Obsidian Elixir

Obsidian is volcanic glass, and the Egyptians cut it into ritual blades and mirrors — surfaces dark enough to show you something other than your own face. Its blackness was understood as a doorway rather than an absence.

Obsidian Elixir does not soften. Black iris and incense smoke open cold and mineral; a decade-aged patchouli holds the centre; carbonised wood and benzoin close it. It is a fragrance for people who have noticed that the most expensive things in a room are usually the quietest.