D.S. & Durga reviews and discussion

Artful perfumes, mostly real-world smells (but impressionistic) with a few complete fantasy/fictional fragrances. A lot of releases in the past year or so with a solid “core roster” of staples. Generally, I find their fragrances beautiful but not as…performant(?) as others in my collection. I guess nice-smelling things are worth having regardless. I like these fragrances more each time I try them. I’d suggest sampling a few times to properly evaluate. My current favourites are: • El Cosmico—dry, almost pine-like desert scent; • Bistro Waters—green, savoury, fresh; • Bowmakers—woody, spicy but not overwhelming; • Debaser—creamy fig with some wood

D.S. & Durga is my go-to perfume brand. Each of their perfumes is surprising, and I react strongly to them all, with some big hits and a few major misses. To me, that's the highest praise I could give a perfumer: given how personal scents are, perfumes should be divisive! Unfortunately, they recently discontinued El Cosmico, the perfume that made me first fall in love with the brand. It was an abrasive scent, chemical and masculine, with an undercurrent of Coca-cola sweetness. It made me feel chic and slinky and dangerous. Definitely not a perfume to wear to the office! DS&D, if you're listening, please bring it back! But Black Magenta, the newest addition to their permanent collection, is a worthy successor. It's a more feminine scent, but it's still very much a nighttime perfume. It's waxy and floral and sweet, without being too young. To be worn to the club in the summertime as eyeliner drips down your cheeks. Obsessed. The only perfume I own a full bottle of from DS&D is Radio Bombay, which is a really unique and coppery perfume for people who love sandalwood, but don't want to smell like every other girl on the street. It's not a "clean" or "skin scent" like many other sandalwoods--there's something a little dusty about it. A little bit rusty. I love this oddness. It's perfect for everyday wear. And then, their misses (for me): I straight up cannot smell I Don't Know What, a perfume which most people (including my boyfriend) absolutely love. Burning Barbershop, Notorious Oud, and Mississippi are all wayyyy too strong for my nose, and make me feel a little sick when I try to wear them. As others have said, almost all of their perfume can fade quickly, but I don't mind re-upping midday. I live in NYC, so I pop by the store every month to try their latest "studio juice" (aka, a limited edition scent), which tend to be a little more experimental than their main collection and never disappoint. I highly recommend buying a sample set if you can't make it to NYC to try these perfumes on. You'll want to spend time with the perfumes before committing. The sample set also makes a really fun White Elephant/Dirty Santa gift :) Finally, they make playlists on Spotify for all their perfumes! The playlists are atmospheric, well curated, and make genuinely interesting companions to each perfume.

This was a blind purchase. I bought the "I don't know what" fragrance enhancer just based off the reviews and research I've done .I blind purchase a lot of my fragrances based off of reviews and typically I like 4 out of 5 of my purchase. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of the smell of this particular fragrance. It is strong enough to stand alone even though its a enhancer. It's not bad but it's just not for me. I have not tried any other product from D.S. and durga so I cannot speak on the overall brand and could not say of I'm willing to try another product.

I absolutely love their unique fragrances. They're weird, special, and really creative. I buy samples all the time, and they are great for creating a 'scene' - evocative, powerful. Wouldn't recommend most of their scents to people who aren't into niche/indie smells.

I got this for my best friend because it’s her absolute favorite scent, and now I totally understand why. I usually hate perfume, but this one is so fresh and clean without being overpowering. The packaging feels really premium and it arrived super quickly, which made the whole experience even better. Overall, such a great purchase and I’d definitely buy again.

I’ve purchased “I don’t know what” in the perfume, body lotion and the leave in conditioner. I’m on my third re-order. I’m in love with this scent for everyday use. If you enjoy this scent, the leave in conditioner paired with Crown Affair is heaven.

The sound of this reminds me a lot of if you were walking down the street in New York and passed a bougie hotel with its doors open. I truly can’t get enough of it. I’m so glad that it’s in both a hair product and a perfume.

Definitely one of the more creative fragrance houses with a diverse portfolio. Any time I see a DS&Durga display I have to set aside time to smell them all. Projection/sillage/longevity vary with the different scents but there are definitely scents with all of those and again diversity from florals to musks to woodsy to unique themed scents. You can tell there is a passion for fragrance from the creators. I especially love their minimalist branding and bottle design.

