Smokestack

Smoke is the most ancient of perfume ingredients. The very word  “perfume” comes from the Latin for “through smoke”, referring to the historic practice of burning incense to fragrance clothes, cleanse the home, and communicate with the gods. The pleasing smell of smoke, whether suggestive of charred wood, tobacco or marshmallows, is a delightfully uncanny olfactory illusion when conjured by a fresh mist of perfume.

Within the mathematics of fragrance, there are many different formulae that can produce a smoky note. Key raw materials include pine tar and cade, which summon realistic bonfire, tarry effects. Both patchouli and oud offer smoke’s earthy, organic nuance, suggesting singed vegetation or leather. Vanilla can be cured to convey roasted confections, or scorched old books. Vetiver root is beautifully dissonant: green and smoggy. Even the bergamot suggests heat via its natural terpene compounds. And synthetics can nudge any material towards the arena of the fantastical, variously bringing to life atmospheres of mythical planets or imaginary electrical fires. All ingredients can be tweaked to conjure anything from the faint suggestion of toasting marshmallows over a campfire, to the furiously billowing smoke of a forest fire. Whether mild or fierce, salubrious or ominous, smoke’s effect on a perfume is always memorable.