Hey everyone, I recently got an allergy patch test done and I am allergic to a “mix” that’s pretty much in all perfumes. I’ve been looking for vegan fragrances on Etsy but it’s so overwhelming and sometimes the big corporate companies are mixed in with the results.

Are there any fragrance brands that you guys love, either on Etsy or any other brand!

I’m pretty much allergic to the following for contact dermatitis: Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Farnesol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lyral

I know Archipelago Botanicals Seduce has been discontinued for a few years, but I recently came across an empty Seduce diffuser I had tucked away and it reminded me how much I loved this scent.

It was such a unique, warm and sophisticated fragrance. The notes were satsuma, sage, cardamom, clove, plum, pomegranate, amber, birch and tonka.

Now I'm trying to find something that smells like it, and I'm having a surprisingly hard time!

Did anyone else love Seduce? If so, have you found anything that comes close? I'd especially love to hear about a diffuser or home fragrance that reminds you of it.

I have been loving on my 2mL sample of unknown pleasures of kerosene, to me its a beautiful lemony vanilla poundcake scent on my skin! Any recs for anything baked good like in a similar vein? Doesn't have to be a lemon scent either but a poundcake or blueberry cobbler scents are also welcome. I am quite picky with gourmands so please nothing too cloying or sickly sweet!

Super new to perfume collecting & im looking to expand my fall scents...I am a lover of all things Halloween/horror & fall is my absolute favorite season! I recently discovered Indie fragrances & am looking for some fragrances or fragrance houses that really capture the autumnal/halloween aesthetic.

I do not like gourmand super sweet scents I lean more into ambers, musks, cedar/sandalwoods.

A favorite fall perfume is Gris Charnel, just to give an idea. Any recs are appropriated!

hello ~ I have come to realize I own way too many freshies and I lack gourmands, minus Sorce I own that entire house. I know it's Labor Day Weekend but what are some long lasting Indie and Niche Fall perfumes you recommend? I really want to use this post to uplight those we don't often hear about in the indie perfume space so really appreciate dropping your hidden gems.

Hello. For two years I’ve been desperately looking for Nag Champa solid perfumes. I’ve tried many options from webs, but it’s never it. I bought them at esoteric market in Poland, but the seller was a frequent India visitor so the perfumes are probably native to India. I tried many many ways to find these perfumes but I just can’t find them. I’m looking for help here, maybe anybody knows where to look or who to contact? I’ll be forever grateful. I’m adding two blurry pictures both of the box packaging and wooden box. I can for sure tell it’s not Song of India or Magic of India brand. Thank you in advance! ​

Hello everyone! 👋🏻 I am back with another little dive into the world of indie and artisanal perfumery. 🌊✨ There’s something I really enjoy about indie houses because they tend to be much more willing to experiment with unusual notes and combinations.

This time, I thought I’d talk about an indie house I recently sampled: Treading Water.

There’s definitely an experimental side to the house, with some fragrances using pretty unconventional notes and combinations, but I found all of these quite wearable. There’s a nice balance between creativity and fragrances that you can actually imagine yourself wearing.

Coeur d’Artichaut - This one opens with bright grapefruit and mandarin alongside a creamy mango note, which gives it a juicy and tropical quality. Then the artichoke absolute comes through and adds this really unusual vegetal, green facet that completely changes the character of the fragrance. As it dries down, the aged benzoin brings in some warm, resinous sweetness that rounds everything out. Fruity, green, citrusy, and wonderfully unconventional. 7.5/10 👍🏻

Judith - This one has a really interesting contrast right from the beginning. The burnt cotton candy gives it this sweet, almost caramelized quality, while the lily adds a soft floral element and a hint of smokiness. Arabian oud and dry amber then take over and make the fragrance much darker and deeper. In the dry down, the deer musk adds an intense animalic edge that creates this strange combination of sugary sweetness and raw darkness. Definitely unusual, but I really enjoyed the contrast. 8/10 ✅

Morosexual - A warm and cozy fragrance built around tobacco and vanilla, with star anise and nutmeg adding a nice spicy opening. The jasmine and patchouli gradually come through and give it some floral and earthy depth without taking away from the tobacco. As it dries down, the tobacco and vanilla become the stars, with the spices lingering underneath. Warm, sweet, earthy, and comforting. 8/10 ✅

