Boldly Lauren

Have you ever wondered what an extinct flower smells like? I’ll be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought as it’s hard to conceptualize something that no longer exists, but Future Society is giving us a chance to experience what the scents of 6 now extinct flowers and plants may have smelled like.

Future Society (part of Arcaea by Jasmina Aganovic, MIT Chemical Engineer) utilizes DNA samples and through sequencing, 3 talented perfumers have been able to create what they believe these plants smelled like before their extinction. In this lineup is Solar Canopy, Haunted Rose, Reclaimed Flame, Floating Forest, Grassland Opera and Invisible Woods.

I purchased the coffret and eagerly sampled each fragrance with curiosity and an open mind for this Future Society perfume review. The results truly blew me away.

Solar Canopy – Hibiscadelphus wilderianus – last recorded 1912 on the Hawaiian Southern Slope

I had a feeling this would be a tropical sweet confection, and it is – but it’s more than that. It opens with a burst of juicy lychee (which almost veers tangy like mango initially) before diving into a floral heart and rich base of vetiver. Solar Canopy lacks the aggressive vanilla tone so many ‘sweet’ fragrances have and replaces it with pistachio, magnolia, pink sugar, and ambroxan. The resulting scent reminds me very much so of Delina, but wears much better on me due to the lack of rhubarb and vanilla. This ended up ranking highly for me – my second favorite of the bunch. The sillage is moderate as is the longevity. Notes: bergamot, red currant, pink pepper, turkish rose, lychee, pistachio, magnolia, vetiver, ambroxan, pink sugar.

Haunted Rose – Macrostylis villosa 1 & 2 – last recorded 1960 in South Africa

If you want a candied rose that starts out like a bold oud-rose perfume, but dries down to a soft, fluffy, cozy rose – Hauted Rose is just the ticket. I am a rose lover, and based on the notes I thought this would be bold all the way through the dry down, but that only held true for the initial spray. Haunted rose smells almost vanillic on me in the dry down, yet vanilla isn’t listed as a note! This is an excellent example of why trying a sample set is SO important…our body chemistry dramatically changes fragrance. Sillage is moderate, longevity is moderate. Notes: black pepper, saffron, rose absolute, passionfruit, ambroxan, sandalwood.

Reclaimed Flame – Leucadendron grandiflorum – last recorded 1960

This scent is arguably the most perplexing of the bunch to my nose. It opens with some freshness thanks to citrus and eucalyptus (which pulls almost like licorice in my opinion), and then as it settles into the heart and base notes, I get strong whiffs of roots and…dirt. It smells like when I’ve been gardening and I’ve pulled off my gloves – that earthy smell is instantly recognizable. Personally, this is not a scent I would wear, but it was fascinating to smell and I could appreciate it for it’s uniqueness. I’m sure it smells good on the right person, but that person isn’t me. Sillage is moderate, longevity is moderate-long. Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, geranium, curcuma, eucalyptus, armoise, chamomile.

Floating Forest– Shorea Cuspidata – last recorded 1998 in Borneo

Sigh…as I type this, I feel sad as my sample is almost out! I did NOT expect this to be my top love of the bunch, but it is. I am historically a florals girl through and through, but Floating Forest may have changed me to a woodsy-clean lover. This perfume is fresh, but also comforting and calming. Again, not qualities I seek in a perfume – but it’s all of those things in a sexy way. This scent is like walking through a forest that’s covered in damp moss – a creek is nearby – and flowers hang from vines and you catch whiffs of their delicate petals as you saunter down a gravel path. I wore this on a long drive and I could smell it on my seatbelt the next day! Sillage is moderate, longevity is impressive. Notes: black pepper, bergamot, freesia, waterlily, rose absolute, cedar, salted musk, wet stones, papyrus, driftwood.

Grassland Opera – Orbexilum stipulatum – last recorded in 1812 on the North American Plains

Based on the name, I did NOT expect to like this fragrance, but it was truly a pleasant surprise! It opens herbaceous and fresh before delving into more delicate heart notes. Where this takes a turn though is the base notes – they are an absolute BEAST. Grassland Opera starts out much cleaner and floral but shifts into a very masculine blend which I didn’t expect given the aromatic and floral opening. Overall, I actually really love this fragrance, but I think it’s better suited to my husband. Sillage is moderate, longevity….eternal. Notes: clary sage, fig leaves, ginger, ylang ylang, jasmine, mimosa, sandalwood, patchouli, guiacwood, akigalawood, & ambrofix.

Invisible Woods – Wendlandia angustifolia – last recorded in 1917 in India’s western mountains

This scent starts soft, but much like Grassland Opera, it grows in intensity with weartime. The opening of this scent to me is like dried and crushed chamomile and rose – almost a bit dusty…but then it changes and I am gobsmacked with a woody scent I can’t quite place…and it gets louder and louder. In fact, this scent is still detectable after 3 washes and 2 days. It is a commitment! Personally, this was too masculine for my taste, but still enjoyable. Sillage is moderate, longevity, also eternal. Notes: grapefruit, ginger, eucalyptus, chamomile, rose absolute, iris, akigalawood.

Future Society has proven itself to be the next cutting edge venture in the world of beauty and it will be exciting to see what other biology-inspired creations Arcaea launches over the years.