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.

What a gorgeous and sophisticated one! Can't emphasise enough how much I liked it! After drying, this soapy, floral opening gives way to ginger, lime and pepper. For me the main note here is specifically pepper, quite an interesting experience, I usually can't distinguish it so clearly. And it's all on top of a beautiful woody-amber base with hints of cinnamon. Soapy notes are there too, but they are not annoying. Probably I'd prefer to feel them a bit less, but they don't ruin the rest at all. I can see that opinions are divided, but for me, as a lover of fresh and spicy scents, it's a genuine masterpiece. If you are too - be sure to give it a try!

The opening of this one is like a medicinal trumpet blast that settles down quickly into the perfumed and incense-y smell of the interior of a cathedral, or a church library. I wear this at home and at the office when I want to get myself into the proper frame of mind to write or do research. Makes me feel like I'm illuminating manuscripts. Certainly not for everybody, and I can see how for some people it would bring up thoughts of aftershave and masculinity. On me (bookish feminine woman) it might not be sexy, but I don't wear this for other people. I wear it to get work done. Surely everybody's got perfumes for that?

The top two main accords listed - "warm spicy" and "fresh spicy" - as contradictory as they may seem, are incredibly accurate. I bought this last winter, and through the cold weather I had decided it was my winter perfume because of the cozy heat coming from the pepper and ginger. But I recently sprayed it in 72 degrees weather and it smelled entirely different, more like a cool ginger tonic with a citrus twist. What versatile sorcery is this? Can't agree that this is a "familiar" scent. It doesn't resemble any other perfume to me.

Really fantastic and unique, doesn’t really remind me of anything else. Of the stora skuggan frags I’ve sampled so far this is my 2nd favorite after thumbsucker. Not bad in winter but looking forward to trying this in spring. Definitely unisex. 2024 update: this has become my signature early/hot autumn scent. It’s acceptable *enough* at work (and still weird enough for me) so I find myself reaching for it in all occasions pretty much all of September

must have it. initially, it’s a shock of medicinal apothecary coldness. on paper, it struck me as camphorous. reminiscent of aesop spray deodorant (similar to men’s vintage aftershave). as it wears it rounds and warms and softens - baking spices, leather. EDIT: okay not sure what’s going on here but today when wearing it, it’s giving me pure soap. So i guess that’s something that can happen, as well.

Spectacular! A zesty and energising herbal tincture. I get overlays of lemon grass, caraway seed and liquorice root tea. The notes are so beautifully harmonised into a form that smells convincingly natural, yet novel. Truly feels like discovering a new plant species. Perfect for botany nerds. This and mistpouffer are two instant favourites from the Stora Skuggan line.

I love the scent of geranium, and I’m highly satisfied because this perfume captures it perfectly. Summers in Korea are hot and humid, but having just this one fragrance will keep me feeling confident and refreshed. It’s so exquisitely crafted that it could easily serve as an alternative to Frédéric Malle's Géranium Pour Monsieur.

A sort of ginger pepper clove lemony sweet sour vibe. Tangy. Unusual and addictive. I can see wanting to eat this. Reminds me of a spicy lemongrass or sometimes galbanum. More cedar and incense with time... Agree there's a Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain feel. My nose tingles. But I want a hug too.

This one is the only I could imagine myself acquiring of this line. Beautiful spicy/aromatic labdanum, with incense and woods in the drydown. Overall a structure used plenty of times in the fragrances of the 90's, and it's no surprise I love it. But I'm not paying full retail for that.

Beautiful herbal honey that starts off sweet and dries down spiced. Like a honeyed cup of tea in a witches dusty apothecary with all the dried spices warmed by the sun. My second favourite from Stora Skuggan.

Just incredible. Very unusual, spicy, green and fresh, with some floral sweetness and the incense I so adore. This and Mispouffer are two of my favourites from Stora.

Spicy ginger that's both warm and cool at times. Supporting notes are there but hard to identify. Fresh, good performance, above average longevity.

familiar scent. recalls pharmacy or hospitals. lovely dry down. very interesting white tiger balm from Vietnam, maybe with less menthol.

