Thumbsucker

I am quite taken with Stora Skuggan so far. A Swedish niche perfume brand, their perfumes are high-quality, creative and unusual, yet wearable. Thumbsucker caught my attention thanks to its adorable name, and kept me interested thanks to its rich, sweet-sour honeyed brilliance. Thumbsucker opens with sweet honey notes alongside polleny narcissus. There is a slight smokiness, providing a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the honey. As it develops, sour cherry emerges, boozy and slightly medicinal - not typically my favourite note, but here it works. It is complemented by the smokiness and the almond note, the latter adding a slight gourmand effect. A beautiful violet note joins, powdery and slightly candied, becoming quite prominant in the later stages. A beautiful honeyed amber accord develops as it dries down, thanks to the beeswax note which ties it all together. Some woodiness complements it to perfection, adding a cosy softness. Remnants of the smoky cherry and violet accord remain as it fades, adding a rich, dark fruitiness. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. Best worn in cold weather. A great unisex scent featuring honey, Thumbsucker is a creative, unusual composition yet works really well. For me, it is olfactory art - I have much appreciation for it, but I'm not sure that I would wear it. Excellent regardless. Come for the name, stay for the honeyed goodness. 4/5.

My fancy bottle of thumbsucker arrived yesterday and I was so nervous as I blind bought it. And it exceeded all my expectations, she is a beauty and I am in love. I am a vintage lover though, and I think this is probably the most vintagy modern perfume I know, but done with a twist of being cleaned up and toned down. Of all the vintage perfumes I own (a small collection), thumbersucker is probably the closest to Antilope by Weil, I have a little mini from 60s. The original Antilope perfume is from late 30x, it is very animalistic, comforting and warm, like the fur it was marketed to be sprayed on. I noticed that some people put Chocking Schiaparelli in "reminds me of" section which is compared to another Weil's perfume called Zibeline, I have not smelled that one, but I suspect they may have similar dna. I am very impressed how the accord of honey, some florals and beeswax in Thumbsucker could mimic the animalic notes of the vintage in the past. Very unlinear, on me it stays very long but does become a skin scent after an hour or so. Very clever and very brave. And very addicting sniffing. Pure happiness.

I can see from other reviews that this perfume is divisive; like all Stora Skuggan stuff, it's multilayered and has dramatic changes throughout its little symphony that plays out on the skin. For me, this really works, even though I wasn't sure it would at first. It reminds me of the scent of perfumed dolls I had when I was a kid- slightly plasticky, slightly artificial, slightly cherry and honey. I love that. It somehow (for me very specifically) manages to be both nostalgic and like nothing I've ever smelled before. Doesn't layer well with anything (I don't think any Stora Skuggan perfumes do?), but that's ok. It's sweet but not edible. It's powdery but not dusty. It's nostalgic but not kitschy. It's hard to describe, and worth a try. I'll be wearing this one for awhile.

Super, super floral. Very pollenated. This is like those nature bitches talking about sex like bees pollenating a flower. I personally can’t do this because I’m more of a powdery vintage floral enjoyer but I can appreciate this. This is like those pictures of paint huffers with the shiny silver and gold on their faces, but instead of paint, they’re huffing pollen off their cars and windowsills. One big flower. I am one big flower garden right now and I love it, but it’s not me. Whoever can pull off this whole waxy, cherry, honey, pollen collective should invest in this one. I can’t pull it off, but I truly wish there was someone who could so I could smell them, like, I’d be the bee and they’d be the flower. Yum

Thumbsucker opens with a weird, yet oddly satisfying accord. Syrupy sweet amber, a touch medicinal. a few minutes in, it’s definitely a strong, creamy bitter-almond scent and I love it. The perfumers describe it as a “hangover perfume” for “hedonistic self-soothing”, hence the name Thumbsucker. And it’s a good fit for the brief; the sweet, doughy-powdery off-white almond does make me feel like reverting to greedy toddlerhood. Thumbsucker isn’t high perfumery, it’s loud crude indie stuff, but I kind of love it. There’s not enough almond scents in the world and I find them addictive. It’s also a lot like the discontinued cult classic Luctor et Emergo (another cherry-almond powdery play-doh scent).