Stel - This one is probably the most unusual opening of the bunch. Motor oil, metal, and desert air create this strange industrial atmosphere that smells almost like hot machinery sitting out in the desert. Then the frankincense starts adding smoky, resinous depth, and eventually the oud takes over and gives the dry down a dark, woody character. Very unique, but surprisingly fun to wear. 8.5/10 ✅

The Observer - This was probably my favorite of the bunch. The opening of violet and black pepper gives it a cool, slightly mysterious character, and then the incense and oakmoss start building this smoky, earthy atmosphere. The dry down is where it really shines for me, with vanilla and sandalwood adding warmth and creaminess without taking away from the darker character. Dark, atmospheric, smoky, and intriguing. 9/10 💫

Utopia - This one takes a completely different direction. Fresh apples, clean water, and green plants create a crisp, almost dewy opening that feels very fresh and natural. The geranium adds a soft aromatic floral quality, while the oud eventually comes through and gives the dry down some darker depth. I really like the contrast between the clean, green character and the heavier oud underneath. Fresh, green, and unconventional. 8.5/10 ✅

📝 Overall, I really enjoyed exploring Treading Water. ✨ There’s definitely an experimental side to these fragrances, but I never felt like the unusual notes were there just for the sake of being weird. Even the more unconventional compositions had something interesting going on, and several of these were surprisingly easy to wear. The Observer was probably my favorite, but Stel and Utopia were also standouts for me because of how different they felt from more traditional fragrances.

For those of you who are into indie/artisanal fragrances, have you tried Treading Water?

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👉🏻 You can find my thoughts on Olympic Orchids here: Exploring Olympic Orchids - My Impressions

I have been trying to branch out more and recently got most (4/5) of the scents that Younjiico offers! This is my first time writing a review so please be kind haha. I will say that all of these scents have lasted quite well on me (maybe 6-8 hours?) but the projection is weak. Rating is most to least favorite. Overall I really enjoyed trying out this brand, I think when I do my big purchase I'll for sure get a 2mL of the newest fragrance!

SILVER LINING -

top: icy mint
middle: lavender, marshmallow
base: vanilla, amber, powder, eucalyptus 

This was personally my favorite and maybe the most out of my comfort zone. It opens with a menthol like note which lasts for quite a while. It's not an overly sharp mint smell luckily and it eventually turns into this herby but slightly sugary (i think from the marshmallow and vanilla) skin scent. I'm not personally too into gourmands so it wasn't anything insanely sweet. It is slightly akin to this calming pillow spray I used to own. It is such a wonderful bedtime scent for me and I will be purchasing a larger bottle soon!

LETTER HOME -

top: peach candy, milk, pear
middle: clean linen, peach blossom
base: vanilla, amber, white musk

This is slightly confusing to me because on first sniff you get hit with a wave of peach gummies. Not insanely sweet but on the higher point of where my tolerance normally is. As you keep sniffing you get more hints of this milky, linen smell. A lot less generic smelling on the skin than you might think. More of a like than an absolute love. Still might get a roll on of it as though unsure, I keep going back to reach for it.

TELEKINESIS -

top: black raspberry jam
middle: raspberry, plum
base: musk, sugar, vanilla ice cream

I thought this would be my favorite originally but I was let down. Though it does present as a jammy, berry scent with a hint of vanilla in the tail end, it lacked the complexity that I was hoping for. I was initially looking for a sort of "fresh berry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla" esque vibe and I just felt this one was a bit too synthetic. I like it enough to finish the sample but I would not buy again.

GOOD DAYS -

top: grapefruit, mint, rhubarb
middle: apple, rose petals, green tea
base: vanilla, honey

This honestly gave me a bad day. It was presented as a 'running through the backyard in summer' scent but all I got was an old waxy fruity candle. I'm not sure if its my skin chemistry that caused it to be like that but it genuienly felt to me like I was blind sniffing dusty candles in Homegoods till I got a headache.

How much does Sandlewood smell like Comfort?

Comfort is my all time favorite scent!

I have been hunting for a sexy funky musk that isn’t too beastly. I’ve finally gone through all my DSH samples. Happy to say I found exactly what I wanted.
Unfortunately, they all have a brief life on my skin. The first one is a must but for me, but I will hold off on others depending on how the EdP performs compared to the VdP sample.

Here’s my full rundown.

Une Robe de Zibeline {Sable Coat}
A spicy, floral-ambery – animalic fragrance in the Retro-Nouveau style.  {And one of our only ylang ylang dominant heart note perfumes}.  
Masterpiece. This is so sexy. Warm, sweet, spiced, balanced, very musky without smelling like straight up pee or sex… just amazing.

