Patchouli Soliflore.
a l c h e m y ☽•☾
Chocolate foil wrapper, menthol, dinosaur dirt, tobacco, prehistoric mist, tar, swamp, paper, bittersweet cacao, root beer.
This composition has been a long time coming, and it is probably my most requested single note perfume. As a patchouli lover, I knew I had to make this the pièce de résistance among my patchouli compositions. It had to be deep and dark, as well as playful and crisp, capturing all the self-contradictory nuances of the wondrous herb, Pogostemon cablin. I used my in house patchouli absolute (seen in photos), an inky rich paste that I extracted and aged from my own Pogostemon cablin plants that I grew from open pollinated seed in the Wild Veil gardens in Vermont. So you have the terroir of Vermont, with clay soil as black as the resulting absolute, factoring in in an unusual way. I paired this unique aromatic with 10 of my prized patchouli oils from Indonesia and India, all aged to varying degrees. Some barely, and a few I have aged for 10 years. They vary in richness and strength, but all are exquisite representations of the herb's signature scent. Some are medium notes and have almost a woody, sandalwood and astringent quality, with savory facets that you find in Cambodian agarwood. But most are middle to base notes, with whiskey, vanilla, rum, camphor, and dirt. For me patchouli is undoubtedly nostalgic, but not in any way associated with hippie culture or hatha yoga. It was featured in the "highly inaccurate" primeval diorama at EPCOT's Unvierse of Energy ride. The "swamp" note that wafted over the animatronic brontosauruses, my favorite dinosaur as a toddler, who loomed over passengers as they chewed on strings of indeterminate plant material. The ride was sponsored by ExxonMobil, and the irony of my first patchouli memory being associated with a multinational oil and gas corporation is not lost on me. Irony but also actualism because the fragrant mixture of swamp, tar, bitumen, and peat was crystallized perfectly in the attraction. And who would know the scent of a tar pit better than an oil company? It was also accompanied by petrichor, as lightning and thunder played throughout the misty scene. I hope that my soliflore pays homage to Universe of Energy's iconic and checkered past.
Photos: in house patchouli absolute, from perfumer grown Pogostemon cablin from open pollinated seed, cured, and extracted by perfumer; solid perfume in 5ml and 10ml black violet glass jars; liquid perfume in 5ml and 10ml black violet glass roller ball bottles; liquid perfume in 5ml amber glass apothecary bottle with orifice reducer.
r a w ☽•☾ m a t t e r
Wild Veil natural perfumes are composed by me, Abby, using homemade, wildcrafted and organic aromatics in Vermont. These include my handmade enfleurage, tinctures, enfleurage extraits, absolutes, resinoids and concretes, and floral waxes. I spend as much time growing plants and foraging as I do composing perfumes.
h o w ☽•☾ t o ☽•☾ w e a r
The best way to experience a natural perfume is to apply it to well-moisturized skin, without rubbing in (absorption only shortens the wear time of fragrance) and without scrubbing off. Natural perfumes are dynamic and take a minimum of 2 hours to reach their final stage, or dry down. Enjoy the alchemical changes as they unfold from the initial intensity of top notes, to the warmth of the heart, to the depth of lower base notes.
☽•☾ Wild Veil ☽•☾ alchemy between earth and ether ☽•☾
☽•☾ All aesthetic material copyright Abby Hinsman 2023 ☽•☾