Starts clean & soapy, becomes a strong old cathedral smell

first spray and this is an explosion on the senses, citrus and pepper LOTS of pepper, with some woody and floral vibes and a bitter note, not unpleasant in any way. After about 20-30min for me the citrus and pepper are less up front and floral, soapy & leathery notes come forward. Its still spicy, warm yet fresh at the same time. I would love to try it on a warm day as i think it would be spicy and fresh on a summer day, but there is something comforting and warm in there too that could also work in autumn and winter. Ill need to use my tester sparingly. I think this is one that I might get one day, but right now Id like to purchase full bottles of Fantome de Maules, Moonmilk and Mistpouffer as they are my current favorites from this house.

i love silphium. the vintage men's aftershave observation below is an interesting and astute one. i would imagine it's the geranium on top of the tobacco and amber-esque resins that are giving that impression. i don't get ancient extinct spice here (though i adore that inspiration and concept), but rather, a vision of a woman wearing her mid-century lover's oversized smoking jacket, or tweed coat. his imprint is there, lingering, a comforting aura. she's self-possessed and confident. i don't believe in gendering perfume, but this is an ideal fragrance for women who lean toward liking more traditional masculine fragrances without being too literal or stereotypical.

Wow... this smells awesome. I would describe it as 'zesty'. Immediately noticeable to my nose is the geranium, pepper and ginger. If I concentrate I can pick up bits of all the other middle notes listed. The olibanum and myrrh also poking through. Labdanum is more noticeable when sniffing the tester bottle than on a scent strip. I do get the lemon vibe - there may or may not be lemon in here, we'll never know 100% - I think it could also be an illusion of the geranium and ginger. Ps. these bottles are beautiful.

Spicy medicinal beverage/tonic vibes on this one, like something that would be put together as a folk remedy for the flu. It's a nice smell but I already have a lot of fragrances with a similar vibe so I wouldn't get a full bottle of this, love the concept behind it tho. Also silphium was potentially rediscovered in turkey. If it ends up having fragrant compounds they can maybe reformulate this to have actual silphium or at least add an accurate accord of it

Bubbly and effervescent at first spray, green and citric botanical soda spritz. Dries down to a laundry soap or a whiff strolling past a laundromat. Nonlinear. Cheerful, which while wonderful is also why it is not the Stora for me. Definitely for the warm, blossoming months. I have not found the pepper or tobacco notes. Reminds me of green growth of Diptique Orphéon which is also beautiful and complex, but ultimately too bright for my sensibility.

This is my “jean jacket” scent. I wear it almost everyday. To me, it smells like a super expensive herbal shampoo. The black pepper is a key player as well as the leather notes. It is more masculine but only slightly so as I think that clean herbal scents are usually fairly unisex. As I have worn this more, I identify the rose scent. I appreciate all of the research that went into this, and I like that Stora Skuggan is reimagining extinct scents.

Mmm a wet soil of a cemetery next to a church. Herbal, damp, disturbing. Surprised to see comparisons to Kyoto, I feel like it's more resemblant of Ouarzazate, if anything. An interesting and mysterious smell but definitely not a safe blind buy. I wouldn't be surprised if some people might smell you wearing this and think "wow, what an interesting scent", while others might think you smell like a corpse.

you read the notes but this is so fascinating nothing like the notes. this is the cleanest tobacco leather fragrance i’ve ever smelt, it’s such a fresh take on tobacco and leather. it reminds me of Chinese cooking spices with the pepper, ginger and the combination of geranium and spice smelling like basil or coriander really interesting

I smell some forest-type freshness, and lots of amber. It smells like what we call "grandma perfume" back in Tunisia but I guess that's the beauty in it. I really like this one, definitely don't hate it. I'm leaning towards an 8.2/10 on it! I think it works for all occasions.

