Picture it: traveling the world and taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells all from the comfort of your couch. Okay, I know—sounds like a bit of a stretch, right? Well, you can have the next best thing. I’ve always loved a luscious fragrance that takes you somewhere else. You catch a whiff and boom—you feel like you’ve just been transported to the coast of Italy or the jungles of the Yucatán Peninsula. A brand that really does this for me is D.S. & Durga—it basically invented armchair travel solely through the creation of its magical scents.
The brand is founded by powerhouse couple David and Kavi Moltz who are so cool I basically want them to adopt me (consider this my official request). They think of the art of perfumery as conjuring unseen worlds. “A great scent is a world you can return to over and over—a keyhole into another realm,” David says. “You can travel via the mind-nose connection to larger collective spaces. I try to create realistic objects and scenes that place the mind in a particular space. You are whisked away through the web of accords, the name, description, playlist, and images we provide.”
Of course, my undying love for the brand led me to attempt to compile a list of its best scents. A truly impossible task because they’re all good. But nevertheless, I tackled it. In no particular order, you’ll find the absolute best D.S. & Durga perfumes of all time below. As a bonus, you’ll also find David and Kavi’s personal signature scents. Keep scrolling.
The name alone is enough for me to smash the buy button on this tea-inspired candle. It remains a popular pick (even amongst us editors) for its hypnotic and spicy notes.
This is another smoky, rich option for all you candle lovers out there. It envelopes the room the aroma of a burning fireplace in the best way possible. Perfect for those nights you don’t want to light a fire, but would still love the cozy feel of one.
Because, hand sanitizer is an absolute must-carry everywhere, you might as well have one that smells deliciously crisp and fresh. This is a sanitizer version of the brand’s Big Sur After Rain Candle ($65).
Key notes: bergamot essence, Iso E Super, vetiver acetate, civettone, firsantol, ambrox super. The duo describes this concoction as *the* ultimate enhancer to any fragrance. “It’s like a building with no interior. Wear it alone for a radiant modern skin scent, layer over your favorite oils, other transparent fragrances, or old fumes you no longer dig.”
Key notes: Passion flower, water, bergamot, jazmín yucateco, sambac, clove, snake plant, vetiver, copal. This fragrance is reminiscent of none other than the Yucatán Peninsula—the heat of a tropical rainforest on your skin. “This encapsulates jungle jazmin in humid water, passion flower, and copal resin. Portable armchair travel to the sacred interior of the area.”
Key notes: Russian coriander, pepper, juniper needle, geranium, clove stem, clary sage, musk, magnolia, mace. Dab a bit of this on and you’re instantly transported to the ports of Odessa, Ukraine. “It has that fresh, green, cool spice to it. It’s aquatic, pungent, and smells good on anyone.”
Key notes: Bergamot, green leaf, pear stem, fig, coconut milk, iris, blond woods, tonka bean, moss. This is one of my personal favorite D.S. & Durga offerings. Not just because it’s named after one of the Pixies’ best songs (don’t @ me), but because it smells so refreshing with a woody undertone. The brand describes it as nothing if not “symphonic.”
Key notes: Radiant wood, copper, cedar, sandalwood, radiant iris, boronia, balsam fir absolute, coconut musk, ambergris. Another personal favorite of mine, this fragrance really took me by surprise when it arrived. I was pleasantly surprised with just how lush and decadent it smells. Sandalwood will always have a special place in my heart, so naturally I love that this fragrance is loaded with it and lingers in such a pleasant way.
Key notes: Rosewood, wild thyme, bergamot, sagebrush, basil, rose otto, vetiver, grass, ambergris. This is the fragrance that put the brand on the map back in 2008. It continues to be a hit for its unusual (yet intoxicating) mix of fresh bergamot with dusty thyme and clary sage.
Key notes: violin varnish, mahogany, outdoors accord, amber pin rosin, maplewood, cypress, spiced tree resin, cedar, moss. Bowmakers is a real fan favorite for its elegantly woody aroma inspired by the craftsmen of the 1800s in Massachusetts Bay. Notes of mahogany and maplewood really drive the theme home.
Key notes: Bergamot, petals, lemon oil, linden, rose accord, dune grass, muscone, salt water, white moss. Atlantic Rose is for those who love a full-bodied floral scent. It’s inspired by the sea breezes of New England and engulfs you in a cloud of lemon oil, rose accord, and white moss.
Key notes: orange flower water, crystal flower parts, dew-on-petals, paradisone, white musks, pink pepper, jasmine water, ambrette seeds. This is another warmly inviting fragrance that emits a crisp and uplifting scent. “I wanted to make a soft crystalline perfume that highlighted the humid parts inside of a flower. My muse, so to speak, was a memory of orange blossom water liberally sprinkled in the air upon entering a market on the back streets of Fez in Morocco,” David says.
Key notes: sour orange, pink pepper, sea grass, cane, clove leaf, toquilla straw, vetyver, breadnut, rhum agricole. This is David’s all-time favorite fragrance. “This includes many of my favorite things in perfume. Classic sailor colognes, vetyver, and Caribbean memories.”
Key notes: Green tuberose, melon, chrysanthemum, ylang-ylang, orris butter, orange blossom, tuberose absolute, sambac jasmine, fine musk. Durga earns the title of Kavi’s all-time favorite. “This is my go to tuberose. You can’t stop smelling it. It’s narcotic, rich, and sexy.”
