Warm Bulb

"I was trying to capture the warm tone of my favorite lamp; I stole it from my dad in high school and it sits on my desk today. The lamp is really old and overheats quickly, but gives off the most comforting quality of light for reading in the dark.

While working on a different formula, I smelled Immortelle Absolute for the first time and became completely derailed. Immortelle, the flower of the curry plant, grows in hot, dry climates — and smells like it. I wrote in my notes that it smelled like a “warm bulb”, like a layer of dust was being baked by hot glass.

What started as a pesky distraction became our third scent: an exploration of materials that smell like man-made heat. Immortelle is the anchor of the eponymous “warm bulb” accord, joined by accords of hot sandalwood, sparkling tobacco, and dried paper."

Laura Oberwetter, Clue Perfumery founder