Strangers Parfumerie's Cachouli

A middle-aged woman brushes dirt from her softly wrinkling palms and begins running tap water to wash the remainder from beneath her nails. She's just planted the first seeds of the season in recycled containers on the windowsill, and she smiles a little, thinking of the peek of green she'll see in a few weeks' time above the kitchen sink. Once the suds have disappeared down the drain, she turns her attention to the microwave: in it is a mug of spiced cocoa, which she'll sip in a minute while lighting some incense. She thinks of herself as an eco-hippie, a relic of the midcentury in love with life sciences. She's grateful for vaccines and masks, afraid of the war she knows her wealthy country is stoking abroad for the sake of more profit, and misses her two nieces and one nephew with a ferocity she was once told was reserved for mothers. As she takes the warm mug into her hands, she wishes her loved ones were here to share this moment of serenity with her. This is, of course, an illusion: a moment like this would be different, instantly, if other people were involved in it. Still, she thinks, I can take this moment in and share its honey-gold contentment the next time I see them. This, to me, is what Cachouli from Strangers Parfumerie smells like. I expected the sweet-spiciness of cocoa, honey, tonka and patchouli notes to clash with the fresher, more vegetal top notes, but they don't at all. It's comfort in a solid, rectangular glass bottle. It's a hug from an aunt whose kindness shines like sunlight on an early spring morning. This Thai perfume house's collaboration with luckyscent will remain the cornerstone of my fragrance wardrobe for at least as long as I can make my reasonably-priced 30mL bottle last!