The best thing about indie perfumery is its freedom to take a risk. This risk is why many of us follow indie (and niche) perfumery. We want to smell perfumes that don’t smell like other perfumes. Aether Arts Magic Mushroom took a risk to be a “gourmand mushroom” perfume. This may sound rather odd but quite a few botanical perfumes depend on mushrooms to add an animalic, earthy muskiness without relying on animal-derived ingredients.
Now most of these botanical perfumes that I’m thinking about use mushrooms to give a realistic olfactory impression of florals. If you have ever smelled an “overripe” blossom, you’ll often pick up on decay, earthiness, and yep, mushrooms. My favorite gardenias have mushroom nuances. When I thought about a gourmand mushroom, I couldn’t name any. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a gourmand with an umami savoriness.
Magic Mushroom is like a “meaty” chocolate. I’m not saying it smells like meat, it’s that it is a chocolate with substance (umami). It’s a dense cocoa with earthy mushrooms. At this stage, the mushrooms are prominent and smell like porcini and earth. As Magic Mushroom wears, it gets sweeter with a warm mocha and slightly smoky pipe tobacco. Most of the wear on me is that of the dry-down. It dries down to an earthy, warm, balsamic blend of sandalwood and orris.The base is a gorgeous, cozy woods that reminds me of angora sweaters.
Magic Mushroom may sound odd but it completely works. It’s a compelling, sophisticated gourmand for the type of person that thinks they don’t like gourmands. It’s earthy, sweet and weird. I mean, it has mushrooms!
Notes listed include cocoa, mushroom, jasmine, coffee, tobacco, amyris, orris and wood note. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Amber Jobin
Give Magic Mushroom a try if you like the thought of a “gourmand mushroom” or if you want to try a really unexpected gourmand/chocolate/animalic. Or if you like perfumes like CB I Hate Perfume Wild Hunt, Rebel + Mercury Cerise en Cocoa, Neil Morris Mystic Dragon, Scent by Alexis Body Made Luminous and/or Olympic Orchids Seattle Chocolate. I do think to like this one, you need to like weird things. But, I feel like if you are wearing indie perfumes, you already have a more sophisticated palate (or at least are open to new experiences).
Projection is below average (it wears closely to the skin). Longevity is above average.
Magic Mushroom comes in a few sizes with the 5.5 ml bottle retails for $58 at Aether Arts. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Umami/mushroom chocolate gourmand. It’s a weird one and that’s exactly why I like it. “Weird gourmand” is a genre I’m going to explore more.
*Extra info from the brand: This perfume is vegan. It’s composed of 75% natural ingredients and 25% synthetics.
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*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my review. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Fragrantica. Trippy mushroom people print by George Barbier circa 1916 for La Parisienne from mermaidmushrooms.tumblr.com.
i need to try this. i like weird and i like gourmand. bring it on.
I’m so ready to have more weird gourmands in my life.
there’s not nearly enough of them that i’m aware of. gimme all the weird gourmands.
I’m now on the hunt for me. I *know* there’s more. I’m digging through my archives to see if anything refreshes my memory. It’s a really underplayed “genre”!
down the “weird gourmand” google rabbit hole I go! Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! I’ll post my findings.
This seems to be one I will add to my list of things to try. Have you heard of it? It was described in a few places as “mushrooms on a whipped cream cake.” https://possets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=922
Ohhhhh…now that sounds weird!
You know, I have totally forgotten about Possets. I haven’t tried anything of theirs but I have a list from a few years ago of scents that were recommended.