The Darkest Bloom 15ml

The Darkest Bloom is the aroma of a mythical flower from P.M. Freestone's duology, Shadowscent. To find out why it's so important, we recommend that you read her books.

In the meantime, here's what happened. The publisher, Scholastic, sent us a proof copy of the first book, The Darkest Bloom, and put our fragrance Midnight in the Palace Garden in with the press copies. After reading the book, Sarah knew that she would love to make the aroma of dahkai, the flower with almost magical powers to heal. If you are interested in perfume, you must read these books. The intriguing community of Scent Keepers that Peta has created is a fragrance lover's delight.

P.M. Freestone came to a workshop in September 2019, the first ever event at our Hammersmith studio. She made fragrances for her two main characters, Rakel and Ash, rose and cedarwood inspired scents and Sarah asked if she might be allowed an attempt at creating dahkai.

In October, Peta visited with her friend Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree - and there's another story about that - and we spent the day smelling all the materials which could make up the aroma of a dahkai plant. 

Picture a dark flower with the most intoxicating fragrance you can imagine; that was our aim. Astonishingly, we both seemed to be imagining the same scent. If you're interested in perfume, you will love this world. They've been written for young adults, but it's fine for the rest of us to read them. We have permission.

It draws us in with citrus, apricot and blackcurrant top notes, using mandora essential oil, buchu and an apricot aromatic blend. Styrax, opoponax and labdanum have been used for thousands of years in perfumery. We had to have them, not just for their history but for their deliciously deep aromas and fixative properties.

If the Scent Keepers of Aramtesh had had modern aromachemicals on hand, we decided that they would have used them, so we incorporated cruelty-free musks and sustainable wood replacements to give The Darkest Bloom a gentle richness.