It’s a nice geranium (rose) scent. Heavy dose of geraniol makes it difficult to get the rest of the notes. Also, I was expecting a big medicinal hit due to the Cistus too not but I get nothing. That disappointed me a bit. It reminds me a lot of Masque Milano’s Love kills

Once I got the note of mosquito spray into my head, it was hard to look past it. But when I was able to, there is an interesting, fresh, aromatic perfume there that stays fresh throughout even as it gives way to more woody, leathery notes

Distinctly summery to me. Walking through a dry yellow meadow, you can hear a lot of bugs and there's still something pollenous in the air. Makes me want to go outside

Simply gorgeous. An amazing find. Starts off with a burst of incense and lemon and dries to a soapy spice. Very energizing and mysterious. A new favorite for sure!

It smells beautiful on paper with prominent geranium note, but on my skin it fades very quickly and I'm left with something Tauer would make.

What I pick up most strongly here is galbanum; bitter, acrid, sharply green, sour, and medicinal. We don’t truly know the real scent of silphium as humanity, after all; it’s a prehistoric plant, lost to time. Beyond the galbanum, there’s a distinctly metallic sensation as well; but not the saffron kind. It’s more like the smell of water flowing through a metal pipe. Unusual, almost industrial. As the fragrance dries down, a leathery facet begins to surface, and the initial cold, cutting breeze softens slightly, warmed by subtle spicy elements. The scenario this evokes in my mind feels ritualistic: a ceremony held to worship a dark forest god. This ritual takes place at night, not around a fire, but beneath a full moon; deep within a sharp, turpentine-scented forest. Some of the ritualists are tasked with preparing a botanical concoction for the incense to be burned. This mixture is primarily composed of silphium, producing a very thin, almost ghostly smoke. The censer is passed among the participants, and despite how delicate the smoke appears, it releases an intensely acrid scent that spreads effortlessly through the open air, pushing everyone into a trance. Tag(s): bitter, acrid, sharply green, sour, medicinal, dark ritual

Upon testing this fragrance blind, the ginger made its presence known right from the start, accompanied by a hint of spice that felt a touch green. Initially, the scent projected moderately, but it quickly faded into a skin scent that I could only detect if I smelled my arm throughout the day. This is quite surprising, especially considering the notes listed, which suggest a complexity and layering that simply isn’t there. What I primarily experienced was a soft ginger with a whisper of green pepper. While you can catch glimpses of the other notes, they’re more like shy guests at a party—present but not making it any more enjoyable. Meanwhile, the tobacco, olibanum, and leather seem to have ignored their invitation altogether and do not even bother showing up. In short, it’s a breezy affair, but don’t expect any dramatic entrances from the notes here, and as the price point suggests, consider rubbing some fresh ginger on yourself as a substitute.

Pure pepper on ginger violence. (Albeit poetic violence). This stuff is feisty, pugnacious. Beyond the spice there’s some churchy resins and oiled woods egging on the fight. There is also a definite mosquito repellant accord in the first few minutes, but more lemongrassy/herbal-remedy than 99% DEET. I wore it to work and was on edge the whole day, though my sinuses have never felt clearer. Probably makes a great anti-insomnia aid. Mental Snapshot: What I’d wear if I wanted to fight someone. Like bare-knuckle brawl style, but somewhere classy – perhaps a mahogany-panelled library or an opera house. Fisticuffs in a cathedral. tl;dr: aggro herbal 🦟🥊

Great concept, I definitely get the 'interpretation of a lost ancient spice' vibe, but it's not my favorite Stora Skuggan. I'd definitely say it leans more masculine. I'd almost liken it to a vintage aftershave or something(?) There's this astringent quality to it that dominates some of the more interesting aspects. Super heavy on ginger, pepper, clove and lavender (although I don't see lavender listed anywhere). I really wish the geranium shone through more or was balanced with something floral or sweet like Mistpouffer/Fantome de Maules, but I suppose that's just my taste. Interesting and well done just not for me!

