PENANGGAL

LORE
/pəˈnaŋ.ɡal/ noun (Malaysian)

origin: Malay tanggal (“to detach, remove”)

A mortal woman transformed through black magic, the Penanggal is said to sever her head from her body at night, entrails and organs trailing as she flies in search of blood. She preys upon pregnant women and newborns, slipping through floorboards or perching on rooftops during childbirth to drink from new mothers and spread wasting illness. By day she appears as an ordinary woman, with her true nature hidden until nightfall.

FRAGRANCE FAMILY
Yellow Floral, White Floral, Tropical, Citrus, Fruity

PERFUMER’S NOTES
“In parts of Southeast Asia, jasmine and ylang ylang are sometimes linked with omens of misfortune. That paradox is what draws me to them, the way their beauty carries an undertone of shadow. Joy by Jean Patou has long been my reference for jasmine, but I wanted to reinterpret it through the prism of Southeast Asia. I pushed the ylang ylang as far as IFRA would allow, to evoke the dense, narcotic air of a tropical summer when the blossoms are at their fullest. They feel like home in a way I can’t explain.”