In 2017, synthetic biologists extracted samples of extinct flowers from the Harvard Herbarium. Through DNA sequencing, scientists identified genes that might encode fragrance-producing enzymes. They printed these codes and inserted them into yeast, which were cultured through a fermentation process to produce scent molecules. These molecules were given to world-renowned perfumers to formulate the fragrances found in Future Society's Scent Surrection Collection.
Through biotechnology, scent molecules from the extinct Shorea cuspidata were identified and reinterpreted into this unique watery-green composition. Perfumer Jérôme Epinette approached the scent as a form of time travel, reconstructing not just the flower, but the entire environment it once inhabited. Floating Forest is an aquatic green floral inspired by Borneo's canopy. It is an invitation to slow down with Floating Forest, a cooling aquatic floral inspired by Shorea cuspidata, a towering rainforest tree once native to Borneo and lost to logging after 1998. Known for rising over 160 feet into the canopy, it was part of one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. This fragrance evokes a quiet meditation in scent, green, lush, and serene in a world that moves fast. It features top notes of bergamot and black pepper; middle notes of freesia, water lily and rose absolute; and base notes of salted musk, wet stones and papyrus. Floating Forest is an eau de parfum, edp.
Fragrantica: "I bought the body cream of this and am blown away. This literally smells like I’m a forest nymph laying over a wet stone after a gentle morning rain. It’s so wild."
Fragrantica: "I love this fragrance….it smells like lichen on an ancient boulder, after a morning rainstorm, drying in the sun. The company is using the DNA of long extinct plants and flowers to create this fragrance. It feels like being the first human to walk in a primordial forest…of course I wish it lasted longer, but for me, nothing lasts long enough. Even though there’s no coconut listed, it does smell like a creamy coconut fragrance with a slight marine air because of the damp stone quality. It’s amazing for summer."
Fragrantica: "When I say I want something light and fresh but unique, this is a perfect example. There is no coconut in Floating Forest’s DNA, but I get a soft, green, and creamy coconut anyway on my skin. There’s also a slight petrichor or wet concrete note, a touch of wood and drizzled rain, and just a hint of pepper. This is dewy and pretty and clean, but it melts into the skin in an almost waxy and flattering way. I have sniffed similar things, yes, but not nearly so well balanced and rich yet ethereal and soft. Projection grows with drydown, so be careful with sprays. This is what I wished some other fragrances had been but missed the mark due to “dry” wood or too much pepper or other things."
Fragrantica: "This is unlike any other scent I’ve met - I’m not just sniffing my arm throughout the the day, I’m finding myself deeply inhaling it the way I take deep breaths when I’m walking in a damp redwood forest or strolling along a cold foggy beach. It doesn’t actually smell like either of those places (though closer to redwood forest than beach) but my reaction is the same. It’s like an ozone or petrichor feeling without actually containing those notes. I think it’s the wet stone combined with a airy green freshness. It does have a peppery note which I think adds interesting complexity, but isn’t something everyone will love."
Fragrantica: "Not what i was expecting from this scent but awesome nonetheless! I thought I'd be in for more of a damp dirty sort of smell with the wet stone note, but instead I find this wet-adjacent! not like the pond or waterfall I pictured, but more so the way the sun quickly dries the creek water off the rocks it was splashed onto."
Fragrantica: "Wow, I love this. The notes caused the illusion of cucumber or some kind of melon at first to my inexperienced nose. That must be water lily, which I'm not sure where else I would have experienced that smell in real life. Anyway I smell the wood and rocks now! Instantly going on shopping list for full size. I want to bathe in it. Smells just like how it would feel to be a diver surfacing in a patch of lily pads, then to leave the water and dry off on a slab of sunny rock as the current swirls random leaves and branches past you lazily from faraway upstream. Update: Bought two full size bottles and the shower gel. Cannot wait. Best blind buy ever!! This scent is magical to me and I normally like very "dark" gothy things which this is definitely not."
Fragrantica: "I really like this! To me, it literally smells like wet pebbles or stones, soil-esque and petrichor-y. It's as if you're walking on a riverbank after it's rained, and it's an interesting atmospheric scent for sure. If you're expecting something simple or designer, this isn't it; this is more of an experimental but still likable niche."