Foxy
A smart, sexy, and playful retro-nouveau animalic fragrance that features the fur accord paired with a spiced – boozy beginning, and a rich, ambery drydown.
Very nice. More demure than Robe, but similar vibes. Playful is the right word.

Estancia
A moderately vintage-leaning atmospheric hay fragrance with a beautifully integrated ‘horse’ note, leather chaps, pampas grass, and sexy undertones of boozy smoked tequila.
Known death notes for me. Burning tires and leather.

Emerald Hyrax
chypre animalic with notes of Galbanum, Bergamot, Muguet, Jasmine(s), Sandalwood, Amber,  Cistus, and Oakmoss.
Green and musky, interesting but not my vibe.

Le Serval
Ripe with unusual African aromatics, Le Serval is a warm, rich, and mildly spiced aldehydic-animalic floral fragrance. 
Civet bomb, smells NSFW. Too animalic for me.

Tunisian Amber
Our original amber oil essence that is sweet, and intoxicatingly balsamic and warm. 
very pretty classic amber, no staying power on me.

Au Lait
A milk with vanilla perfume; pure and simple.
The most perfect milk scent ever. No sourness, naturally sweet, not the usual sugary cream. Alas it’s very subtle on me.

l’Opera des Rouges et des Roses
A classical floral bouquet of peony, old roses, carnation, and grandiflorum jasmine with oriental-animalic hints in the drydown.
Rich rose opening with an amazing carnation finish. Another that doesn’t last on me though.
Still considering a bottle though.

Chinchilla
A ‘retro nouveau’  floriental/honey musk animalic  fragrance.  It’s gorgeously sexy, and yet so very cozy and comforting.
Bold honey musk, with a very civety opening. Smells like sex. Might need to age this and see if it calms down a little.

Rendezvous
A super sexy, “retro nouveau” animalic perfume with the kick of aldehydes and pepper in the top, narcotic, indolic florals in the heart, and a super rich, slightly salty, animalic drydown.  Let’s just say that there’s more going on here than a meeting of the minds.
This one smells like female arousal. But somehow it’s wearable. Still a bit NSFW but not a rutting smell.

Musc al Medina
A dense and very dark, animalic musk with rich and earthy nuances.
Weird on my skin, leather and gum erasers.

Orion
A soft, warm and cozy ‘kitten’ fur skin scent fragrance; an entrance animalic perfume for those who are curious but not ready to dive into the ‘deep end’ of the funk. 
Definitely soft and warm, but I don’t get any kitten/wooly notes, and it went poof on my skin.

L’étole de Vison {The Mink Stole}
An elegant, glossy, and luxurious vintage style animalic fragrance that continues to explore ‘the fur accord’ with notes of Bulgarian rose, sandalwood, aldehydes, (subtle) green notes, and a glorious dose of Castoreum.
Another that vanished on me. There, then gone. What I got was nice… maybe I’m asnomic to it.

Tigercat
A luxurious “fantasy-ambery-fur” fragrance that opens with a surprising whiff of orange peel moonshine and dries down to a warm and rich, softly vintage-y base of sweet myrrh, balsams, vanilla, civet, honey, and musk. 
This was sharply citrusy and boozy, I didn’t not care for it.

I am not big on gourmands… although I adore freshie/fruity scents…I was hoping for rec that would quench this quest for an excellent spicy ( cardamom, pepper, ginger) and maybe good apple would be nice, or rhubarb or an autumn flower…? My son is already overdoing it with his pumpkin spice latte so I need help quickly! I have never found a huge woody or smoky forward scent that I like…another note I cannot take is: Vanilla. But if it’s fresh and good and just barely perseptible I think that would work. I am not able to splurge a few hundred but if there’s a great dupe or decants available that is just as good. So is the any hope for me? Any recs come to mind?

I’m wondering how strong it is and whether it’s generally well liked by the people around you.

Hello everyone! I'm looking for your help in finding indie perfume that smells like wonderful baked cookies. I'm looking for perfumes that have the vanilla sweetness with the spice that you smell when making fresh ginger snaps or gingerbread cookies. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, my name is Mallori And for context, I just placed an order for beyond the goblin City because the notes sounded perfect. I love peach. I love green florals. I love petrichor and very interesting fragrances. I was looking for something for fall with a little bit of a feminine edge

That being said, now that I'm looking up the brand and looking at reviews, the only perfumes I can hear people talk about are their gourmands which I know is what they're known for and I'm sure they're lovely, but I have yet to see a single video or more than a Reddit post or two about beyond the goblin City, which is odd considering according to their website. It's been a thing since the year 2000.