This is a collection of some of their most popular scents. While I do like these, I was slightly disappointed with "Debaser," their famous fig scent. "I Don't Know Why" is also super popular, but again it's just fine. It smells nice, I would recommend "Philosykos" from Diptyque. "Rose Atlantic" is a surprising good rose scent, and I have never been a fan of those! I will say that "Steamed Rainbow" from DS and Durga is unique and worth a try! That is not included in this set, but if you have a chance, definitely do give it a sniff.

Love them I actually purchased the sample set to try some scents. They were very nice, price wasn’t bad. However the scents I always like seem to be more earthy and never seem to wear well with my chemistry. Even with samples, I love the fact what doesn’t work for me can put someone else on their signature scent

D.S. & Durga has some of the most original scents that I've encountered. In particular Pistachio has become my go to scent during the fall/winter months as it has a great spicy woody scent plus something extra. Overall I started with the travel size and have worked my way slowly to the whole bottle. It lasts long, isn't overly strong, and helps get me through the cold winter months. As perfume is very personally, if you're into more unique scents, highly recommend going to a boutique near you and testing things out until you find what works best for you.

Probably my favorite brand at the moment... All of the colognes are some of my all time favorites... Cowboy Grass, Debaser, I Don't Know What... and Steamed Rainbow is something else! I got the candle "Concrete After Lightning" and it is incredible! It has such a strong scent that fills the room, burns slow, and looks great! I love a brand that not only just makes perfumes... So the car fragrance is one of my favorite things! The Holy Ficus is my usual, but love the '85 Diesel for a new car/fresh leather scent! The new I Don't Know What body wash & body lotion is incredible... I love that this is a fragrance that enhances others, or on it own just enhances your natural scent! I want them all!!! The only downside: the fragrances don't last on the skin... No matter which one i've tried, after about an hour or two I can hardly smell it if at all. So I stay buying the car fragrances & candles, but the perfumes are hard to commit to since they aren't strong.

Fantastic scents and a variety of products, I personally love their rollerball applicator and sample kits. Over the years this brand has grown so much and expanded into such fun environments. I recently stayed at the hotel, The Cape, in Cabo, Mexico and all the bathroom products (soap, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner) was this brand—plus they had scent machines throughout the resort that blasted a specific small into the air, which was delicious. The price point is high, however, I stick to purchasing the long-lasting perfumes vs. the faster-used products like soap. I also just like the backstory of this brand in that it's a husband and wife team that creates the products and original artwork. Their store in SoHo is well-stocked, just wish the attendant was more engaged when I was there and asking questions.

For car lovers, D.S. & Durga Diesel Candle is an absolute gem! It captures that unique blend of sweet and smoky with a hint of nostalgia. The scent is bold, distinctive, and perfect for anyone who appreciates automotive-inspired fragrances. It adds a cool, edgy vibe to any room.

I absolutely adore the DS&Durga products. Their sample packs are a great deal and they have a wide range of scents. I personally like Debaser and the roll on of I Don’t Know What

Excellent smells and excellent customer service. I particularly like Durga, Cowboy Grass, and Rose Atlantic. They also make air fresheners and car smells, which is quite creative.

a luxury candle that is well worth the spend. their scents are amazing and beautifully fill a room

This review is specific to the auto section on their website, where you can buy car fragrances. 100% a product I never though I needed and 100% a product I now need. Every time I get in my car and smell Brooklyn Lavender, I am grateful we got the Roadtrip pack as a gift with purchase (bought a bunch of candles). I will now become a repeat buyer and use these for unique gifts!

I love this brand! Their scents are amazing and feel one of a kind. Quite pricey, but I feel like price and quality come hand in hand in the fragrance industry.

They have a sample program where you can try four fragrances for $40 and then put that $40 towards a full size bottle. It’s a great way to try a few different scents and decide what you like. The new pistachio scent is amazing. I also loved Cowboy Grass, I Don’t Know What, and Sweet Nothing. Every close friend I have wears Debaser. (I wanted to love a few others that weren’t quite right for me even based on their written description, so I really recommend actually going to a store and smelling before you buy.) The soaps, air fresheners and candles are also great and have tried a few of each at different points. Great customer service too whenever I’ve needed help.