Petitgrain (Citrus aurantium amara)comes from the bitter orange tree - the same tree that gives us Orange essential oil from the fruit and Neroli essential oil from the blossoms. That origin makes it hard to place: it can read as a floral, a citrus or a wood. This delightfully complex oil is the lightest in the blend. It feels safe and quietly hopeful.

Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) has been used across traditions for thousands of years for its ability to quiet the mind. It smells earthy, resinous and spicy-sweet with a fresh mineral undertone. Here, it supports the conditions for making space and allowing for reflection.

Cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) moves through two distinct registers - a camphoraceous top note that then settles into a sweet, woody-balsamic warmth underneath. It adds a sense of steadiness and its dry, grounded body helps the composition hold its shape.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is tall, long-lived and slow-growing, and the oil carries exactly that quality. It smells clean, woody and fresh. It helps the mind settle.

Amyris (Amyris balsamifera) is gooey like honey and gives a soft, creamy undertone. The first of two fixatives that hold the blend together. At first, it’s barely there, but it’s doing more work than it shows. Distilled from the Haitian candlewood tree - a slow‑burning wood once used as a natural torch - it slows the release of the other elements and adds an earthy, woody, vanilla depth that appears gradually. While it’s not immediately obvious, you’d notice if it wasn’t there.

Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides) essential oil is other-worldly - smoky, viscous and dark. Vetiver comes from the root system of a tall tufted grass, not a wood as is often assumed. Vetiver is the other fixative in the blend, the deepest note here and the most stabilising.