We Tested the ‘Nosferatu’ Perfume to See if It Actually Smells Like a Vampire
While the rest of the internet may have melted down over the politics of “olfactory ethics” last week, we at Cosmo HQ had a different smell-related mission: to figure out what a vampire smells like. Or, rather, to figure out if a scent made to evoke the smell of a vampire and his castle delivered on that mission. Enter: Nosferatu Eau de Macabre, a collaboration between Heretic Parfum and Focus Features, the studio behind Robert Eggers’ new movie starring Lily-Rose Depp (which hits theaters Christmas Day). The scent is described as an encounter with an apparition in the cold, damp caves of Count Orlok’s castle.
Okay, so what does that actually mean? In practical-ish terms, it’s “a chilling scent of wilting lilacs, velvety vegan ambergris and strikes of lightning that fill the air with petrichor and electricity—it’s both delicate and hedonistic.” Ambergris is a salty scent perfumers typically use to make something smell more musky and sweaty, and petrichor is that very specific smell outside right after it rains. You know the one. Here’s what our editors had to say:
Beth Gillette, Beauty Editor
“I review sweet vanilla perfumes and hot spicy scents for a living. My motto is, generally, ‘the more delicious I smell, the better.’ This gothic, misty fragrance was basically unlike anything in my usual wheelhouse. And I genuinely didn’t hate it!! It’s what I imagine a cold, dark cabin in the woods to smell like once winter’s coming to a close. It’s wet, airy, and hella earthy—but it’s still subtle and light enough that it’s not too imposing. Would I wear it on a first date? Nah. But if my date were with Bill Skarsgård, then...perhaps.”
Sam Olson, Assistant News Editor
“Right off the bat (heh), a little bit of Heretic’s Nosferatu-inspired fragrance will definitely go a long way. I tend to lean toward clean floral scents, but this one has more of a masculine herbal vibe. It’s like a walk through the produce section at Erewhon—there are botanical elements to it, but it’s luxurious.”
Emma Baty, Senior Entertainment Editor
“To me, it’s giving basil. It’s giving the best smells from the herb section of the grocery store. Is that what a vampire smells like? Who am I to say? But the packaging is very chic and would make a great gift for your favorite goth friend.”
Olivia Wong, Editor
“If this is what a vampire smells like...bite me!”
Corinne Bickel, Social Media Strategist
“It smells like what 18th or 19th century gowns smell like in museums. Very fresh and light at first but also old, if that makes sense. Not like an old lady perfume, just aged.”
Joanna Marquina, Social Media and Growth Editor
“It’s giving what a main character would wear in a dark academy book. I’m currently reading one now and I could see the main character wearing it.”
Mary Fama, Art Director
“It’s somewhere between hay and grass and cooking. It’s herby, but outside. Herbs in a barn. But not an animal barn, a cute barn.”
Kara Miller, Designer
“It’s a little bit of laundry. And a little bit of rosemary. Rosemary-scented laundry detergent. An Italian grandma’s laundry detergent.”
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