I do see the unfortunate association with bug spray but I can also apprechiate what this is doing, how it manages to smell both fresh, mentholy and medicinal but also ancient, almost in an old testament kind of way that really does evoke an extinct herb. You get both a cooling effect from the ginger, olibanum and myrrth as well as the warmth from the cinnamon, which creates an interesting sensation. The evolution is kind of sharp to powdery and if I would've guessed that there was a civet note in there somewhere if I didn't know any better. Definetly something special but I probably wont upgrade.

an intense geranium opening which quickly warms up as the ginger and black pepper come to the surface. geranium always feels to me like a hippy scent, which brings to mind a spiritual trinket shop, especially combined with the spices and resins in this perfume. this is bright, green, and gingery, could definitely read as bug spray or an herbal tonic. it's an interesting blend of fresh and warm spicy notes weirdly, this dries down to an incredibly soapy scent. straight up one of the soapiest dry downs i've smelled and it kind of comes from nowhere got a compliment on it today though

Ginger, black pepper, and clove. A collection of dry spices. Geranium. Dry, warm spices and rosy geranium. Sharp and warm and a touch bitter. Also a touch of vegetal floral. Frankincense and myrrh - lemony, piney, and a bit bitter. The geranium is still very forceful. It's very lemony, rosy, and piney. A tiny smidge of leather in the drydown. The geranium becomes a bit overwhelming. There's a sour note late in drydown that I don't like. I love the story behind this, but I don't know that I'd wear it. For history's sake, I would love to always have a small decant.

Spices and resins but also a cold powderiness close to mint. Has a freshness to it despite all the traditionally warm coded notes like ginger and cinnamon (neither of which I smell). I don't smell any clove either, but I do get the lone floral and a medicinal aspect. No green notes, which would have been nice considering it's named after an extinct plant. This fragrance has a bracing quality. Like a cold wind whipping your clothes around you. It's giving poultice. Masculine leaning. Becomes warmer smelling with time, but mostly gone in 4 hours.

Olibanum, pepper, geranium, ginger - everything here accountable for, but no warm undertones, no tobacco, no myrhh so fresh, spicy and metallic, not light, but more subtle and uninviting than epic harmony and completely gone under 2 hours if you do just 2 sprays. Nothing particular to like or dislike, its original but not finished in my opinion, reminds me more of a wellness and sauna rituals...

i wrote this in my notes: "opened like aesop, transforms into exactly like how an overly designed laundry room of a woman who has a keyring constellation on her white stanley cup would smell like". not my favorite from stora skuggan. 3/10 for me, it starts off interesting but just evolves into something overly commercial after half an hour.

Herbal bug spray but not offensive. I don’t hate it but it’s not what I thought I’d get. Not getting tobacco but definitely getting ginger and black pepper.

Without seeing the notes I thought I’d smelled like dry forest, spicy, incense, burning flowers, dust ,witchy medicinal herbs

bug spray in a wooden hut/sauna. Don't hate it but for the price I'd expect something more

Silphium just smells like very strong, dry frankincense to me, at its coldest and harshest. It’s almost metallic. Are there people who actually like this smell? It’s meant to evoke the scent of silphium, the lost Roman contraceptive herb, but it doesn’t smell at all herbal or spicy to me, except for a whiff of black pepper in the opening. Nope: it’s super-strong, merciless silver frankincense all the way through, tinging into bug spray in the drydown. Normally I like Stora Skuggan. They do punchy, creative indie perfumery; they give you a distinctive smell and they give it to you good and hard. If you like that smell, as I did with Hexensalbe (wormwood) or Thumbsucker (almond), then it’s great. If you’re a bit averse to it, as I am with frankincense, then Stora Skuggan’s not going to be the one to change your mind.

This smells like a medicine cabinet that had some bug spray leak in it. I don't get any depth from any of the notes, just old, dried bug spray remnants. It's definitely a "vintage" smell but not one that I find especially appealing. This is my least favorite from this house.

I use the natural lemon eucalyptus mosquito spray, which I enjoy the scent when I have to wear bug spray and I can't use DEET. This smells very much like that, which I don't like.

Received sample... dislike, not for me. Couldn't wait to wask off. The smell just wasn't pleasant on my skin.