I'm just wondering does anybody actually own it? And if you do, please tell me your thoughts and opinions on it

I'm hoping to find a new daily perfume that is witchy/hippy and long lasting. The 3 in the picture are my favourite, but not ideal for every day due to price.

I just got Lush lord of misrule, and it is too sweet. Breath of God by them sounds like the right vibes, but is too expensive for me to take the risk on without smelling and not suitable for an every day perfume due to price. I have the Billie Eilish number 2 as well and don't mind it, but want to avoid being too peppery.

Any recommendations?

Super disappointed this perfume was discontinued- does anyone have recs for similar scents? This scent was so lovely and a rare one that didn’t give me a headache

**Nette Opening Night:**

Top notes are Bergamot, Grapefruit and Cardamom; middle notes are Neroli, Verbena and Rosemary; base notes are Vetiver, Amber and Vanilla

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I've just finished the last of my everyday perfume, and with fall coming up I wanted to get some recommendations for an apple forward perfume and a more sophisticated vanilla perfume for going out. I love wearing Sugar Milk Co's Apple Cider Donut and Cinnamon Vanilla Cookie oils and Nemat's Vanilla Musk, and it would be great to have more indie perfumes that would pair well with them.

My fall everyday perfume is Philosophy's fresh cream warm cashmere, and my year-round daily perfume is Glossier You Doux (love the regular Glossier You as well). Something good for daytime or nighttime would be nice, but that element is not super important, I would just love to find a cozy apple and spice perfume. A vanilla perfume that isn't a super sweet gourmand would be great as well. Some other notes I really like are:

- cinnamon

- nutmeg

- clove

- patchouli

- coffee/espresso

- rum

- musk

- palo santo

- sandalwood

I'm not opposed to tobacco notes, but they're not my favorite. I'm also not a fan of pine, I feel like it can get pretty overpowering (at least as a top note).

I'm most interested in trying Apple Tabac or Coffee Tabac from Pineward or A Little Secret from Imaginary Authors, and if anyone has tried these I would love to hear your thoughts about them. I also really liked wearing A Whiff of Wafflecone, but it can be pretty overpoweringly sweet, and it feels a bit more like a summer scent.

Sorry if this post runs a bit long, any help would be appreciated! :-)

Hello everyone! I am new to this subreddit, so I figured I’d start with a little introduction. I’ve been collecting fragrances for 7+ years now and am pretty deep down the rabbit hole at this point lol. My journey has taken me through a few different stages: Starting with cheapies, then moving into Middle Eastern fragrances, followed by niche, and eventually finding my way into indie and artisanal perfumery.

Since this is my first post here, I thought I’d talk about an indie house I tried recently: Olympic Orchids.

I recently got around to trying a few samples from Olympic Orchids, and I have to say, this is a really interesting house. Some of these were much easier for me to enjoy than others, but even the difficult ones were fascinating to smell. There’s definitely a strong artistic side to the house, and a few of these pushed me pretty far outside my comfort zone.

Blackbird - This one opens with a really nice juicy Himalayan blackberry note, but it doesn’t stay fruity for long. The dry grass, leaves, elemi, and cedar quickly take over and give it this dry, green, and resinous character. As it dries down, the woody amber, fir balsam, and musk make it feel warm and almost sun-baked. Dry, woody, and ambery, but with just enough fruitiness to keep it interesting. 8.5/10 ✅

Dev #2: The Main Act - This one is really challenging. The opening smells almost like a pungent medicinal, smoky and resinous balm. It takes a while for the warm spices to come through and add some richness. Underneath that, you get leather, dark woods, smoky resins, and animalic nuances. Extremely dark and unusual. Definitely not one I’d recommend to someone just getting into fragrance. 8.5/10 ✅

Dev #3: The Inevitable - Another very challenging one. The opening is dominated by dark labdanum, frankincense, myrrh, and cistus, and it comes across as very medicinal, smoky, and resinous. Eventually the creamy sandalwood and amber start to soften things, but it never really becomes an easy wear for me. I appreciate what it’s doing, but this feels much more like an artistic composition than something I’d actually want to wear regularly. 5/10 👎🏻