Oh this is very good, Stora Skuggen has impressed me so far, with this being my current favourite. This scent is absolutely delicious, bordering on gourmand yet firmly grounded in vintage floral territory, an irresistible combination. The sweet fruitiness of cherry, contrasted by the thick powderiness narcotic florals, namely violet, renders an almost rosy effect. These honeyed florals are dense and sweet, it comes across astoundingly like a leather accord. Words don’t do it justice. I need this fragrance, and I plan to buy it without doubt. Why have I not heard people talk about this before? It’s absolutely magnificent.

Ok so I tried a sample of this without reading the notes first. This is my impression. First, there was a blast of powdery mild sweetness, then something vegetal hit and I didn’t like it, but then something like incense, clove-like hit with the powder and it’s really nice. This perfume is pretty, definitely something I would buy. I’m super confused now that I’ve looked at the notes because I get none of what is listed. Update: I am so in love with this perfume. It’s so good. I’m starting to understand the notes listed, but they’re not super obvious. This perfume is really addicting and something I will be purchasing.

This is such a delicious, mouthwatering, and intoxicating fragrance! I just bought it, and cant stop smelling myself when i wear it. In a weird way, this smell similar to what my boyfriend smell like after working out (so like pheromones?), so it smells like the body of someone you are attracted to. Even tho this is a very sweet and heavy floral scent, it has a velvety and soft feeling on the skin, probalby from the beeswax note, which i really enjoy.

This is the first review for this fragrance as I just received it today. It is gorgeous. The first reminder is Guerlain Insolence (the original one) with additional prominent powdery sweet honey note and cherry. The violet note is very similar between these 2. I prefer Thumb sucker overall for quality of this juice. It's dry down calms down with soft powdery almond. Overall this is my first fragrance by this house and I love it.

A almondy cherry very very pleasant. It opens with some sweetness from the honey and some floral vibe. The drydown turns more powdery with a very noticeable Beewax. A great discovering for me! Very similar to Divine perversion by Hedonik but softer. It could be the daytime versión of the bianchi's perfume. Scent: 10 Longevity: 9 Sillage: 6 Versatility: 10 Originality: 10 Global: 9.5

Such a nostalgic scent! It brings me back to childhood smelling primroses, violets, and narcissuses while playing outside in early spring! Such a clear memory. Beautiful! The honeyed woodiness and the powdery bitter almond (I don't get the cherry) also remind me of something from back then, maybe some kind of toy I used to play with had a similar smell? I'm not sure but I'm in love!

You're a glass of Dr. Pepper. You're a slice of cherry pie with whipped cream. You're a Maraschino cherry plucked from the jar with bare fingers, sticky and tart, your stem tied in a knot by the tongue. Thumbsucker by Stora Skuggan.

this is so fun and weird and polarising it’s such a nostalgic grandma scent with some beautiful candied violet, candlewax, almonds like smells like an expensive candle i would find ontop of a doily i think this is truly so gorgeous

she would apply it and her honeyed scent would turn me into an absolute dog. "thumbsucker" stuck to my pillows long after she left, which i was grateful for. "me he shall suck" indeed.

This smells like rose-incense to me. No rose listed in notes on here but not how I expected it to smell.lasts about 8 hours, and still pick it up on skin next day.

Thumbsucker makes me think of Minnie Riperton’s cover for her album “Stay in Love”. 70s hair and sticky fingers. Indulgent with a dash of sophistication.

Cherry plasticity is a plunge and gasp you have to swallow down to reach a really fleshy honey. Love how the initial sweetness is disgusting.

Warm and cozy, like a hug from someone you love. Recommended for evenings when you want to feel especially content.

What greets me first is a sweet-leaning yet strikingly dirty, animalic black honey accord. Alongside it, I catch something leathery, hay-like, and indolic; which turns out to be narcissus. Then, quite suddenly, the fragrance begins to transform. I usually dislike aggressive shifts, but in this case, I found it genuinely entertaining. Enter cherry; not the usual playful kind, but one woven into that dirty honey framework, carrying a distinctly fruity yet shadowed character. I’ve smelled countless cherry notes before, but never quite in this context or with these companions. This is extremely unique. For context: this comes after roughly 850 fragrances tested, and cherry–honey isn’t a pairing I’d normally gravitate toward; this sample came unplanned in a discovery box. Still, I’m very confident about its uniqueness. There’s a familiar backbone here; this house consistently leans into dirty, leathery, herbal, and woody territory, and this scent is no exception. This is by no means a carefree, glossy cherry; the dirty honey makes that clear from the outset. It’s a playful yet dark cherry, and because of that duality, this fragrance has firmly claimed a place in my mind as a succubus scent. I have a deep fondness for styrax in the base; its dark, balsamic, smoky character and leathery nuances always elevate a composition; and its presence here only deepened my appreciation. I took immense pleasure in smelling this. Tag(s): Dirty-animalic honey, indolic narcissus, styrax based leatheriness, dark cherry, succubus, devil-ish

