Smoking. The ultimate modern taboo. A dirty word. And yet, for those old enough to remember, there is something viscerally pleasing about the acrid aroma of a freshly-lit cigarette – perhaps because all the more attractive for its illicit, banned-in-public places, worse-than-marijuana notoriety it now enjoys.
How AKRO Smoke smells to you will depend on your experience with smoking. For reformed smokers, it will smell nostalgic and haunting, a memory of coats, hair, and rooms impregnated with the acrid scent of cigarettes long stubbed out. For the uninitiated, it may smell almost shockingly intense, boasting a range of aromas from rubber and camphor to ash. A smidgen of sweetness from creamy tonka and powdery benzoin in the base is there for support, but in the end, there is nothing sweet or gourmand about this. Just a transparent, weightless wash of honest-to-goodness second hand cigarette smoke on the skin; sexy in a grimy, lived-in way that’s difficult to explain to anyone who’s never indulged. If you love Jeke by Slumberhouse, but want a summer-sheer version, then Smoke should be on your sample list.
