Launched in 2017 by American indie line Heretic Parfum, which was founded by Douglas Little in 2012. All the fragrances in the line are 100% natural, artisanal and unisex. Dirty Ginger is my current favourite from the line, but I expect there will be many others. It opens with a nose-tingling note of spicy black pepper and zesty, floral-scented lime. As the pepper and lime mingle and merge, they’re joined by earthy, spicy cumin. The cumin has a sweaty-smelling facet that adds an animalic dimension to the pepper and lime. This is the ‘dirty’ part; now comes the ginger part. Juicy, fleshy, hot and spicy - the ginger here is bracing and exciting. It zings up through the top notes, and it is sublime! Shiso leaf, fresh and peppery, supports the ginger, highlights its green facet, and heightens the raw feistiness of it. A note of clove, warm and sweet, is a perfect counterpoint to the ginger. The perfect prelude to what comes next – earthy, woody, rooty vetiver – is the dirtiness hinted at by the cumin at the top. Dirty it may be, but it’s not dark or deep. It is more sensual than it is sexual. The base has a lightness to it from Palo Santo wood, which is related to frankincense, myrrh and copal. It has sweet notes of pine, mint and lemon. It’s that balsamy pine that stands out on me. Lavender-nuanced clary sage gives the fragrance a lovely sophistication. The drydown is fresh, woody, exciting and sensuous. Everything works together, and nothing is out of place. Notes: black pepper, lime, cumin, ginger, shiso leaf, clove, Palo Santo, vetiver clary sage.
