the essence of
FSW
For Strange Women is an all-female indie perfume house in the Midwest. We source plant-derived aromatics from around the world and value sustainable practices. This collection is designed to create an experience that is beyond sensory aesthetics; conjuring memories from natural landscapes, objects, and atmospheres remembered deep within the subconscious.
While mainstream culture presents fragrance as a cosmetic to conceal other scents or to make us more attractive, our perfume is intended to serve as a therapeutic connection to nature and sensory ritual. We find botanical aromatics to be gender-less and feel that the scent signature of our skin should be complemented, not hidden. Their design is to be worn as a mood-enhancing indulgence and source of inspiration.
Our perfume does not contain harmful phthalates or propellants to artificially extend the longevity and silage. As a result, these scents meld with the skin and evolve as each layer reveals itself throughout the 4+ hours of wear. The experience is more subtle than synthetic perfumes but with fuller nuance and complexity. The FSW perfume style is unapologetically earthy and full-bodied, comprised of exquisite materials that larger perfume brands rarely use due to their expense and limited availability. The quality of these raw materials is essential to Jill’s process of designing rare and opulent compositions.
We find distilled essential oils, resins, and plant extracts to be more satisfying to the senses and artful in their manufacture. Our physiology has evolved to understand the messages contained in these plant molecules on an intuitive level and our emotions respond to this language. These perfumes are beyond "clean" and natural -- they are the wild and sublime spirits of the earth.
the alchemists