Cardamom

What it is

Seed pods from a ginger relative, the third most expensive spice by weight after saffron and vanilla. Green cardamom is the one used in perfumery.

What it smells like

Cool and green with an aromatic lift that reads almost soapy. It bridges citrus and wood better than most spices, which is why it turns up in so many fragrances that want to be warm without being heavy.

Where it sits

Which layer of the pyramid it is listed in, across every fragrance here that carries it. A base note is one you smell for hours; a top note is usually gone within the first.

What it turns up with

How much more often than the catalogue average. 1.0x would be chance, so these are the things that genuinely travel with it rather than the things that are simply common.

When it is worn

Against the average fragrance here. The line marks that average, so a bar past it means this is worn in that season or setting more than most.

Houses that use it most

Counted across the fragrances here, which reflects what we cover as much as what a house makes.

Azzaro (12), Tom Ford (11), Jean Paul Gaultier (9), Nishane (9), Amouage (6), Bvlgari (6).