mace is a top-to-heart spice note providing a sharper, more aromatic alternative to nutmeg. The essential oil's higher terpene content gives it a brighter character suitable for compositions where nutmeg would be too heavy. Used in amber, spicy-woody, and warm masculine compositions. Compatible with other warm spices (cardamom, cinnamon) and with woody bases. Less restricted than some spice oils due to lower myristicin content than nutmeg.
