Baie Baie: Pink Pepper • Ginger • Balsam • Clove

Pink pepper trees grow everywhere in Altadena.

Once you start noticing them, you can’t stop. The branches hang low with clusters of soft red berries, and if you crush one between your fingers, it releases this bright, sweet, slightly spicy aroma that feels both playful and alive.

I do this constantly. Walking down the street, I’ll grab a few berries, roll them between my fingers, and let the scent linger on my skin.

Baie Baie came from that daily ritual.

“Baie” is French for berry. The name is a small nod to pink peppercorn, but also to the repetition of the gesture. Picking, crushing, smelling. Again and again.

I wanted to recreate that exact feeling in Baie Baie. Not just the smell of pink pepper, but the way it warms on skin.

The Materials

Pink Pepper: This is the heart of the fragrance. It’s bright, rosy, and lightly spicy, but also a little sweet. It has a lift to it that feels almost sparkling. In Baie Baie, it’s what gives the scent its flirty, playful energy.

Ginger (Madagascar): Ginger adds a fresh, zesty heat that amplifies the pink pepper. It keeps the spice feeling alive and dynamic rather than heavy. There’s something almost electric about the combination of ginger and pink pepper together.

Tolu & Peru Balsams: The balsams bring warmth and softness. They round out the sharper edges of the spice and create a gentle, resinous glow underneath. This is what makes the fragrance feel like it’s sitting on warm skin rather than floating in the air.

Clove: Clove adds depth and a little bit of edge. It’s dry, slightly smoky, and more grounded than pink pepper. In small amounts, it gives the scent structure and keeps it from becoming too sweet or too airy.

What it becomes

At first, the scent feels bright and sparkling. Pink pepper and ginger, fresh and a little unexpected. Then it softens. The balsams start to come through, and the spice becomes warmer, rounder, more intimate.

Clove sits quietly underneath it all, adding just enough depth to keep the whole thing grounded. It ends up feeling like the memory of crushed berries on your skin. Sweet, spicy, and just a little addictive.

Part of the Altadena Collection

Baie Baie is one of five scents in the Altadena Collection.

Each one is tied to something local. A plant, a place, a feeling.

For me, this one is simple.

Walking down the street. Crushing a pink pepper berry between my fingers.And wanting that fragrance to linger.