10 Vellichor Perfume

Our own smell is personal to us, and completely unique. How we smell is predetermined, and comes from the same genes which determine our body’s tissue type. We all have our ‘scent blind spots’, smells which we cannot pick up. This means that we all smell things differently, and the scents we enjoy are entirely unique to us.

Since time immemorial, people have approached fragrance ritualistically, layering on multiple oils, or attars. To have the most surprising effect, it’s important to blend fragrances that have diverse facets. Some scents that you can’t put together in the same bottle or formula, because they’re too extreme and turn out smelling horrible, are actually wonderful when you blend them in a layering process. Perfume layering is the best way to explore new aromas, merging untraditional ingredients to create one’s personal story upon the flesh.

What does your story have to say?

10 vellichor ~ (n.) the strange wistfulness of used bookshops.

Worn Leather • Vanilla • Typewriter Ink

One of the most wonderful scents in the world is the aroma of an old book. As a book ages, the chemical compounds used begin to break down, releasing volatile oils which is the source of the smell. As it breaks down, the lignin grants old books that faint vanilla scent. There is something more about the antique book smell than just a balanced blend of pleasing scents. It’s memories, sacred places, escapism. It’s prayer to some & home to many. It’s knowing your ancestors, lunatics, hopeless romantics, old atrocities, heavy oaken tables, arched spines of a thousand doorways to other worlds.

A combination of sharp & dry, the warm green scent of sweet vanilla, torn old leather, decaying wood, pungent vetiver, typewriter ink, smoky sandalwood, with a touch of an intoxicating underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents. Like an old European library, this is a true-to-scent perfume. Perfect for writers, bookworms, dreamers & lovers of all ancient magic.

“A book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it. You put it in your pocket and you walk with it. And it stays with you forever.” ~ Ray Bradbury

Use ritually to anoint oneself, candles and other objects.

10ml amber glass apothecary jar