Silphium is an extinct plant that was used in the classical era as a spice, a medicinal herb, a perfume ingredient, and as an aphrodisiac. It was highly prized but would only grow wild on the North African Coast, making it hard to get and extremely valuable. The demand for silphium eventually became so overwhelming that it was harvested to extinction, and the taste and smell of the spice was regretfully lost over time.
Here, Stora Skuggan has recreated the scent of silphium through research, ingenuity, hard work, and a touch of sorcery. On first spritz we get a blast of rosy, ultra-fem geranium, along with something bright and unidentifiable – perhaps that silphium accord? It’s tart, zesty and fleeting, and is quickly subsumed by a peppery, clean scent; a spicy soapy smell that’s distinctly masculine. It’s a dynamic fragrance – boyish and girlish, warmish and coolish, spicy and fresh. There’s some cinnamon in the drydown that leaves us with a tender, wistful feeling – prompting us to ask ourselves: what exactly are we wistful for? Perhaps a beloved, bygone miracle plant?
