Best Fou d'Absinthe by L'Artisan Parfumeur Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

“In rifleing the closet of the ladie, they found a pipe of oyntement, wherewith she greased a staffe, upon which she ambled and galloped through thick and thin, when and in what manner she listed”
– Proceedings Against Dame Alice Kyteler, Prosecuted for Sorcery, 1324

Hexensalbe, also known as witches’ flying ointment, was a hallucinogenic salve used in witchcraft in the middle ages. It was a mixture of extremely poisonous ingredients that produced an ecstatic trance with powerful sensations of flying, images of otherworldly creatures and a primal sexual hunger. 

But where did the witches’ broomstick come in? The ointment was too poisonous to eat, so instead it was applied to other soft membranes, commonly the genitals. Because of the erotic effects of the high, the salve would often be rubbed directly onto a phallic object like the end of a staff or a broomstick. (Now that’s what we call “riding a broomstick”!)

Given which aspects of the history of hexensalbe have been suppressed, it would seem that the one thing more terrifying than witches is female sexuality. This fragrance celebrates the forbidden rituals of personal power, summoning the ancient ways with dark aromatics: wormwood, liquorice, belladonna and black hemlock. Voluptuous tuberose and vibrant patchouli ensure a long and blissful trip.

Perfumer: Chris Maurice

From the master perfume responsible for most of the Xerjoff range, Moon Glade is a very unconventional take on lavender. The perfumer added a charred coconut shell nuance and poured sweet peach compote to the clean musky vibes of the herb.

An exclusive project for Bloom, dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson’s adventures.

Hold my Pipe has notes of peat from the Grimpen Mire, the smoke of the Baskerville hall grand fireplace, Lestrade's smoking gun, the fruity tobacco blend from Sherlock’s pipe, sweet opium fumes, Tokay wine, spices from the Andaman islands and more. 

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Hold my Pipe story):

Labdanum absolute,
Osmanthus absolute,
Tonka bean absolute,
Peru balsam absolute
tobacco absolute
Oakmoss absolute,
Cardamom absolute,
Ylang-ylang absolute,
African artemisia  essential oil,
Vetiver essential oil, thyme essential oil,
Nagarmotha essential oil,
Pine tar essential oil,
Guayak wood essential oil,
Clove essential oil.

Santal takes its inspiration from a Sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s which has then been given a distinctive contemporary edge.

An immersive fougere that storms your senses with a muscular version of the great outdoors. Hallucinogenic wormwood takes the reins of a wild gallop through fir, cedarwood and tobacco. The fierce greenness is cushioned by a plush and saturated musk.

After the first rains of autumn, the woods exhale salubrious scents of peat, moss and petrichor — the ideal antidote to the scorching summer heat. Chypre-Mousse was first launched in 1914 for the dandies of the new century, and this iteration reinterprets a classic fougere with contemporary materials. This explosively aromatic blend hums with wild mint and fennel in a swirl of earthy oak moss, peppery green angelica and fresh pine. Bring the outdoors in with Chypre-Mousse.

Perfumer: Hugo Lambert

Mountain air infused with juniper settles over an ancient coniferous forest. Orris and white musk mesh with balsam fir to create a cold, luminous finish.

Perfumer: Chris Maurice

A smell-good-like-you-feel-good perfume, reminiscent of carefree hangouts with friends powered by “herbal inhalants”. Mainstream is a beautifully modulated cannabis fragrance, its grapefruit and lime kick-off nicely balanced by the long guaiac wood, patchouli and vetiver fadeout. 

Aragon is an olfactory tribute to the Aragon region of Spain, the birthplace of Mallo. A unique aromatic fougere, the scent showcases local aromatic plant extracts from cypress, basil, thyme, rosemary and artemisia. Added to this busy mix is the pipirigallo flower, exclusive to the region. The scent is rounded off by mossy, resinous elements for a warm, enveloping feel.

Misty Cypress Ash captures a mountain landscape with swirls of smoke rising from smoldering cypress branches amid the forest mist. Opens with an herbaceous, slightly bitter green haze of absinthe and wormwood, transitioning into a warm, spicy and woody heart of cypress and rich tobacco. Finally it settles into a comfortable, earthy and mineral-smoky finish with rooty vetiver and austere cedar.

Perfumer: Yang Liu