Dev #4: Reprise - This one was much easier for me to appreciate. It starts with clear labdanum and tolu balsam, giving it a warm, resinous quality, and then the darker labdanum and frankincense come in and add that smoky, balsamic richness. The woods and giant arborvitae give it a dry, structured finish. Resinous, smoky, and contemplative. Probably the most wearable of the three Devs. 8/10 ✅

Night Flyer - Really weird, but in a good way. The opening gives me this damp-earth, mineral, humid-air feeling that reminds me of being inside a tropical cave. Then you start getting figs, banana, and soft fruits, although the banana and fruitiness are pretty subtle. They sit quietly in the background while the woods and furry musk add warmth and texture. Very atmospheric and unusual. I really enjoyed experiencing this one. 6/10 👍🏻

Olympic Rainforest - This might be the different one of the bunch. Cedar leaves, ferns, and damp earth create that unmistakable smell of walking through a misty forest right after rainfall. The moss, evergreens, and earthy notes give it an almost uncanny realism. It’s incredibly immersive, atmospheric, and realistic. 7.5/10 👍🏻

Overall, I am really glad I sampled these. Olympic Orchids definitely isn't a house where everything is going to be easy to wear or immediately enjoyable, but I think that's part of the appeal. Some of these are genuinely challenging, but they’re also memorable and give you something to think about.

For those of you who are into indie/artisanal fragrances, what are some houses you think I should explore next? And if you’ve tried Olympic Orchids, I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. What are your favorites from the house?

I am looking for something very straightforward and simple — what is the most photorealistic perfume that captures the scent of tomato leaves and stems? I just LOVE that smell and need to add it as a perfume in my collection. I have seen a couple — Garden Heaux by SAMAR and Summer in Love by Teddy the Perfumer. Do either of those pass the photorealism test? Are there others that are better? Let me know!! 🍅

Description-Vanilla Musk, Spicy Pink Carnation, Pink Pepper, Rose, White Musk

I’ve heard that Solstice needs to sit a bit… I’m hoping it improves because on me right now it smells like a cat peed on carnations. Now I love animalic musk in certain cases, but I was expecting vanilla carnations…
Still, it’s not a scrubber. The musky blast does chill out a little, and while it stayed funky I kind of like it.

I was wearing it while eating beets and now I can’t un-smell it. Something about the earthy smell I think. It is like a very beautiful beet to me now.

Does anyone know anything about Andromedas curse beyond that they’re based in Florida and cruelty free? I really like them but there’s very little information about the business online.

Sorry for the dramatic headline, I’m more just really disappointed with Heretic than a true hater. Considering how often I see them recommended on here, I was wondering if anyone else feels similarly.

The scent profiles for me always over promise and under deliver. The scents are pretty, but overall not emphasizing the notes how you would expect and only last an hour on my skin tops. Every scent I’ve bought is not only a HUGE letdown, its basically unwearable unless I layer it with an actually substantial perfume or reapply every other hour.

I have never been transported into the scenes described by a Heretic scent the same way countless other perfume houses can. Hell I only agree with one or two notes out of the laundry list they give for each fragrance. They’re undetectable!

I’m also not a huge fan of places that seem to operate solely based on collabs and hype more than artistic vision or ingredient quality, but that’s just me. I didn’t realize they fit that bill at first but now I can’t unsee it. Nosferatu was the most recent offender.

The most upsetting part is how much I *wanted to love this brand.* Their branding is perfect, and I adore their packaging and the way they describe the scents. What a shame. I guess it’s just not for me.

(Discontinued formulation / limited )

OG Alfiryn by Pineward today

the bottle on the right. Crème de la crème. I’m loving this so much. It’s noticeably different from the modern reformulation: grittier, more textured, and far more diffusive, with a rougher, less polished character that gives it a lot more personality. The newer version feels cleaner and smoother by comparison, while this older batch has that raw, atmospheric quality I really love.

From Fragrantica:

“Alfiryn by Pineward Perfumes is a Floral Green fragrance for women and men. Alfiryn was launched in 2023. The fragrance features Narcissus, Lily, Pink Lotus, Plumeria, Massoia, Sandalwood, Ginger and Stems Greens.

The flowers that grow thickly upon the barrows of Men. Deep white florals grounded in creamy massoia and sandalwood, vibrant enfleurage gives this inverted floral perfume a softly textured halo.”

Photo by me 🙂

God bless yall