The Decay of the Angel - Eau de Parfum

Mortal Desire

Inspired by Yukio Mishima's final 1971 work of the same name and published as the fourth and final novel in the Sea of Fertility tetralogy, The Decay of the Angel is about the incarnation of our humanity that encourages us to find the beauty in the failings and the frailty of flesh - it is ultimately a story of birth and more importantly rebirth.

The fragrance is based on the 5 stages of a falling angel:

STAGE 1 | Decay

STAGE 2 | Diaphoresis

STAGE 3 | Dirt

STAGE 4 | Dissatisfaction

STAGE 5 | Darkness

These 5 Stages are reflected throughout the fragrance which turn a traditionally rich and exotic floral built around Sambac Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and Rose into an intense hedonistic experience. The result is a powerful scent composed of the sweetness of flowers on the edge of waning coupled with hints of natural Oudh, Atlas Cedarwood, Frankincense and Spanish Cade to confer a distinct and unique impression of charred wood. Musk and Hedione bring a dark and dirty edge of desire. This is bound together with Hedione, the only known fragrance ingredient to induce arousal¹, and musk to evoke the dark and dirty edge of desire and the fulfilment of a fallen angel.

Ingredient Philosophy

While the preference of TH/E is to always use 100% natural ingredients, the ultimate goal is to create fragrances which tell a compelling story and are produced in as sustainable a manner as possible. Set in a base of 100% certified organic grape alcohol, THE DECAY OF THE ANGEL is the first fragrance by TH/E to use two nature identical fragrance ingredients. Ambrettolide is an ethical substitute for musk which is traditionally sourced from the Musk Deer, an animal protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) as endangered; Hedione while occurring naturally is not commercially extracted as a fragrance ingredient yet plays a key role in helping to bind and enhance the overall fragrance composition to tell a more compelling story.

The Artist

Based in Warsaw, Gosia Sobczak is a Polish illustrator whose use of beautiful, bold and often cheerful colours are offset by the dark subject matter that her work explores. Her themes range from the grotesque to the melancholic and mortality through to chaos. Little known outside of her native country, Sobczak’s has gained a cult following in Poland and has appeared in print in publications such as the fashion, cultural and design magazine K Mag.

¹ Berger S., Hatt C., and Ockenfels A. (2^nd May 2017) "Exposure to Hedione Increases Reciprocity in Humans" from Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. [link]