Who was Hatshepsut? Born Hatshepsitou daughter of Thutmose I, Hatshepsut ascended to power during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. She is remembered for her enduring ability to rewrite the narrative of history in her favor: the only woman of Egyptian blood to ever be crowned pharaoh. Upon her death, her son waged a campaign to remove her story from history.

The fragrance structure of Eye, Hatshepsut takes inspiration from the many depictions of Hatshepsut as a female figure in male dress. The scent juxtaposes softer floral arcs with starker resinous edges, blending them against the backdrop of the crystalline sands of the Sahara.

“My fragrance is like a divine breath; my scent reaches as far as the land of Punt; my skin is that of pure gold…”

The Olfactive Narrative of Eye, Hatshepsut

Eye, Hatshepsut weaves together aromas from Hatshepsut’s daily beauty rituals (honeying of the skin, applying of kohl to the eyes, incensing of the body…), with other scents evocative of Egyptian royal life (lotus flower, papyrus, kyphi resin). A wisp of olfactive smoke guides you from palace walls down temple halls… from the battlefields of Nubia to the entombed confines of Dayr al-Bahri… until yielding to perfumed embraces of the afterlife. As the Saharan sun sets, and the blossoms begin to close, only a lingering fragrant presence kisses the air. It is a scent that whispers enduring exaltations to Eye, Hatshepsut.

Eye, Hatshepsut: Queen of the Nile, King of Egypt

From the Archives: Hatshepsut Documentaries

Other Charenton Macerations Stories