When Heretic founder Douglas Little first moved to New York City, he felt the need to develop a powerful potion to clear away the intense and sometimes overwhelming energy often synonymous with urban life. Driven by a desire to also connect with his Scotch-Irish heritage, he naturally sought inspiration from the protecting and purifying rite of Druidic saining, where juniper is burned to generate an aromatic and healing smoke. But rather than setting a branch ablaze inside his apartment, he decided to put his perfumer skills to the test and develop a fragrance that explores and celebrates the use of smoke that has been shared by so many cultures across millennia to clear energy.
This fragrance was first created for Douglas’ personal use, but now available for all Heretic fragrance fans who want to immerse themselves in this ancient practice. Having tapped into his extensive knowledge of the healing properties of plants, the fresh sappy notes from the juniper is accompanied by rich, balsamic sandalwood, sweet and spicy patchouli, warming clary sage as well as the complex but comforting vanilla and tobacco notes from the tonka bean. Together, these compounds co-mingle into a powerful elixir which will imbue a sense of grounded wellbeing and clarity to whoever chooses to envelop themselves in this intoxicating scent.
The wearer might also be interested to know that there is now an increasing body of scientific evidence backing up the efficacy of these ancient rites. For example, juniper, whose medical application dates back as far as 1550 B.C. and has been celebrated not only by the Druids but Ayrvedic and Egyptian healers alike, is now proven to have strong antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Similarly, sandalwood is shown to relieve anxiety, promote healthier sleep and even improve blood oxygen saturation and stabilise our breathing rate. Continuing this tradition of harnessing the power of plants is at the very heart of Heretic, and to us, Smudge is the perfect expression of how scent can connect us with ancient traditions and knowledge to help us cleanse, purify and heal, naturally.
NOTES
Top: Atlantic Cedar, Frankincense, Sichuan Pepper
Middle: Clary Sage, Juniper, Tonka Bean
Base: Labdanum, Patchouli, Canadian Balsam, Sandalwood, Styrax
PERFUMER
Douglas Little
HOW IT WEARS
Like a waft of smoke eminating off a saining stick, the first thing you pick up when you spray Smudge are those smokier notes, made sharp and realistic by Sichuan pepper and frankincense. As it settles into the skin, it gets smoother and more aromatic due to the heart notes of patchouli and clarysage. As it wears, it gets richer, revealing the mystical resinous combination of labdanum, balsam and styrax. Because of this, Smudge has excellent lasting power, sticking to the skin for 6-8 hours.
LORE LOVES
Smudge is an incredibly grounding fragance, which makes sense – after all, most of its 100% natural ingredients have been used in spiritual practice for millenia! Apart from just enjoying how it smells, we also like using Smudge for its original intended purpose, for purification and protection. Set an intention, spritz and Smudge. P.S. Patchouli lovers will really enjoy Smudge, as it’s pretty forward in this fragrance.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Heretic – one who does not conform to the ideals or opinions of the masses; one who follows their own path.
Created in 2016 in New York by Douglas Little, Heretic Parfum is a fragrance house with a mission to show the provocative side of naturals and the dirty side of clean.
Based on the mysterious, sensual and feral aspects of nature, Heretic began with a conscious choice to do things a little differently. The fragrances in the line are all plant based, made up of a blend of essential oils, concretes and absolutes, blended with non-GMO safe synthetics and alcohols to create challenging, unapologetic, visionary scents.
“Natural fragrances are much like wine in that you can detect nuances of the plant, the soil, and its surroundings. They have characters that cannot be achieved with synthetic copies. These fragrances are alive, they create an olfactory fingerprint” – Douglas Little.
As Heretic boldly disrupts the status quo of the fragrance industry with their radical transparency, their fragrances delve into the esoteric world and the realms of homeopathy, ayerveda, and herbology.
All Heretic Parfum fragrances are cruelty free and vegan, and range from 100% natural to 47% natural.
FREE RETURNS
Love your fragrance or return it for free. Learn more about The Lore Promise here.
Katie (verified owner) –
So here I am again, singing the praises of Smudge! I left a review for its big brother and obviously this is the same scent in a smaller bottle. The little bottle is adorable and easy to take with you if you want to travel. I honestly love this fragrance and can’t see myself wearing anything else in the future. I hope they never stop making it and that Lore Perfumery never stops stocking it! The good vibes coming off my skin is amazing and real, it is not a gimmick! Love love love Smudge!!