Marissa Zappas is a perfumer and poet whose fragrances move through the dreamlike terrain between memory, fantasy, and the natural world. Her scents have deservedly achieved cult status among niche fragrance lovers, and here we’ve selected three favorites that feel especially evocative of the garden—from richly fertile earth and the intoxication of nocturnal blossoms to the warmth of the sunlit landscape. Each captures a fleeting moment in nature into something intimate and atmospheric.

Flaming Creature
Flaming Creature is a narcotic, hazy ode in fragrance to Flaming Creatures (1963) by American director Jack Smith (1932-1989), an entrancingly disjointed film inspiring this scent’s smoldering freshness. It produces subtle smoke, while scenes of wilting jasmine flash before your eyes, encouraging a surrender to its flickering hallucination. 

Notes: Pink Peppercorn, Juniper, Orange Ring Pop, Night Blooming Jasmine, Wormwood, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Smoke, Patchouli, Rum

(A little note: We discovered the world of Marissa Zappas because of our love of Jack Smith's work and the film that inspired this scent!)

Petrichor
Petrichor is the word for the smell after it rains, when sun, water and land exhale all together. Orris, the root of the iris flower, fuels this blend: cold dark soil. Petrichor embodies the sensation of nature in wild repose– fresh, yet classic, evocative yet familiar, modern yet ancient. 

Notes: Cold Earth, Lemon, Immortelle, Orris, Vetiver, Ambergris, Sandalwood, Moss, Musk

Violette Hay
This classical violet scent has a modernized, lighter touch. Watercolor brush strokes paint an earthy luminescence, evoking the memory of a playful afternoon on a farm. Plucking an apricot off a tree and taking a bite, you pass by barrels of hay and notice wild violets breaking fresh soil. Violette Hay is a personal, sensual, and discreet scent, evoking the nostalgic romance of pastoral splendor.

Notes: Carrot Seed, Coriander, Apricot, Violet, Saffron, Suede, Hay, Musk

Details:

• 50 ml/1.8 oz
• Made in USA
• Cruelty-free, free of dyes, parabens, phthalates or BHT