Wilting Lilacs, Damp Stone, and Strikes of Lightning: This IYKYK Perfume Is a Romantic Mood Obsession

Notes: Lilac, ambrette, petrichor, violet absolute, orris concrete, cypriol, vegan ambergris, oud, labdanum

It’s only natural to start with one of the brand’s most popular scents: Nosferatu. Yes, it’s named after the iconic vampire—the same one from the 1922 German expressionist film and the 2024 remake starring Bill Skarsgärd and Lily-Rose Depp. Its haunting notes include wilting lilacs, powdery violet, woody cypriol, and smoky oud, but its strongest, most central note is petrichor. Cool, fresh, earthy, it carries the delicate scent of damp stone. While it might be easy to assume this is an October-specific scent, I argue otherwise. It’s surprisingly stylish and expansive, like Nosferatu’s imagined castle nestled high in the Carpathian Mountains.

Notes: Osmanthus absolute, Turkish rose, oakmoss absolute, fossilized amber, supernatural musks

Häxan has all the pillars of a classic, sophisticated fragrance—think Turkish rose, oakmoss, and amber—yet it veers dark, deep, and even dangerous. Perhaps I can pin it on the “supernatural” musks? Regardless, a surprisingly tender top note of osmanthus (a floral note prized for its apricot-esque scent) further ensnares the senses. A perfume of “spellwork and shadow,” it’s undoubtedly bewitching.

Notes: Black pepper, lime, tangerine, eucalyptus, jasmine sambac, water lily, Turkish rose, smoked sea salt, seaweed, labdanum, petrichor

With notes like water lily, sea salt, and seaweed, Heretic’s Black Salt appears to fit squarely into the classic aquatic scent category. However, sharp black pepper, a strike of lime, and smoky labdanum turn the tide. If you’re used to marine fragrances that evoke sunny, lapping shores, you’ll feel far from home (in the best way). It’s the stuff of crashing waves and briny black rocks, like the scent of Widow’s Bay, bottled.

Notes: Rosewood, labdanum, Madagascar vanilla

Classic vanilla lovers will fall head over heels for Coeur Noir (“black heart” in French). Delicate rosewood and leathery labdanum pair well with the classic note, making it lean dark and woody rather than light and fluffy. Madagascar vanilla, which is known for its warm, rich, and slightly boozy quality, runs like a vein throughout.

It’s not just romantic; it’s darkly romantic—something I imagine a brooding poet like Lord Byron or Percy Shelley would find intriguing. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to repurpose the black heart-shaped box it comes in, placing your personal musings and passionate love notes inside.

Notes: Bergamot, grapefruit, geranium, Damask rose, black currant buds, raspberry

Heretic’s Blood series is a collection of 100% natural perfumes. They’re named as such because they “pulse with the lifeblood” of essential oils in tantalizing combinations. Take Blood Berry, for example; it’s Heretic’s haunting take on a classic fruity gourmand fragrance. It bursts with juicy notes of grapefruit, black currant, and raspberry, while bergamot, geranium, and rose lend it a sophisticated edge.

I also love Blood Orange ($165) and highly recommend it if you’re a lover of citrus scents, like I am. If you prefer woody perfumes, try Blood Cedar ($165). And if smoky, leathery elixirs are your thing, try Dragon’s Blood ($165). It’s infused with notes like frankincense, oud, and patchouli.

Notes: Jasmine, rose, ambergris, sandalwood, pale musk

Spectral Grace is part of the Ghosts Collection. These are sheer scents, or as the brand describes them, “phantom perfumes,” designed for summer wear. Although, IMO, they’re timeless. Instead of classic summer fragrances that smell bright and beachy, the Ghosts Collection is full of ones that evoke “long shadows, warm skin, and beauty that refuses to stay fully alive.” You get the gist.

