Portrait of a creepy abandoned circus in the clearing of a forgotten forest. Haunted Circus opens on wet cardboard and the powdery, rubbery nuance of dead balloons, unfolding into buttery, salty-sweet popcorn and caramelized vanilla. The smell of decomposed pleasures.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a scent for close quarters and dim light, where its strange sweetness can unfold without feeling playful. It suits someone who likes their gourmand notes twisted by dust, rubber and damp earth, with a presence that feels uncanny rather than charming.
How to wear
Best worn in cool weather, where the extrait’s dense gourmand core and earthy edges can breathe slowly on skin. One or two sprays are enough; it projects a soft, eerie trail that reads more textured and atmospheric than loud, especially as the popcorn and vanilla settle into the damp base.
Who it’s for
For lovers of unconventional gourmands, industrial textures and dark, story-driven perfumes. It will appeal to those who enjoy edible notes made unsettling by earth, rubber and decay, rather than polished sweetness.
Release year
2025
The nose
Arina P. Franzén
Collaborators
The fragrance was shaped through an Instagram storytelling contest, with @altar_antiques contributing the narrative concept and proposing the note idea that guided the perfume’s development.
Dark Tales’s story
Dark Tales is an independent artisan house that treats perfume as narrative first and scent second. Its work draws on historical and literary imagery, small-batch craftsmanship and a respect for traditional perfumery, while giving each composition a distinctly theatrical, story-led identity.
Haunted Circus’s concept
Haunted Circus was conceived as a portrait of an abandoned circus in a forgotten forest, where wet cardboard, rubbery balloons and foggy air dissolve into popcorn, caramel and vanilla. The idea came through a storytelling contest, giving the fragrance a deliberately cinematic, eerie origin.
Extra info
Released as a 30 ml extrait de parfum, Haunted Circus is vegan, cruelty-free and IFRA-compliant. Its note story leans into a deliberately unsettling contrast of popcorn, rubber, damp earth and vanilla, with the image of dead balloons and a forgotten circus at its center.
Portrait of a creepy abandoned circus in the clearing of a forgotten forest. Haunted Circus opens on wet cardboard and the powdery, rubbery nuance of dead balloons, unfolding into buttery, salty-sweet popcorn and caramelized vanilla. The smell of decomposed pleasures.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a scent for close quarters and dim light, where its strange sweetness can unfold without feeling playful. It suits someone who likes their gourmand notes twisted by dust, rubber and damp earth, with a presence that feels uncanny rather than charming.
How to wear
Best worn in cool weather, where the extrait’s dense gourmand core and earthy edges can breathe slowly on skin. One or two sprays are enough; it projects a soft, eerie trail that reads more textured and atmospheric than loud, especially as the popcorn and vanilla settle into the damp base.
Who it’s for
For lovers of unconventional gourmands, industrial textures and dark, story-driven perfumes. It will appeal to those who enjoy edible notes made unsettling by earth, rubber and decay, rather than polished sweetness.
Release year
2025
The nose
Arina P. Franzén
Collaborators
The fragrance was shaped through an Instagram storytelling contest, with @altar_antiques contributing the narrative concept and proposing the note idea that guided the perfume’s development.
Dark Tales’s story
Dark Tales is an independent artisan house that treats perfume as narrative first and scent second. Its work draws on historical and literary imagery, small-batch craftsmanship and a respect for traditional perfumery, while giving each composition a distinctly theatrical, story-led identity.
Haunted Circus’s concept
Haunted Circus was conceived as a portrait of an abandoned circus in a forgotten forest, where wet cardboard, rubbery balloons and foggy air dissolve into popcorn, caramel and vanilla. The idea came through a storytelling contest, giving the fragrance a deliberately cinematic, eerie origin.
Extra info
Released as a 30 ml extrait de parfum, Haunted Circus is vegan, cruelty-free and IFRA-compliant. Its note story leans into a deliberately unsettling contrast of popcorn, rubber, damp earth and vanilla, with the image of dead balloons and a forgotten circus at its center.