First Impressions – Stora Skuggan

First things first, the 30ml bottles from the Swedish niche outfit Stora Skuggan are beautiful. Real works of art. They practically cry out for you to sample them, and sample them, I did. Special thanks to my Instagram friend, Tete @niche_rare_fragrances, for sending me the samples. I always appreciate it.

Stora Skuggan have been around since 2015, and interestingly have only released five perfumes in that time. One has to appreciate when a brand takes their time over a release. It certainly comes in stark contrast to many new niche houses that flood the market with ten perfumes, covering all genres at once. Of course, this go-slow approach doesn’t guarantee that I’m going to like all the scents in the collection, and surprisingly it was the two freshest ones that didn’t quite do it for me. Below are my quick first impressions of the line.

Silphium opens with a zingy, zesty ginger accord but soon begins to turn spicy, smoky, and medicinal. The cloves, myrrh, and olibanum are all to the fore. I would have preferred if that zestiness of the opening hung around a bit longer. As it is, the medicinal, herbal facets reign supreme before fading to a faint whisper in a soapy, woody base after 4-5 hours.

Moonmilk didn’t work at all for me. Despite the name, it isn’t overly milky. The composition is dominated by a sandalwood accord, surrounded by some citrus (lime) and spiced cardamom—fairly straightforward stuff. The citruses are a little too grating in the opening for my sensibilities. Once you make it past the sharp opening, the drydown becomes an all too predictable sandalwood dominant composition. Not the sandalwood of my dreams. The cardamom/ sandalwood combo does remind me a little of Olfactive Studio’s Lumiere Blanche. If you enjoy that one, you may like Moonmilk.

Thumbsucker is much more intriguing. A sweet mix of honeyed narcissus, powdered violets, and a cherry accord evocative of cough syrup. The honeyed sweetness perseveres through to the base, where it becomes waxy, ambery, and woody. It is much more complex than the fresher scents from the house. I’m not sure it is one I would wear, though.

Fantome de Maules is green and aromatic. Green leaves, galbanum, and oakmoss intertwined with bergamot, vetiver, and lavender producing a wearable modern fougere. The cardamom and coriander in the midsection of the scent add enough spicy, peppery intrigue to keep things interesting. Very nicely done.

Mistpouffer and its immortelle, sugar cubed sweetness reminded me of Parle Moi de Parfum’s Mile High. However, whereas Mile High derived its syrupy sweetness from candied pineapple, Mistpouffer feels deeper and more complex. In fact, the caramelised immortelle remains surprisingly muted under a plethora of other notes. No mean feat as immortelle can often dominate a composition. Pine tree lends a green aromatic touch—fig leaf and ozonic notes an airy freshness. A puff of smoke casts an air of mystery. Mistpouffer is a hard one to pin down and probably my favourite from the line.

Have you tried Stora Skuggan? Did you have a favourite?

Note: Bottle images courtesy of Google.