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DS & Durga

D.S.

D.S.

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Regular price $380.00
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About the Fragrance

From DS & Durga: A pure vision of India—Kashmiri saffron, frangipani, gardenia, yellow lotus attar, and damask rose with fine Sri Lankan sandalwood and vetiver.

Our gold label line employs copious amounts of the rarest, finest perfume materials. It is limited to small, hand-made batches, driven by the scarcity of rare natural ingredients. A visit to a traditional perfume shop in India is a step back in time.

You are invited to sit while a salesperson brings them out one after the other, swiping oils onto your skin right from the glass stopper. More often than not, they are crammed into busy markets of crowded cities. The contrast is a reminder that beauty is all around us and can be found anywhere.

Traditional Indian perfume making should be considered a whole genre. Unique methods of extraction and indigenous plants are its hallmarks. Flowers, ambers, sandalwood, Himalayan herbs, southern spices—the diversity of plant life in India is staggering. To name a few of the most fragrant—tuberose, saffron, frangipani, kewda, ylang, gardenia, rose, cardamom, deodar, khus, mogra, motia.

The oils can come from small farms that have been growing, gathering, and distilling plants for a long time.

Cottage industries for jasmine and other oils have spawned entire villages. Attars are of particular interest to me. An attar is made by co-distilling one or more plants with sandalwood in giant alembics. It is like making a blended perfume during extraction—rather than mixing separate oils together after they are extracted.

Something alchemical happens when all the plants—gathered from hills and jungles—are all set to cook together. Attars smell like perfumes from a different age. Formulations are passed down for generations and many are unique to certain regions.

For “D.S.” I wanted to create the impression of an attar by cooking together accords of yellow lotus, gardenia (which I made from a plant I own), rose, jasmine, saffron, and vetiver all grounded in pure real deal Holyfield Sandalwood oil from Sri Lanka (one of the finest in the world as Mysore has been overharvested).

D.S. has the choicest materials and can only be produced in small batches.
-D.S.

TOP NOTES

frangipani
gardenia
saffron

HEART NOTES

yellow lotus
rose absolute
agarwood

BASE NOTES

sandalwood
vetiver
musc ambrette
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About the Brand

Established in 2007, DS & Durga crafts unique and evocative fragrances inspired by art, music, literature, and historical events. Their perfumes capture the essence of specific moments or landscapes, transporting wearers to different times and places. With a focus on craftsmanship and storytelling, DS & Durga's scents often feature unconventional notes and combinations, creating a sensory experience that is both distinctive and memorable.

In addition to fragrances, the brand offers a range of complementary products such as candles, body care items, and home fragrances. DS & Durga has gained a dedicated following among fragrance enthusiasts who appreciate their artisanal approach and commitment to creativity.

Clean Beauty

From D.S. & DURGA:

Our products are 100% vegan, never tested on animals (other than the humans that work here!), and are paraben/phthalate free. You can find the ingredient panel for each product on our website on the product page. We use both natural and synthetic materials in all of our products and adhere to the latest safety and environmental regulations of the International Fragrance Research Association (IFRA). Naturals vs synthetics in perfumes is often misunderstood. Many of the strictest regulations in perfume come from natural materials! Naturals can also pose sustainability problems. Rest assured, we source our juice from the most ethical companies in the world who are at the forefront of material fragrance safety.