California and Me
Eau de Parfum
Last updated · June 26, 2026
An attempt to hold on to something already gone.
Eau de Parfum
California and Me
Anattempttoholdontosomethingalreadygone.Coffeeanddarknessintheopening.Warmthandweightthatsettlelikeamemorywithnowherelefttogo.
No. -1 — California and Me
Composition
Arrives first. Gone within the hour.
Coffee Absolute
The material that started the direction. Dense and roasted at the surface, with a dark sweetness beneath — not a beverage, but something older than that. It dissipates quickly, leaving only the impression of it; a trace that changes everything that comes after.
Cardamom EO
The spice that opens a door and then steps aside. Precise and aromatic, with a warmth that is almost architectural. Here it exists as punctuation — a sharp, deliberate mark at the beginning that asks you to pay attention to what follows.
The body of the scent, once the opening clears.
Iso E Super
Cedar seen from the corner of your eye. The material that makes space — that turns a collection of ingredients into something felt more than smelled. At enough concentration it becomes addictive; the nose searches for it even after it has gone.
Coumarin
Dry hay and cut grass compressed into a molecule. The memory of summer without the sentiment of it. Sweet enough to hold on to, dry enough to avoid the obvious. It is what makes the composition feel like something already understood.
Veramoss
Symrise's oakmoss alternative — the memory of forest floor translated into something safe for skin. Earthy and quiet without demanding attention, it forms the textural underpinning beneath the heart, grounding what would otherwise drift away.
IBQ
Isobutylquinoline. The material that reads as leather before you know what leather means in a fragrance. Dry, almost smoky, with a character that resists description but is instantly recognizable. It is the darkness behind the warmth.
Hedione
Methyl dihydrojasmonate — jasmine extracted from its context. Not floral in any readable way; more like the principle of jasmine, something floaty and diffusive that amplifies everything it touches. The material that gives the composition its air.
Methyl Laitone
A lactone that reads as milky, coconut-adjacent warmth — but subtly, the way skin sometimes smells like something edible without any of the sweetness. It rounds the heart, softening the edges of Iso E Super and IBQ into something less abrasive.
What remains on skin hours later.
Ambroxan
Radiant and skin-forward. Derived from ambergris — the material that made perfumery possible before it was called perfumery. Here it serves as anchor: depth without heaviness, the warm thing that waits beneath everything else and does not leave.
Tonka Bean Absolute
Almond, hay, and time compressed into one material. Tonka carries the composition into comfort — not the obvious kind, but the quiet kind that arrives after the novelty has passed. Its natural coumarin content bridges the heart and base without disrupting either.
Ethyl Vanillin
Three times the intensity of natural vanilla, and nothing like sweetness. This is vanilla as architecture — the thing everything leans against in the final hours. It is what remains longest on skin, and what you remember after everything else has gone.
Labdanum Absolute
Cistus resin from the western Mediterranean — one of the oldest materials in perfumery. Warm, ambery, and slightly animalic, with a leather edge that keeps it from becoming soft. It gives the base its gravity and its age.
The Making
A record in progress.
These are the moments recorded so far. The composition is still becoming itself.
Last updated · June 26, 2026
April 2026
The name
California and Me is named after the beautiful song by the artist Laufey on her Bewitched album released in 2023. The melancholic songs speak of a lover leaving which leaves the sense of sadness and nostalgia.
May 7, 2026
A direction
After a brief conversation about favorite fragrances, I had gotten an inspiration behind what the scent should be. There was a cologne that had been my absolute favorite for a long time, that being Armani Code Profumo released back in 2016. It plays directly into the story of nostalgia and loss. I want this fragrance to take inspiration into the direction of this scent.
May 12, 2026
The first formula
The first formula was created.
May 14, 2026
The second formula
The second formula was created.
June 16, 2026
Tested in the open
From the formulas previously created, it was then distributed in public for opinion/testing.
June 22, 2026
New bottles selected
After trial and error, the previous bottles had a leaking issue. Following that, a new bottle was chosen and a new label to come soon.
June 26, 2026
The third formula
The third formula was created.
Ingredients
Alcohol Denat., Aqua (Water), Parfum: Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Iso E Super, Ambroxide, Isobutylquinoline, Coumarin, Ethyl Vanillin, Methyl Dihydrojasmonate, Methyl Laitone, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom) Oil, Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka Bean) Absolute, Cistus Ladanifer (Labdanum) Absolute. Contains: Coumarin, Linalool.
IFRA 50th Amendment compliant. Iso E Super ≤ 6.2% (Category 4). Coumarin (combined from raw material and Tonka Bean Absolute) ≤ 0.45% (Category 4). EU allergens declared above 0.001%: Coumarin, Linalool.
Warnings
- —Keep out of reach of children.
- —For external use only.
- —Avoid contact with eyes.
- —Do not apply to damaged or broken skin.
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