Ground Control

As a planetary scientist and astrobiologist, I’ve thought deeply about what kind of strange and alien experiences humans might have on another planet. As a perfumer, I know that memories and smell are intrinsically linked, and I’ve always found it easier to express my deepest thoughts and emotions through fragrance, so I can’t help but wonder what kind of scents might help space explorers connect with their home planet when they’re millions of miles away from Earth with their feet on another world. With Ground Control I pay homage to our home planet.

I imagine returning to Earth after centuries of traveling through our galaxy. My first glimpse of home is a distant blue marble suspended in space; awe-inspiring, familiar, yet strange at the same time. As I get closer, clouds begin to appear; creating a mosaic of white and blue that slowly separates, allowing flashes of green and brown to stand out, piquing my curiosity. As I descend towards the surface, swirling patterns of blue and white give way to greens and browns, eventually exploding into a myriad of earth tones.

The canopy of coniferous trees opens ready to welcome me and I land. With trepidation, I step out of my spaceship, leaving behind the familiar smell of machinery and recycled air, to be greeted by an olfactory collage of black hemlock, cedars, firs and spruces. The strong smell of sap hangs in the air, mixing with the scent of moss and bark, bringing a resinous, earthy quality that draws the scent of the green treetops to the ground. There, it dances gently with ancient roots breaking through the surface of the forest, covered by damp earth and wild grasses freshly bathed by rain. There I am, in the majestic land of my dreams, with its wild oceans and cool winds, with its ancient trees and soaring mountains, its flowing rivers and bubbling springs, its green and brown carpet bathed in cleansing and nourishing rain. I am home.

Top notes: black hemlock, fir balsam, cedar leaf, ozone.

Middle notes: guaiac wood, sandalwood, incense, cedar wood.

Base notes: moss, vetiver, petrichor, agarwood, amber resin