Star Anise

What Does It Smell Like?

Star anise smells like liquorice meets warm spice—imagine biting into a fennel seed but sweeter, with peppery heat underneath. There's an almost medicinal clarity to it, reminiscent of pastis or ouzo, that sharp anise character paired with subtle warmth. It's simultaneously cooling and warming: fresh like a winter morning, yet with creeping heat that builds gently on your skin. Not cloying or artificial, but deeply aromatic and slightly narcotic—the sort of scent that makes you want to breathe deeper.

Origin & History

Star anise comes from Illicium verum, a small evergreen tree native to southwest China and Vietnam. The distinctive star-shaped seed pod contains the fragrant seeds. The aroma is captured primarily through steam distillation of the dried fruit, yielding essential oil rich in anethole—the same compound responsible for fennel and liquorice notes. It's been traded along the Silk Road for millennia, prized as both spice and medicine in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic practices.

In Perfumery

Perfumers employ star anise as a distinctive spicy-aromatic, typically as a supporting player rather than lead. It adds complexity, warmth, and an almost creamy spiciness to oriental fragrances, particularly in gourmand compositions. It's exceptionally effective at bridging floral and woody accords, lending subtle sweetness and a touch of the exotic.

Pairs Beautifully With

Featured In 63 Fragrances