I have a deep appreciation for earthy + funky scents. I have always opted for scents with notes like patchouli, leather, and musk in them. My favorite scented candle is called “Petrichor” and smells like dirt with a hint of vegetal decay. I also regularly enjoy foods like bloomy or stinky cheeses. I am truly not sensitive to advanced profiles that require a specific palate to appreciate.

That being said, I couldn’t wait to receive this package. Now, I wish I had never ordered Materia Secunda. It is the ONLY fragrance I have ever tested that I consider 100% unwearable. The scents are pungent, each in different, unfortunately unappealing, ways.

Ambercot was overpowering, and smelled like a strong bathroom air freshener scented like Halloween candy. Fallen Leaves invoked disgust, and smelled like an untrustworthy man who finds himself very aesthetic because he only shops at the pre-curated thrift boutique but who actually hasn’t washed his hair in a month. Fougère Composté made me squint, and smelled like poured-out absinthe rotting in the sun down by the creek next to the canoe shed that always smells a little gross. Marmalade was the closest to wearable and didn’t cause a visceral negative reaction like the others, but still smelled like a bowl of overripe persimmons sitting next to an open pack of menthol cigarettes.

I thought perhaps the fragrances just weren’t a good match with my skin, so I had my husband try them. I asked him to send me a text reminding me what they smelled like while I was writing my own descriptions. They are a bit similar I’m sure in part because we discussed our impressions yesterday, but I will include his recollections as well:

Ambercot: toilet right after use and overly sprayed with some sort of cheap febreze

Fallen Leaves: someone that hasn’t showered and covered it with a manly perfume

Fougère Composté: actual shit. Made me back off instinctively when I was smelling it

Marmalade: the best out of all. But very pungent, sweet, overly ripe (rotten) oranges and citruses

It is also worth noting that my husband tried the scents before bed and then washed and covered the swatches with unscented lotion, but literally had a nightmare about these perfumes?? He recounts, “I don’t remember very well, but I remember feeling ashamed cause I didn’t smell good, and I had to explain that it was from perfume. And I had someone try them on but it smelled good on them, and really bad on me”.

While there certainly might be someone out there these perfumes smell good on, I wouldn’t risk the $35. My first choice is never to leave a negative review, especially for a small brand. However, I don’t see any other option when the brand categorically pre-refuses refunds or exchanges on the basis of “we can't guarantee that our fragrances will meet or exceed your expectations.” which is, if you haven’t read it, taken verbatim from their return policy.

A lot of the copy on their social posts reeks of AI, and there is 0 information on their website or in the literature included in the discovery set about how or from where they source their ingredients or manufacture their products. It sort of feels like some guy happened upon a bunch of actual fragrance that was expired and was like “I bet there’s a way to market this so I can still sell it,” and asked Chat GPT to frame it for him.

If that’s the case, congratulations, your scam worked.

If it’s not the case and this is a genuine attempt at creating something special, please know I am not saying this just to rant about something. I am upset because your business practices are far short of transparent and ethical, and your product is currently unusable for me. It is also overpriced for the quality. The labels are coming off my vials, and they don’t even fit properly inside the “attractive” box.

Adding a photo in case anyone is wondering if I’m a robot or doubting how much I truly appreciate funk.

In conclusion, I would not recommend these products to anyone. ):

earthy and fresh!
very cute box and paper insert too

Loving these!! I tried Fallen Leaves at an event in San Jose this last summer and absolutely fell in love, so really excited to play around with other unique, earthy scents. I'm a big fan!

I love the fallen leaves scent. I ordered the discovery set to hopefully find a new signature scent, and it's absolutely perfect. It's dark, masculine, and woodsy, not floral at all

I love the discovery set and I know I'll be purchasing two of the fragrances in the future in larger bottles (fougère composté and marmalade). The only small thing I'd suggest is changing the labeling for the bottles. The soft plastic material for the labels overlaps itself and makes it susceptible to falling right off. All in all though, I love it!