The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Joshua Kale Smith composed Black Hemlock for Scent Trunk in 2020, and the name is the brief. Hemlock absolute anchors the composition, with Canadian pine, birch tar, and cade juniper stacking resinous and smoky weight around it. The fragrance is part of Scent Trunk's Supernatural Future collection, a series of commissioned works that explore unusual territory. The perfumer was asked to translate something dense, green, and uncompromising into a wearable form, and the result is a composition that doesn't flinch from its own weight. Smith built the structure around the hemlock, letting it carry the gravity while the supporting notes add texture rather than soften the edges. It's a study in controlled darkness, where every element earns its place through intensity rather than ornament.
Canadian hemlock absolute carries sharp turpenic edges, a faintly bitter greenness, and a smoky weight that can dominate a composition if not carefully framed. Leather, castoreum, and birch tar add animalic depth, while cade juniper and red pine reinforce the coniferous backbone. The bergamot at the top is barely there. It's there to let you in before the forest closes over your head. The opening is almost misleading in its brightness, a flash of citrus that serves as permission rather than introduction.
The evolution
The bergamot appears briefly at the top, bright and almost citrus-peel green, and you might wonder if the bottle is the wrong one. It isn't. As the citrus recedes, the hemlock absolute arrives with its resinous bite, joined quickly by leather and the dusty sweetness of Moroccan rose. The heart phase is where Black Hemlock gets strange and compelling, a suede-textured green that smells less like a tree and more like the inside of a leather glove left in a woodshed overnight. Cade juniper and birch tar push the composition darker through the middle hours. The pine and castoreum settle into a quiet, smoky warmth as the hours pass. The drydown holds close to the skin, smelling of cold wood, faint smoke, and something almost mineral.
Cultural impact
Black Hemlock sits within Scent Trunk's Supernatural Future collection, placing it among a group of commissioned works that explore unusual territory. It wears well in colder months and has drawn attention from indie fragrance collectors who gravitate toward compositions with a specific point of view. The fragrance stands as an example of what independent collaboration can produce when the brief is simply to make something uncompromising. Its appeal lies in the way it commits to its own intensity rather than softening itself for broader accessibility.
The House
Scent TrunkScent Trunk is a subscription-based fragrance house that commissions original editions from indie perfumers. Founded in 2015, the company operates from Scotts Valley, California, and focuses on making niche perfumery accessible through a monthly subscription model. The platform works directly with independent perfumers to create limited-edition fragrances that are distributed to subscribers in travel-friendly formats. Their collection includes a range of conceptually-driven scents spanning gourmand, woody, and floral categories, with releases including Gurjun Balsam, Black Hemlock, Moon Jasmine, Stroopwafel, and Simmer Dim across recent years.
The Creator
Joshua Kale SmithEarly indications suggest a style grounded in balance and restraint. Smith's work shows an affinity for layering techniques that reveal different facets as a fragrance develops on skin.