Spectral Grace has a translucent quality, lingering almost imperceptibly on the skin with notes of jasmine, rose, ambergris, sandalwood, and pale musk. It’s a classic floral, albeit one that wears like “a presence passing unseen.”

Notes: Cedar, coriander, ho wood, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, styrax, vetiver

Heretic’s Dirty series shows the “provocative” side of clean beauty. Even though this fragrance is 100% natural and centers on a classically sweet note, it veers sultry and spicy thanks to coriander, patchouli, sandalwood, and vetiver. Ho wood (a sustainable alternative to rosewood) bridges the light, fluffy side with the deeper, darker one. It was designed to deepen sensuality and self-love, so use accordingly.

Heretic’s other “dirty” scents include Dirty Coconut ($165), Dirty Hinoki ($165), Dirty Rose ($165), Dirty Suede ($165), and Dirty Violet ($165).

Notes: Neroli, linalool, Sichuan pepper, tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, gardenia, orange blossom, ambrette seed, vetiver, cistus

Heretic’s Nocturnal Collection features fragrances that center on specific night-blooming flowers. Tuberose is my favorite fragrance note, so it’s no surprise why I recommend this one. It gets a bad rap, as some people associate it with powdery, heady, or antique-smelling scents, but in the best tuberose perfumes, it’s warm, elegant, and timeless. And since tuberose blooms at night, releasing its intoxicating scent into the air after dark, it’s naturally associated with mystery, sensuality, and seduction. 

Nocturnal Tuberose pairs the top-billed note with other classic florals—jasmine, rose, and gardenia—before injecting a surprising note of Sichuan pepper. It’s a sweet, sophisticated, and slightly spicy bouquet that trails off the skin, leaving an alluring, come-closer aura in its wake.

Notes: Cold citrus, soft florals, pale woods

The German word doppelgänger refers to a non-related look-alike—a stranger who happens to look eerily similar to you. Heretic captures this unsettling sameness with a stunning skin scent. Barely there citrus, soft florals, and pale wood notes envelop the skin in a sheer veil of fragrance meant to mimic the warmth of another person. Intimate yet unfamiliar, close yet distant, this perfume is designed to be an oxymoron. To me, it’s a genderless, your-skin-but-better scent that I’ll never tire of.

Notes: Orris butter, vetiver, Atlas cedarwood, musk, patchouli

Speaking of skin scents, I also can’t stop wearing The Veil. It’s a sheer, ethereal, and luminous perfume that combines notes of orris butter, vetiver, cedarwood, musk, and patchouli. The notes themselves are difficult to distinguish (at least for me), as they meld together into a soft, sunlit aura. I can see why the brand describes it as “the scent of light filtering through sheer fabric.” I call it my “vintage angel” perfume because its delicate, airy, and diaphanous.

Notes: Geranium, coriander, frankincense, cedar, juniper, black pepper, Moroccan rose, black currant, lily, patchouli, sandalwood, oud, styrax

Voodoo Lily smells strong and heady in the bottle, but once it’s on the skin, it presents lighter and fresher, albeit with a sexy edge. The potion contains classic floral notes (geranium, rose, and lily) that swirl into dark, smoky notes, such as frankincense, black pepper, patchouli, and oud. It’s a smoldering scent if there ever were one, and the brand goes as far as to give it a cheeky warning label. “You wanted to be irresistible. Be careful what you wish for.”

Notes: Apple accord, green leaves, cardamom, saffron, black tea, plum, labdanum, frankincense, oakmoss, vetiver, ambered woods, skin musk

Here, dear reader, is the newest fragrance, released just this week. It’s an olfactory imagining of the poisonous plant, thornapple, or Datura stramonium. “Imagining” is the key word here; it doesn’t contain any real thornapple. It explores the “dark earth” around its roots, the “narcotic sweetness” of its blooms, and the “forbidden temptation” of its fruit. Equal parts herbal, green, and earthy, it combines some of 2026’s most sought-after fragrance notes, including apple, plum, black tea, and skin musk.