GHOST OF YOU by Mythologia Perfumes

Scent and sensuality is a pairing that perfumers often strive to achieve in both niche and mainstream fragrances, but there’s a delicate balance that needs to be struck between the sultry and the slutty. The use of powerful resins within formulas often pushes the final scent to the latter - which isn’t to everyone’s taste. Finding that ideal point where the excitement of a liaison meets the realisation of the everyday, or even the marker that a steamy encounter is over, is the perfumer's sought after Gräfenberg spot. So, to find it in a debut collection is rare, but that’s exactly what you get with Ghost of You from Mythologia Perfumes.

Cat Black is the founder of Mythologia Perfumes and is a self-taught perfumer who operates out of the Shoreditch area of London. She originally studied art but found herself drawn deeper into the fragrance rabbit hole when researching and creating her final degree show. Cat decided to create “scented, dove filled, galleon topped 18th Century style wigs” that were inspired by Marie Antionette’s perfume collection, and she was hooked! Originally her fragrances were bespoke creations for close friends and family but, in April 2024, Cat bravely launched her debut pair of perfumes on a potentially over-saturated market.

The idea behind Cat’s fragrances are that they take a moment in time, whether that people or places, and translates them into scent. However, she also gives the wearer a musical playlist that will either support the particular perfume, enhance it, or even continue the story. These playlists are very much a jumping-on point in the experience, and you’re encouraged to either use them as a scented inspiration or create your own based on the personal reaction you have from the fragrances. Matching music with scent is a great way to expand your appreciation, but what are the scents we’re exploring?

The two debut fragrances from Mythologia Perfumes are Siren and Ghost of You. With intense backstories, both offered Cat Black the opportunity to be wonderfully creative. Siren is inspired by “enchanting but treacherous mermaids” and is tantalisingly described as “beautiful, seductive and deadly”, thanks to its touches of peach, chocolate, and shipwreck timbers. However, Ghost of You is the scent of an encounter, perhaps longed for, perhaps unrequited, and Cat playfully promises notes of “citrus, cardamom and afternoon love”. This idea of the scent of a sexual moment, in all its heated glory, is absolutely delicious.

Ghost of You opens with a bright hit of juicy bergamot and orange before quickly being joined by a pepper and cardamom pairing. This gives an air of excitement to the start of the scent, and to the encounter. There’s almost a hint of peach as the fragrance develops, which brings to mind the downy skin of the fruit, and a touch of rose adds a softness that is soon to be shattered. The strength of the perfume is a devilishly delightful blend of resinous labdanum, cumin and frankincense, so you know you’re in the throes of passion, before an airy whisky-edged musk and cedarwood combination bring to mind a calmness. Ghost of You is a great example of excess within control, and provocation within perfume.

Ghost of You is available from the Mythologia Perfumes website at mythologiaperfumes.com priced at £105 for 50ml or as part of the sample duo for £10. [Sample provided by Mythologia Perfumes]

Posted by Stephan Matthews at 07:00:00

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Labels: Cat Black, Ghost of You, Gräfenberg spot, Independent, Mythologia Perfumes, Niche, Sensual, Sexual, Siren