Ancient Woods Organic Perfume Girl

In the extensive fragrance range of Organic Perfume Girl, I have stumbled upon many beautiful forest scents (most recently, for example, Primal Forest), and so I initially thought that something similar awaited me here given the name. After all, "Ancient Woods" could just as well stand for years of untouched, natural forests, and it wouldn't be the first time that Dawn Stewart has hit the mark in this direction. However, upon the first sniff, it quickly becomes clear that a different meaning must be implied here. A solvent-like note inevitably evokes an association with furniture polish in connection with the woods. And this is not meant in a derogatory way; on the contrary, I actually like it very much. Heavy, freshly polished wood, dark root veneer, venerable antiques. "Ancient Woods" probably does not refer to primeval forests but rather to exquisite old woods in fine woodworking.

Soon, the wood scent becomes softer, not least thanks to the amber-vanilla, which increasingly asserts itself and spreads a light, always unobtrusive sweetness. The emphasis here is on amber. The vanilla softens the whole without placing itself too much in the spotlight. In fact, nothing here wants to dominate or clamor for undivided attention: The cedarwood makes a subtle impression without the pencil-like character ever becoming too dominant. The amber warms without being too heavy. The sandalwood adds a creamy note. Overall, however, the scent conveys a feeling of distinguished solidity. Yes, I would say the fragrance has something serious about it, which the name also embodies.

ElAtterine correctly points out in her statement about the fragrance that Dawn Stewart writes on the sales page of her webshop about the origin of the scent, stating that it was originally created in 2012 as a custom order for a customer who wanted a perfume for her husband that would make him smell like Atticus Finch, a character from the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. This is, of course, a beautiful story, and one immediately begins to imagine Gregory Peck in the film adaptation of the novel as an olfactory image. The solidity indeed fits very well with the committed lawyer, and the freshly polished antique wooden furniture would look great in his office. Even the pomade in his hair could embody the scent and would suit him well.

And yet, I suspect that the matter is much more banal: the same reference to the bespoke scent for a customer with a weakness for Atticus Finch can also be found on the sales page for the eponymous fragrance "Atticus Finch | Organic Perfume Girl," and of course, this makes everything much more coherent. Not that it would be more plausible for Atticus to smell like Earl Grey tea rather than antique wooden furniture. However, here the reference directly explains the name of the fragrance. And the fact that the reference appears on both pages in exactly the same wording suggests that it is simply a case of sloppy copy-pasting, as other details, such as general information about the manufacturing process or the selection of ingredients, can also be found repeatedly on the pages for various fragrances.

But that does not detract from the matter, of course, and it is also conceivable that Dawn Stewart initially created different drafts for the bespoke scent, one of which could have been named after the literary character, while the others were incorporated into the house's program under different names. In doubt for the Mockingbird.

My thanks for the sample go to BeJot.