After the frustrations of my last perfume experiment, trying to build toward a concept from the senses of sight and touch that did not translate easily to smell, I wanted to make something harmonious and likeable without overthinking it. Tobacco absolute is a material that I fell in love with all over again during the perfume workshop I attended in Bulgaria back in May, but did not fit with my last project, so I chose it as a focus for this one.

Other ingredients that made sense to complement tobacco for the effect I wanted were osmanthus absolute and opoponax. In my mind, tobacco is brown, osmanthus is orange, and opoponax is a dark reddish-orange, so these formed a nice, solid center of autumn-colored tones. Perfect for transitioning into the best season for sartorial enjoyment.

Reading through my list of raw materials and sniffing those of interest, I was once again reminded of the magnificence of hiba cedarwood. It somehow captures light and dark, is dry yet refreshing, complex yet pure, and has an effortless meditative quality. Slightly smoky and almost citrusy in its top note of cut, freshly sanded wood.

Citrus was a natural foil for this cast of characters, so I enlisted bergamot and bitter yuzu. Sampaquita Givco, which I realized this time was more ylang-ylang than jasmine in its floral blend, seemed a suitable bridge for the citruses and osmanthus. For a woody-musk base to fix and extend the botanical ingredients, I chose Orbitone for its description of “Fresh-fruity, floral to woody amber. Gives body and velvety richness.”

A new toy for me was Koumalactone, a strong-smelling, biscuity-coconut lactone for a “Coumarin, lactonic, tonka, phenolic, very natural tobacco effect.” This one took some trial and error to get to a low enough dilution so that it imparted richness without being cloying in its creaminess.

I also tried Symroxane again—while I had explored it previously thinking it could support a metallic facet and eventually abandoned it, now I was getting to know it as “Woody, vetiver, dried fruits, tobacco. Harmonizes woody and floral elements, increases radiance and elegance.” (bold mine) It blended in nicely and I could not detect it on its own within.

I was liking the result already, and this feeling of early satisfaction—as well as the scent of the blend itself—reminded me of an experience almost 3 years ago: making Ode to Oddity. Looking back at that formula… well, well! Several ingredients were the same: osmanthus, bitter yuzu, Sampaquita Givco, and Orbitone. I had also used methyl laitone to the same effect that I was using Koumalactone now.

So, I decided to plagiarize—I mean learn from—my old self and add a few more companion ingredients from that formula (which I’d initially debated and not included because I didn’t want to rely on the same ingredients in too many formulas): aldehyde C12 MNA for a top-note lift, ambergris tincture for roundness and smoothness, and the woody-amber base note Ysamber K.

In the end, I omitted bergamot. It is a lovely citrus and goes well with almost anything, but it has a distinct aroma and makes things feel more “yellow”… I wanted this blend to smell more “orange” in color at the top.

It may be that unlucky numbers are lucky for me in perfumery. Like Ode to Oddity, I called this one on the fourth try. (The number 4 is unlucky in Chinese-speaking [sì], Japanese [shi], and Korean [sa] cultures because it is a homophone with the word for “death” in these languages. In older hospitals, the elevator would often not have a button for 4 but go straight from 3 to 5; nowadays, the fourth floor may house the maternity ward, pediatrics, or administrative offices.) Both of these creations contain 13 ingredients, the unlucky number in Western cultures.

I also seem to have better luck with perfume experiments that I start based on raw materials rather than a clever name. I couldn’t come up with any good puns on tobacco and osmanthus, so I looked to a theme that could fit in a series with Ode to Oddity. It’s cozy, autumnal, somewhat escapist…

Cozy Mystery.

One of my favorite genres of fiction, familiar more through old TV shows than books, particularly British ones including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Rosemary & Thyme, Rumpole of the Bailey… so I suppose it should be “Cosy“ Mystery…

• Core characters: tobacco absolute, osmanthus absolute, opoponax EO, hiba cedarwood EO
• Sidekicks: bitter yuzu absolute, Sampaquita Givco
• Background characters: aldehyde C12 MNA, ambergris tincture, Hedione, Koumalactone, Orbitone, Symroxane, Ysamber K

On my skin, it’s fruity like a perfectly ripe apricot, woody, resinous, musky. The bitter yuzu is surprisingly prominent (and not bitter at all, despite its name). My other half’s skin drinks up perfume and flatters spicy notes such as clove, so on him this quickly became a duo of bitter yuzu and dry hiba cedarwood.

I think I’ll explore my serendipitous “-ade” (mixture of ingredients that creates an effect noticeable in many perfumes from the same producer) a bit more…