Smouldering pillar candles, old wood, wafting holy smoke, cold veined marble, and of course, the weighty silence of devotion—ah, the olfactory images of the Catholic Church.
These sacred spaces have always held a certain allure, despite my agnostic sensibilities. Indeed, no sojourn to Europe's greatest cities, whether it be Rome, Paris or Lisbon, are complete without several daily pitstops in one of their many cathedrals, chapels, and basilicas. I come for the ornate stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings and candelabras, and stay for the serenity (and cooler air).
As a child, I couldn't stand the smell; that suffusing incense-y musk, mingled with (likely) centuries-old dust and the damp, almost fecund aroma of cold grey stone, but now, it carries a certain weight and mystery, especially when translated into home and personal scenting. It's not just me either; some of the most interesting perfume houses in the world are turning to sacred spaces for their olfactive inspiration.
Paris-based beauty brand Officine Universelle Buly continually references religious rituals through their design and products. Each of their 62 apothecary-style stores and counters is a mini marvel, replete with wood-panelled walls and antique pumps and alembics for sniffing their signature water-based scents. They also sell a number of curios, including authentic Mount Athos Incense, the actual resin used in Eastern Orthodox practices, handcrafted by the monks who reside on the Holy Mountain of northern Greece.
Their Sacre home fragrance line, in fact, pays homage to the atmosphere of historic cathedrals: dark, chilled naves illuminated by stained glass, where wisps of ceremonial smoke and heady incense drift. The scents are built around heavy notes of olibanum, also known as frankincense, rich cedarwood, green pine and sweet honey—a concoction they describe as the “scent of a coronation”. Similar notes appear in their perfumes, too. Lebanese Cedar evokes old wooden pews, while Eritrean Myrrh leans into its resinous namesake for a scent that smells subtly like the inside of an old basilica. It's surprisingly wearable.
Trudon, too, founded in Paris in 1643, famously has its Spiritus Sancti fragrance, designed to replicate the heady atmosphere of Gothic cathedrals, with notes of aldehydes, incense vapours and labdanum. Their newest scent, Carmen, updates this for the modern-day wearer, by melding labdanum, with citrus accords of bergamot, grapefruit and rhum.
Per Aamna Lone, a certified UK fragrance expert, the category is on the rise both in and beyond olfactory circles. “As the seasons are changing, the algorithm naturally begins pushing more autumnal fragrance content, and church-inspired scents, with their darker, gloomy Gothic aesthetic, fit this mood well."
When Lone thinks about the notes most evocative of the interiors of churches, aldehydes and incense are particularly prevalent. “Aldehydes are interesting because they can give a fragrance that characteristic sense of sparkle or effervescence, almost like a fizzy, luminous effect. This can translate into the cool, slightly sterile atmosphere that many people instinctively associate with churches.”
Incense, on the other hand, has a much more literal connection to the church, having been used ceremonially in both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgy for centuries. “Within this category, frankincense and myrrh are perhaps the most recognisable materials. They carry not only an ecclesiastical association but also a strong Christian symbolism, particularly through their connection to the Nativity and the gifts presented by the Magi.”
Then, woody materials like palo santo and cedarwood recreate the dry, resinous, polished smell of church interiors, particularly the wooden pews and furnishings. “They add a sense of physicality to the fragrance,” she explains, “like powdery materials such as orris and violet, which are also foundational elements to this profile. Their soft, dusty quality can correlate with the sense of age, textiles, religious vestments and old interiors.”
Of course, these notes have long had a bad reputation for being heavy, dusty and difficult to wear. But increasingly, brands are finding clever ways to capture the atmosphere of cathedrals and basilicas in blends that you can actually wear daily; and, naturally, these scents work especially well when it comes to scenting the home. Ahead, my pick of the very best of the category.
The addition of cashmere wood makes this labdanum and incense heavy scent considerably softer; it's like wooden pews scented with creamy vanilla.
This beautiful scented stone draws on Mediterranean botanical and medicinal traditions, scented with bergamot, bitter orange, rose, oakmoss, musk and pomegranate accord—all uplifting notes that evoke the fresher side of an old Italian cathedral.
While not a traditional church-like scent, Chanel No. 5’s powdery facets of iris, orris root and heady florals remind me of the more aged aspects of these sacred spaces—parchment, textiles, talcum powder and old robes.
If you want to lean further into the powdery, softly musky aromas associated with these scared spaces, Penhaligon's The Favourite is the easiest way to do so. Supremely wearable, it features notes of iris, jasmine, sandalwood, and musk.
Future Memories reimagines smoky Labdanum, long associated with cathedrals, and makes it supremely wearable by combining it with warmer, zestier of galbanum and rich, creamy Madagascan vanilla.
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