what do Stora Skuggan’s Thumbsucker and Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz have in common? i’m glad you asked! both Thumbsucker and Bangerz blur the lines between youth and maturity. Thumbsucker, a pejorative for children who’ve yet to outgrow the self-soothing habit, poses the questions “where does doll-head end and vintage begin... do we associate cough syrup with old people or kids?” and then there is the cherry of it all: a symbol for sex and virginity. In 2013 Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball, wearing nothing but a red lip, effectively shedding the remnants of her Disney girl image. need i spell out why the moral panic that ensued after Cyrus’ venture into hip-hop reified the terms of all-American innocence? moral panic aside, it’s objectively ironic that the infamously salacious VMA’s performance with Robin Thicke was done in a fuzzy bear leotard and space buns. also i think the most childish thing one can do is replace the ‘s’ in ‘bangers’ with a ‘z.’

OOOOEEEE! SUPER honey flower at first... very strong. Then quickly adds in some sour-ish cherry. Once things calm down it's kinda like honey and beeswax (think a beeswax candle) with some powdery resin elements. Sometimes this borders on menthol but never quite crosses that line. It's an interesting scent for sure! Not sure I'd wear it often and I would definitely wear it sparingly - it is not shy! After a while I get beeswax and powder and wood. It's strange and lovely and has a subtle sense of humor, just like the packaging. Which is also pretty cool. I hope someone asks me what I'm wearing so I can say the name and then tell the story. :) It was much sweeter with my initial spray on paper than on my skin. On my skin the honeycherry-ishness went away more quickly and turned into a nice woody powdering beeswax. Still sweeter than I normally wear but it's not cloying. Can't decide if I like or love this. Time will tell.

Okay I decided to re-review this as I have other thoughts now; I actually don't mind this! The more I examine the perfume the more I can sense the harmony between all the notes. Actually, I’m kind of in love. I will say that it starts out sharp with what I believe is the narcissus, but only for a few seconds. There's this underlying smell of something syrupy or marzipan-like to me, which I believe is a combo of the cherry and bitter almond. The fresh honey is noticeable with a quick whiff, but with a longer whiff you can sense the true depth of it. This is definitely a "warm" sweet floral, there's a sizeable amount of powderiness as well (from the violet) but it all dries down to be more of a lovely beeswax. Overall it really reminds me of a vintage floral perfume but syrupy sweet, it's a lovely little thing that makes me think of a forgotten boudoir gown that belonged to an actress or showgirl.

Ravishing, juicy, Technicolor cherry-nectar opening. Deep red and fruity-fresh without that "candy" edge that I personally dislike. The sweetness is all beeswax and florals, no corn syrup. There's even a hint of outdoorsy mountaintop cedar to keep it grounded—this is all happening in the fresh air. Can't get enough of it in my nose; it's a honey trap and I wanna drown in it. After that brassy, rich, Phil Spektor wall-of-sound warmup, it settles into a pop groove that I find a touch sickly-sweet and baby-powder-ish. It's still fruity and honeyed and comforting. As a whole piece, it's pretty singular. I wish the drydown had more wood and less powder, but I accept that that’s not what this is going for.

🍯 Pooh with a drinking problem 🍯 If Winnie the Pooh barricaded himself in a dusty 1970s boudoir to drown his sorrows in a pot of expired honey, this is exactly what he’d smell like. The opening hits like a freight train: thick, sticky honey, syrop-heavy cherry, and a dense, waxy powderiness. You get immediate hits of vintage lipstick and childhood cough syrup. It's sweet, suffocating, and plain weird. But it completely shifts gears in the drydown. Once that initial syrupy chaos settles, you're left with raw beeswax, bitter almond, and a smoky styrax. It turns into a dark, honeyed-resinous skin scent that is genuinely addicting to sniff. TikTok: @the.scent.files

I got this as a christmas gift for myself after sampling it at a museum and being completely blown away by the top and middle notes (im obsessed with Lily in anything). I find I really like the composition of this perfume. It comes of as super sweet, almost like a honey throat candy, but in a while it gets closer to something I can really only describe as a sort of melted plastic smell, which combined with the floral and cherry notes makes for something really unique. It can absolutely be a bit much for everyday use but I sometimes indulge anyways.

