Silphium

The story of silphium, a spice that had been harvested to the point of extinction sometime in the 1st century AD, is one that illicits a tinge of sadness and a feeling of wonder in me. The aroma and flavor of this treasured and highly-coveted plant has not be experienced by a human in nearly thirty lifetimes. When reading about this Stora Skuggan release, I was immediately drawn toward the concept. It's an endeavor to recreate the scent of silphium, and while there is no way to prove that they succeeded, the end product somehow both energizes and beguiles me. The elements are in multitudes here: assertively herbaceous, at times medicinal, then bitter, then pungent, verdant and peppery, yet shadowy-woody. I imagine it to be a preparation presented by a medicine man to a traveler, intended as some spiritual entryway once ingested. In fulfilling the obligation of noting whether I discern any notes as presented in the provided pyramid (I jest), I will say that there is something great going on here between the sour-spice of ginger and the geranium. I've mentioned this several times before elsewhere, but I love when two accords meet to create a third tone, like when mixing two pigments results in a beautiful tint or shade. It renders an effervescent, even tangy sensation, accented with a seeming panoply of spices that glint and glimmer. There are even moments that are vaguely allium-like, though not necessarily sulfurous. It just so happens that silphium was in the Ferula genus of plants, like asafoetida and galbanum, which could account for this facet. The dry down smells like the finest cistus-labadnum scented soap and a stirring, cool incense. I live for every moment that its on my skin.

Yes, it has a crazy medicinal opening. Would you not feel cheated if you saw Stora Skuggan's potion bottles and allusions to vvitch history and then it just smelled like a Jo Malone? What resonates when you first spray Silphium is the same thing that made everybody wear Carhartt pants, which is the aesthetic language of functionality (in this case that of poultices and extinct herbs) abstracted and returned in a simultaneously novel and familiar form. Plants used to be *for something*, back in the day. Ironically, nothing about this perfume implies a use case of any kind. An Iso E'd cedar-olibanum base softens the piney geranium note that dominates early on, leaving the scent less standoffish but no easier to classify. It smells like being somewhere else from where you are. You wouldn't wear it "at the office" or "out on the town," you'd wear it anywhere you happened to be in order to focus your sense of mystery like a lens.

Some time last year is was looking what I think was the Art and Olfaction awards and I stumbled upon this house.I was intrigued about everything from the the style, presentation and the note breakdown to point where I felt I wouldn't be happy until I got my nose on all 3 offerings....a few months pass and I realize that theyre carried by Twisted Lilly in the states and I proceed to calmly loose my mind lol. I placed an order and when I recived it I was floored! It's not to often that I love every offering from a perfume house but I must say Stora Skuggan knocked it out of the park. After swooning over all 3 I made the decision to purchase a bottle of Silphium first (will be buying the othe 2 as well) and what I love about Silphium is that it's so open and airy yet so dense. The story about the Silphium plant is very intresting too and I wonder what kind of marvels would've been made out of it today.

🪙 Extinct Plant 🌿 This is an attempt to recreate the scent of a botanical species that vanished two thousand years ago, and it truly carries an intriguing, archaic presence. The opening hits hard with a sharp, tart blend: piercing ginger, black pepper, cloves, and fleshy leaves crushed in your palms. Zero sugar, zero compromise. Just raw, herbal abstraction. The real magic happens in the drydown. As that initial sharp edge yields, the fragrance gains incredible depth. Smooth smoke, cool woods, and a dry, suede-like leather rise to the surface. If you push through those first few minutes of the herbal assault, the base rewards you with a brilliant, dark resin that keeps you coming back to your wrist. Definitely not a safe blind buy, but the atmosphere here is simply unmatched. I love it. TikTok: @the.scent.files

A hedge witch's attic overheated by a long, sunny day, now cooling in the twilight, filled with drying herbs and spices tied with leather straps to dusty, wooden beams. The place seems harsh - in a warm, well-meaning kind of way, just like its owner. Her direct, no-nonsense attitude can put off some, to their detriment. Because when you spend time with her, she adds a little spring to your step, somehow replenishing a well of energy you didn't know you had been running low on; her mere presence a medicinal dose of quiet strength and resolve. Wholesome, willful and dignified. If I don't smell it for a few weeks, I miss this fragrance like an old, supportive friend. Definitely in my top ten favorites.