FAQs: Fragrances
DS & Durga's very own David Moltz clears up any scent-based confusion
This letter is sponsored by DS & Durga, a brand that both fascinates and excites me, that makes scented products I genuinely adore.
Welcome to FAQs, a series where I ask a master at their craft to answer my burning questions about their area of expertise.
Today we have access to the incredible brain of David Moltz, the co-founder, perfumer, and copywriter (an important detail) at DS & Durga. David and I met a couple weeks ago at what I can only describe as the most fun brand event imaginable: an animated video presentation and live layering session for the launch of their Murder Mystery Set.
When he told me he was debuting his own Substack in the near future, I politely forced him to work with me and answer my questions about fragrances.
I’ve mentioned before — like everyone else in the beauty-adjacent industry — that fragrance is booming. And hey, I love scents as much as the next girlie. Just this week, I set a personal record for fastest impulse purchase with the Crown Affair scented Nette candle. But even as someone who’s on board with the current Scentsurgence™ (I’m proud of that one), I still have a lot of unanswered questions. Enter David.
You’re speaking to a fragrance novice, so let’s start simple: what are perfumes actually made out of?
Natural & synthetic molecules, essential oils, plant extracts (resins, absolutes, CO2, concrete, etc), alcohol, water.
Can you break down fragrance notes?
Top Notes – these are the first things you smell that evaporate quickest.
Heart Notes – these are the middle section that appear from 10 minutes in & go on for an hour or so.
Base Notes – these are the final notes that can linger for hours or more.
This is the classic breakdown but I look at perfume a bit more holistically – you can often detect heart & base notes right away for example.
How does layering fragrances work?
There are no rules – you can do what you like. But many finishes perfumes are pretty complex & may not go together. Modern transparent fumes like our I DON’T KNOW WHAT & the MURDER MYSTERY set are made to layer over anything. You can spray them how you like them - over other perfumes, or your favorite oil blends.
What are the different scent families?
Michael Edwards fragrance wheel is probably the most complete. I sort of have my own. I break our perfume line into fresh/green, citrus/fruit, wood, flower, amber, smoke, but that’s just to make it simple. I love categorizing things & it can get pretty granular.
How do they interact with one another?
Yeah that’s the thing. Many perfumes are symphonic & might incorporate many facets – we just categorize by the dominant idea. You can have a green citric flower with a woody amber drydown (the lingering element of the perfume that lasts after its dried on your skin). But maybe the dominant note is ultimately amber. So we classify it as amber.
Categories are just guides. Think of music – The Rolling Stones are rock ’n’ roll but have many songs that are blues, country, R’n’B, & gospel. We still call them rock though.
How do you make them last?
Arranging ideas in such a way that the base notes compliment the other notes. But everyone perceives perfume differently. Many people wish the top notes stayed around – they just don’t. A perfume evaporates & evolves on your skin. You have to go with the journey.
What’s the difference between the classifications of fragrances? (Eau de fill in the blank…)
Those are just about how much concentrate of the perfume is in the solution.
Parfum - Concentration of perfume oils – 20-40%
Eau de Parfum – Concentration of perfume oils – 15-20%
Eau de Toilette – Concentration of perfume oils – 5-15%
Eau de Cologne – Concentration of perfume oils – 2-5%
When you’re making perfume combinations, how often do you accidentally make something disgusting?
At this point, not too often, but sometimes I overdo it and can make a terrible test. Let’s say 1 every 50 is awful. But plenty of the other 49 aren’t very good.
How do you come up with the names?
I’m very into language & try to get the tightest description of the idea. ROSE ATLANTIC is very direct – a perfume about beach roses in the summer in the Northeast of the US.
How do you suggest buying a fragrance online? Should you just avoid it?
We have sample sets. I am also a member of the club that believes in going for it. If you know the brand & believe in what they are doing – you trust the artist to do the idea justice. It’s like buying a band you like’s new CD.
You might not love it at first, but after a few listens you get where they were going. I do think there’s something to committing to a decision & finding it’s beauty – but obviously sniff in person if you can. Get the juice on your skin. Don’t just judge the card.
Any other words of fragrance wisdom?
Sniff not what your country can do for you, sniff what you can do for your country.
In case you were wondering about my personal *fragrance journey*…
A brief timeline:
Growing up, the extent of my fragrance thoughts were that boys who wore Axe smelled bad and that Pink Sugar was signature scent of my middle school locker room. It wasn’t until I discovered Daisy by Marc Jacobs came in such a fun bottle that I finally invested in one of my own.
I held onto that Daisy bottle longer than I’d like to admit, and never really made it a priority to re-up my personal perfume stock. I decided my signature scent would be “clean,” and I got enough compliments on my shampoo smell.
Once I discovered Salt & Stone deodorant, that filled the void and became my de facto fragrance. But it also reminded me how much I love, er, smelling things.
I skipped over a lot of the details there, but what I’ve come to find is that the most fun part of fragrance-wearing is that there are so many options, and you never have to choose! I’m not suggesting you layer 8 different perfumes on top of one another (although, I’m not not). Instead, what I am suggesting is that you lean into scent as a form of self-expression. Perfume yourself based on your mood! Change it up! Have fun!
Here are the current fragrance standings:
DS & Durga’s I DON’T KNOW WHAT: which is technically a “fragrance enhancer” meaning its meant to be layered but I love it on its own.
Their SWEET DO NOTHING (orange blossom with cacti) and CORIANDER (magnolia with a sea breeze) are also big favorites. (Almost) a textbook beach goth.
I still think about this Regime Des Fleurs collaboration with Chloe Sevigny on a somewhat frequent basis.
Abel is a new brand on my radar, and I love both their Cyan Nori (orange blossom meets oceanic) and Nurture (more orange (can you sense a theme), but soft and floral) scents. I love them even more together!
Haven’t tried it yet, but dying to get a whiff of Glossier’s newest duo. If you’ve tried either of the new ones, here’s your cue to speak up.
*Honorable mention* DS & Durga’s DEBASER is my bathroom’s signature scent. Shouts goes out to their Soft Services collaboration.
That’s all for now. Thanks again to David and the team at DS & Durga for giving into my shenanigans. Reply to this email or leave a comment with additional scent questions, or if you just want to chat. :)
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okay I feel instantly smarter. this was gorgeous
Riding for smells. My best unnecessary spend this year has been subscribing to scentbird 👀