Great modern take on the heady vintage flowers - honey mix! For me the violet steals the show from the start, it's a classic Guerlain style violet (buttery powder), which fits the theme perfectly! Narcissus with beeswax create a sticky sweet and soft cushion, while the cherry acts as a great counterpoint to the flowers. The drydown shows some claws because of the styrax, but it lets the honey steal the show in the end. The whole composition feels full and satiating. The bottle fits the fragrance perfectly!

this reminds me of the candied violets my grandma carries around in her bag, but it's more like if you left them in a 100 degree car and they melted all over the plastic dashboard. it can seem a bit too overly-sweet at first, but there's something really natural about it. like you're drowning in a vat of green/herbal honey. it's also one of those fragrances that sweat responds really nicely to. get past the powder-attack and let yourself transform into a chunk of honeycomb on the charcuterie board!

tested from the dabber on my wrists, but after an hour each wrist smelled different. one side was a baby powder bomb, the other wrist was more balanced notes-wise. i could only detect the honey and cherry on that wrist. later on it almost has a slight cocoa-butter sort of scent. people i surveyed were divided, some really loved it, some dismissed it as too powdery and grandma-ish. “rich old white lady house”. i found it comforting and i’m into it, but the inconsistency requires further testing!

Cherry and bitter almond come through very strong. What I don't see in the notes is a spicey, incense aroma. Definitely smells pretty ancient, which works with the mythological inspiration. I don't get the hangover inspiration from this though. Feels more mysterious and mature than it does empty and longing. On dry down, I'm even getting some chanel no5 similarities - a bit of powder and spice together.

It’s a beautiful story which goes hand in hand with the fragrance, really opened my mind to what perfumery is, it’s an art. Sweet intoxicating, you definitely get that beeswax and honey off the rip, and it dries down into a deep cherry almondy beeswax fragrance. I absolutely love it and it would be great for date nights and nights out. I only have a sample but will be picking up a full bottle soon!

Ohhh this is nice and very complex. Starts off as very strong and sweet but very quickly becomes airy and flowery without losing its honey sweetness. This is one of the rare perfumes where I can smell all the notes. It is sliiiightly soapy though but I swear each time I take a whiff, i smell different notes, on rotation. So the soapiness isn’t there all the time.

Starts off with super strong, medicinal cherry flavouring smell and an unusual waxy undertone, almost like an old scented lipstick or chapstick. Then over time I picked up more incense-y notes. Interesting evolution and super addictive to smell, I liked smelling it on my arm as I walked home from testing it!

tart cherry-honey-narcissus accord softened by violet powder. there's a vintage boudoir suggestion to thumbsucker to my nose, which is a refreshing take on cherry amidst all the other cherry-bombs on the market right now. vavavoom. honeypot, indeed.

This was extremely jammy on me - I sprayed two full sprays and it was CLOYING, but after washing off a little bit it settled into a nice if syrupy, scent. Very honey, very fruity - not nearly as floral for me as some of these reviews experienced.

This is unique - combination of honey, artificial cherry flavor and narcissus is the foundation of this fragrance and lasts all the way to the deep drydown. It's extremely sweet, long lasting and on my skin projecting very well. Worthy a sample.

Woah. Absolutely f*cking gorgeous. I love this so much. I smell so much almond so much honey and it's really pleasing to smell. Very wearable which isn't very stora skuggan-ey but hey! No losses on my end.

To me it smells warm and sweet, but not in a boring way. A bit waxy. I did get a brief hint of what I think is what another reviewer called baby diaper but for me at least that disappeared quickly.

A gush of raw honey followed a fizzy cherry, rounded together with a powdery violet. The dry down reminds me of a bag of jelly belly candies. Expertly playful but definitely not for me!

I had higher hopes for this scent. Once I realized it reminded me of Johnson's Baby Shampoo I couldn't unsmell it. Still lovely though!

