HERMIT COAT

HERMIT COAT is built around the image of a hermit's cloak. Chapel Factory describes it as a fabric woven from dark ashes, carrying the air of someone who has withdrawn from the world.

At the core of that cloak is fir balsam. In the brand's telling, this conifer note is wrapped in musk, amber, balsam and smoke, the way a coat covers the body. At the top, fir balsam sits with elemi, heliotrope and ash: bright resin, powdery sweetness and a dry, cinder-like texture that cast a cool shadow over the forest note.

The heart brings olibanum, rose, ambroxan and balsam. The clear, resinous lift of olibanum lets a glimpse of rose through, while ambroxan's warmth and the density of balsam thicken the middle. In the base, musk and amber meet smoke and incense, adding another, darker layer.

The brand names a powerful, lingering trail as one of the scent's defining traits. With ash and smoke in the foreground, it is a scent to choose when you want those layered smoky tones to lead.