When Heretic founder Douglas Little first moved to New York City, he felt the need to develop a powerful potion to clear away the intense and sometimes overwhelming energy often synonymous with urban life. Driven by a desire to also connect with his Scotch-Irish heritage, he naturally sought inspiration from the protecting and purifying rite of Druidic saining, where juniper is burned to generate an aromatic and healing smoke. But rather than setting a branch ablaze inside his apartment, he decided to put his perfumer skills to the test and develop a fragrance that explores and celebrates the use of smoke that has been shared by so many cultures across millennia to clear energy.

This fragrance was first created for Douglas’ personal use, but now available for all Heretic fragrance fans who want to immerse themselves in this ancient practice. Having tapped into his extensive knowledge of the healing properties of plants, the fresh sappy notes from the juniper is accompanied by rich, balsamic sandalwood, sweet and spicy patchouli, warming clary sage as well as the complex but comforting vanilla and tobacco notes from the tonka bean. Together, these compounds co-mingle into a powerful elixir which will imbue a sense of grounded wellbeing and clarity to whoever chooses to envelop themselves in this intoxicating scent.

The wearer might also be interested to know that there is now an increasing body of scientific evidence backing up the efficacy of these ancient rites. For example, juniper, whose medical application dates back as far as 1550 B.C. and has been celebrated not only by the Druids but Ayrvedic and Egyptian healers alike, is now proven to have strong antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Similarly, sandalwood is shown to relieve anxiety, promote healthier sleep and even improve blood oxygen saturation and stabilise our breathing rate. Continuing this tradition of harnessing the power of plants is at the very heart of Heretic, and to us, Smudge is the perfect expression of how scent can connect us with ancient traditions and knowledge to help us cleanse, purify and heal, naturally.

Our fragrances are gender-neutral and made for everyone.

APPLICATION: We use plant-based natural ingredients, which means our scents are light and sheer. To increase staying power, you’ll want to apply the fragrance periodically throughout the day.

LAYERING: We also encourage you to layer two to three Heretic fragrances not only to increase the overall intensity but to help you create your next signature scent. Choose heavy and lighter blends to layer together, spraying or dabbing the stronger scent first. View the “Layer With” section above for our perfumer’s recommendations.

RETURNS: We only accept returns for defective or damaged products. If you’d like to sample the fragrance first, we recommend you start with one of our Discovery Sets or take our Fragrance Finder Quiz for a personally recommended scent.

SHIPPING: At this time, we can only ship within the contiguous United States. If you need to find an international retailer, please email us at concierge@hereticparfum.com.

Free shipping on orders of $125 or more. Otherwise, a $10 flat shipping fee applies.