The backstory of Aesop’s latest fragrance, Hwyl, is a hodgepodge (to which I’ll contribute). Hwyl is a Welsh word (pronounced, rapidly: WHO-will); according to the Oxford English dictionary, it means “a stirring feeling of emotional motivation and energy.” Yet, Hwyl’s perfumer, Barnabé Fillion, when asked by Philippa Morgan in Vogue Arabia, “How would you describe Hwyl in one sentence?” responded “The silence and verdancy of an ancient Japanese forest, and the wind in the canopy.” Hwyl reminds ME of India — the scent of altars and old-style Ayurvedic apothecaries. To each his own…