Has a vintage quality about it. I usually do love powdery fragrances but not when they lean into a mature/dated type of dna

Like an expensive, flowery potpurri dipped in honey, placed next to beeswax candles

I got a chance to smell this as a substitute for another sample I wanted, but I knew I wouldn't naturally gravitate towards this on my own just based on its notes alone. This is a powder bomb; violet doing what it does best here. The cherry note is quite interesting here. It's not realistic to the fruit—quite artificial, but I think that works really well here. It's bumming your sisters cherry flavored chapstick on a long summer road trip. Fixated on curated dream-like menageries of I Spy books while you sit on the dusty school library carpets. The forgotten toys caked with layers of dust in the back of a department store while wait for your parents to shop around. Your mom's precious makeup bag adorned with waxy, red lipstick and disks of dented powders. It's quite nostalgic, but not something I'd I ever willing wear. There's this floral sharpness here that is quite abrasive to my nose and is quite nauseating to smell for an extended time, so it's a scrubber for me. It was artistically compelling enough for me to want to review it, if that is any consolation. TL;DR: Linear artificial cherry on top of a powdery, honeyed floral; quite reminiscent of baby powder.

I was weirdly anostic to the opening... I did one, then two, then three sprays, all on the same wrist, held my nose right up to it and barely smelled anything. A little pollen, a suspicion of medicinal cherry but not much more. A memory of a scent, really. Then I smelled more the further I held my wrist away from my nose until it bloomed into something perceptible. It is sweet for sure, a saccarine honeyed sweetness cut through by pollenated powdery white and purple florals and a sour cherry. Its not in the notes but i also get something distinctly animalic, perhaps it's the beeswax or the styrax, which gives it a warmth and alive-ness. I can't see myself upgrading this but I'm glad it exists.

I thought this would have been my favorite from the house when reading the notes, but it turns out it is my least favorite. Not at all a safe blind buy, though I will say none from this house should be considered a safe blind buy. Definitely test first. Honey can be a hit or miss note for me and in this perfume, it's a miss. As others have noted, it does smell sort of "vintage". A scent from times past. The drydown gets better on this one with time, but the opening is just sharp and odd to my nose. I'm not getting a strong cherry note. I'm not getting a strong almond note. I think the honey and violet are more prominent here but I can't say for sure if that's what I'm smelling. in a word: odd.

Thumbsucker I was excited to try this fragrance. I usually enjoy honey in perfumes, but here the narcissus note initially threw me off. On my skin it leans quite mature—slightly dirty, powdery, and a bit raspy—giving the composition a warm, sweet floral character that isn’t entirely for me. That said, I did appreciate the vintage touch of cherry and violet, which adds an interesting nostalgic nuance. Overall, Thumbsucker is a very distinctive fragrance. If you enjoy vintage-inspired scents and appreciate unusual compositions, it’s definitely worth experiencing for yourself. The packaging is also beautiful and thoughtfully done.

has a sharp astringent opening but quickly develops into a blend of waxy honey and medicinal cherry, with the narcissus and violet becoming slowly more prominent over time. there's definitely a cherry chapstick element here, tempered by the sticky sweetness of the honey and the florals. i actually can smell some of that cedar and styrax in the background, but it's subtle. i'm not sure i can pick out the almond but i assume that's working with the violet to give this a touch of powderiness not the kind of scent i wear, definitely too sweet for me personally, but i can imagine someone loving this

It has the potential for me to like it, but right now I'm feeling a bit let down by it. I wanted that rich, dripping golden honey but for some reason I get more of a dusty pollen. It smells powdery which I really did not expect. It is very sweet but it's a dry sweetness, and I wanted something richer. I'm not sure it's quite right for me which makes me so sad, because this was my most anticipated sample. Oh well!

This "vibe" of this one comes off as one of those strong scented 80's chypres that were popular, but this one just has some slight sweetness that the older perfumes did not have. The mix of notes on this one intrigues me - I don't know if I like it or dislike it, but I keep on sniffing it on my skin!

This was way too sweet for me and gave me a bit of a headache at first. However, once it dried (and I sweated a bit) it somehow worked really well! Maybe I'll still find a way to wear this in a way that doesn't overwhelm me.

This kind of smells like pure baby powder to me for some reason which is interesting because I haven’t seen anyone else say this. Not necessarily terrible though... there are worse things to smell like than a clean baby.