“35 perfumes, six independent houses, eight scent families. If you’ve opened our catalogue and thought “okay, where do I even start?”, this one’s for you.”
First, the lay of the land
We sort every perfume into one to three of eight scent families. Most perfumes sit in more than one, because good perfume rarely stays in one lane, and the families overlap all the time. Take Maison Incens: Musc Dahabii and Musc Kalirii are both musky and floral, with rose, jasmine and orange blossom over a soft musk base. Encens Pyro and Musc Dahabii pair flowers like iris and jasmine with resins such as frankincense, labdanum and benzoin. So if a perfume shows up under two or three families below, that’s not a mistake. It just has more than one side to it.
The short version: our shelf leans towards woods, greens and flowers, with a proper dark side of spice, smoke and skin. Below is a quick tour of each family: what it smells like, where to start, and what to try once you’re hooked.
Floral 12 perfumes
Think: jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, rose, iris.
Don't expect a polite bouquet. Our florals come with green stems, musk, wet soil or a bit of skin.
- Start here: No. 06: Tuberose + Ylang (RAER Scents). Tuberose, ylang-ylang and jasmine sambac with a thread of vetiver. A lush white floral made only from natural materials.
- Garden after rain: La Notte (Inconscio). Jasmine and tuberose over damp soil, moss and plant sap.
- Feeling brave: Héliodose (Marlou). Tiaré flower at its most indolic, with galbanum and a warm musk. Think sun oil on skin.
Woody 11 perfumes
Think: sandalwood, cedar, guaiac, oak, and the earthy roots vetiver, patchouli and cypriol (a smoky, earthy root also called nagarmotha).
- Start here: Santal Tislit (Maison Incens). Creamy sandalwood with honey, heliotrope and vanilla.
- Forest walk: À Pas de Loup (Millesève). Oakmoss, mushroom, pine and sandalwood. It smells like a forest floor in the morning dew.
- Dry and spiced: Ōss (AVII Perfumes). Cardamom, black pepper, suede, cypriol and vetiver.
Fresh & Green 11 perfumes
Think: cut leaves, herbs, galbanum, citrus peel, sea air.
Fresh here means interesting rather than “shower gel”, from vegetable gardens to gin and tonic.
- Start here: Mushīn (AVII Perfumes). Green tea, steamed rice, mint and musk. Calm and airy.
- Gin o'clock: No. 09: Angelica Root (RAER Scents). Juniper berry, lemon peel, Swiss stone pine and oakmoss.
- Eat your greens: Pâquerettes (Millesève). Tomato leaf, green bean, cucumber, basil and hyacinth. Yes, really, and it works.
Spicy 8 perfumes
Think: pink and black pepper, cardamom, clove, cumin, saffron.
- Start here: Prāna (AVII Perfumes). Cardamom, coriander and black pepper over vetiver and incense. Spicy and fresh at the same time.
- Pepper, done properly: No. 05: Black + White Pepper (RAER Scents). Two peppers, tobacco leaf, tonka and oakmoss. A modern take on the classic fougère (the lavender–moss–tonka structure behind many barbershop scents).
- Spice in the stable: Corpalium (Marlou). Spicy, sweaty fenugreek drying down into earthy orris root, with castoreum, tobacco and dry woods.
Leather & Animalic 8 perfumes
Think: leather, suede, civet, castoreum, warm skin.
“Animalic” means the warm, slightly sweaty, very human side of perfume. In small doses it makes a scent feel alive.
- Start here: Musc Dahabii (Maison Incens). Rose and iris on leather, musk and balsamic resins. Warm and honeyed rather than wild.
- Gentle wild side: Carnicure (Marlou). Civet and musk with orange blossom and violet. More purring cat than wild animal.
- Unapologetic: Safe Word (Inconscio). Latex, rubber, smoky leather and saffron.
Powdery & Musky 7 perfumes
Think: iris (orris), rice powder, violet, ambrette (a plant seed with a musky smell), soft musks.
- Start here: Musc Kalirii (Maison Incens). Orange blossom, jasmine and rose on a base of vanilla, sandalwood and musk.
- Skin in a bottle: Doliphor (Marlou). Musk, carrot seed, costus and cumin. Milky and close to the skin, without being sweet.
- Boudoir: Poudrextase (Marlou). Rice powder and rose, then a touch of civet.
Smoky & Resinous 6 perfumes
Think: frankincense, labdanum (a sticky resin from the rockrose shrub), benzoin, birch tar, cade wood.
- Start here: No. 03: Ambre + Sandalwood (RAER Scents). Peru balsam, storax and Mysore sandalwood with a soft rose. A quiet one that melts into the skin.
- Steady and woody: No. 08: Labdanum + Oak (RAER Scents). Ten-year-aged English oak, labdanum and black pepper.
- Full storm: Tempesta XIV (Inconscio). Birch tar smoke, peaty whisky, leather and tobacco.
Gourmand & Fruity 6 perfumes
Think: vanilla, cocoa, honey, caramel, berries, pear.
- Start here: Pastry (Inconscio). Lemon tart, vanilla custard and caramel, straight from the bakery.
- The dark side of dessert: Nero Gourmand (Inconscio). Cocoa, coffee, honey and a pinch of sea salt.
- Dark fruit: Fig Aoudii (Maison Incens). Fig, violet and orris meet oud, leather and amber.
The notes you’ll meet most often
Some materials turn up again and again across the shelf. If you know these, you can read almost any of our notes lists:
- Musk (in 15 perfumes): soft and skin-like. You’ll meet it more than any other note, here and everywhere else, because it’s used as a base note in almost all modern perfumes. It rounds off a blend and helps it stay on your skin.
- Sandalwood (14): creamy, milky wood.
- Jasmine (11): a rich white flower, sometimes heady or more green.
- Labdanum (10): a warm, ambery, slightly leathery resin.
- Vanilla and vetiver (9 each): sweet warmth, and an earthy, smoky grass root (yes, the one our name comes from).
- Patchouli, frankincense and rose (8 each).
Quick picks
- First niche bottle, low risk: Nero Gourmand, Mushīn, Fig Aoudii.
- Summer days: Falaise 49.5°N, No. 09: Angelica Root, Pâquerettes, Special Edition: Neroli + Cannabis.
- Traditionally seen as masculine: we don’t think scent has a gender, but if you usually reach for classic men’s fragrances, try No. 05: Black + White Pepper, No. 04: Cedar + Ginger, No. 09: Angelica Root, Ōss, No. 08: Labdanum + Oak or Tempesta XIV.
- Evenings and cold weather: most of the Maison Incens perfumes, especially Musc Dahabii.
- “I want something nobody else wears”: Doliphor, Safe Word, Pâquerettes, Ambilux.
- Want to layer? Carnicure works as an animalic booster for your floral or musky scents.
Still not sure? Smell first
Reading notes only gets you so far, because perfume changes on your skin. That’s why we have the Vetiveria Sample Set: pick any five scents from the map and get 1–1.5 ml of each for
590 Kč / 25 €. If one of them wins you over, you get a personal code for 450 Kč / 18 € off a full-size bottle.
New to testing? Read How to properly test a perfume? first.
