In creating Poltergeist, perfumer and founder of Heretic Parfum Douglas Little’s objective was to mirror the olfactory experience he had while motorcycling through the Pacific Northwest - a particularly wild and beautiful area of the United States defined by its dense forests, mountains, and secluded coastal areas. One that due to its remoteness and sparse population, is also kind of spooky. 

As mentioned before, a lot of people who have had supernatural encounters have experienced accompanying odors, and with poltergeists being the louder and more obnoxious spirits, this seems to be even more common. A lot of people who have come across poltergeists describe spontaneous fires, electrical failures and the smell of smoke occurring alongside their appearance. Heretic’s Poltergeist is also a heavily smoky scent - to the point that some people find it… a lot… which we think an actual poltergeist would be pretty happy about! 

But now, let’s talk about the fragrance itself and how it smells.

We actually think that the way Poltergeist behaves on the skin can’t really be reflected by a fragrance pyramid, it’s a little more mysterious than that. It opens with a materialisation of dense, heavy smoke, presumably from the birch tar and Palo Santo, before settling into the skin and becoming more green and aromatic. As it wears, the smoke remains in the foreground, but you begin to pick up the fresh spice of juniper, lemony hinoki and warm frankincense. You’re then sent down to the forest floor, illuminated by bright yet slightly bitter neroli. There, you discover the intensely green balsam of galbanum, rich and sticky labdanum, and mossy, sweet wormwood. By the end of the wear of Poltergeist the smoke has mostly dissipated, and you’re left with an earthy, green, almost powdery composition that only hints at its intense beginnings, leaving you wondering whether you imagined the whole thing. 

Another important thing to note about Poltergeist is that its notes have been selected in part because of their functional use and symbolism. Palo Santo has been used by the Indigenous peoples of South America since antiquity for the purpose of spiritual cleansing and warding off bad energy. Similarly, frankincense has been used in religious practice since ancient times. Perhaps the most prominent note in Poltergeist however (particularly in the dry down) is wormwood. Wormwood is one of the main ingredients used to make absinth, a hallucination-inducing alcohol colloquially known as the “green fairy”. In the world of magic and spirituality, wormwood is associated with divination and psychic ability. Burning wormwood is also said to aid in summoning spirits… very apt for Poltergeist.

So, next time you get goosebumps for no good reason or feel like a shadow is following you in the dark, pay attention to what your nose picks up -  it may help you to understand the presence and its potential intentions better!