I’ll never forget my first trip to Egypt. From the moment I arrived, I was captivated by its awe-inspiring architecture, epic folklore, and timeless connections to perfume. During that trip, I encountered the stories of Hatshepsut and her unconventional rise to power. I was instantly hooked: the female heroic, the gender nonconformity, the expansion of trade… Her story unfolded as both inspiration and challenge. Below are some of the initial notes and ideas from the evolution of the fragrance brief for Eye, Hatshepsut. This scent celebrates her refusal to conform, her mastery of narrative, and her ability to overcome the seemingly impossible.

Like Christopher Street and Asphalt Rainbow, Eye, Hatshepsut continues the Charenton Macerations mission to challenge olfactory gender norms. The fragrance draws on Hatshepsut’s manipulation of gender and authority. She displayed hereself as a female figure in male dress, assumed roles traditionally reserved for men, and created artistic reinterpretations immortalized in statues and temple reliefs. The scent juxtaposes soft floral arcs with stark, resinous edges, weaving them together against the backdrop of the crystalline Saharan sands. From daily beauty rituals to royal ceremony, it is an olfactory reflection of Hatshepsut herself.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1507–1458 BC) is remembered for rewriting history in her favor. She adopted the styles and symbols of male predecessors while maintaining a distinctly feminine mystique. In presentation, she sometimes wore the kilt, headdress, and false beard. In commissioned likeness, she occasionally appeared with curvier, rounded features. She reigned during the Middle Kingdom for 22 years, overseeing wealth, prosperity, and the reestablishment of trade with Punt and Nubia. She remains the only female of Egyptian blood crowned a full-fledged pharaoh.

Her legacy still stands in the terraces of Dayr al-Bahri, the red granite obelisks at Karnak, and the spiced wafts of Nubian and Punt trade goods in Egyptian bazaars. Within the shadows and corridors of her accomplishments is where part one of the olfactive narrative begins.

Born Hatshepsitou, daughter of Thutmose I and his primary wife Ahmose, she was only 12 when her father died. Married to her half-brother Thutmose II to legitimize his claim, she became queen and principal wife. After his death, she assumed the role of co-regent for his infant son, Thutmose III. Three years later, she declared herself pharaoh.

Her ascension was guided by masterful political myth-making. Hatshepsut rewrote the story of her birth, claiming divine lineage as the child of Amun-Ra. She adopted a male form of her name, wore traditional male regalia, and commissioned statues that blended masculine and feminine traits. This created a queer convergence of form, role, and legacy that honored the past while defining her present. For 22 years, she expanded trade, commissioned architectural marvels, and oversaw campaigns in Nubia. After her death, Thutmose III and Amenhotep II waged a campaign to deface her likeness, erasing much of her visual history from Egypt for generations.

“Ka-Ma-Ra, the Horus of Gold, Bestower of the Years, Conqueror of all Lands, Vivifier of Hearts, Chief Spouse of Amun, and the Mighty One.”

—Hatshepsut

To see life through her eyes is to see Egypt at a time of radical possibility, where gender, power, and artistry intersect.

The fragrance begins with kyphi, the sacred incense of Egyptian royalty. Each pharaoh’s kyphi was distinct. It was a ceremonial and protective blend worn and burned alike. Hatshepsut’s kyphi reflected the spoils of trade, incorporating exotic spices, resins, and even unexpected organic matter. In Eye, Hatshepsut, smoke references the burning of kyphi, weaving a delicate veil from top to base notes. Wax and tallow candle facets emulate the ritual atmosphere, lifting and enveloping the wearer in olfactory reverence.

Lotus symbolizes creation and life; papyrus signifies strength and knowledge. These notes honor Upper and Lower Egypt’s unity, symbolized by the ankh. The wadjet, also known as the Eye of Horus/Ra, shapes the fragrance conceptually. Its protective symbolism and fractional structure, expressed as 63/64, suggest something nearly whole yet forever incomplete, echoing the layered nature of history. Its influence manifests in careful layering, fractioned evolution, and a balance of light, shade, and mystery across the olfactive arc.

Daily rituals of the pharaoh inform the scent. Kohl, worn for adornment and sun protection, lends depth and darkness. Honeyed skin adds warmth and sensuality. Incense smoke wraps each note in sacred ceremony. These elements recall personal care practices that were simultaneously practical, symbolic, and transformative.

Eye, Hatshepsut integrates materials used in mummification, including natron, spices, resins, and oils. As in Egyptian belief, rebirth depends on preservation, a process guided by ritual acts that confront decay and absence directly, echoing the quiet, watchful labor of Anubis as the body is prepared for what comes next.

Eye, Hatshepsut is a scent that reflects her fluidity, her defiance of expectation, and her ability to rewrite the rules of power. Soft florals dance with resinous edges. Smoke and incense carry the weight of ritual. Rare and unusual materials introduce subtle anosmic or experimental notes, revealing themselves slowly over time. The fragrance honors Hatshepsut's legacy while embracing the transformative, ephemeral, and queer qualities of her life.

“My fragrance is like a divine breath; my scent reaches as far as the land of Punt; my skin is that of pure gold… I have no equal amongst the gods who were since the world was.”

—Hatshepsut

Eye, Hatshepsut. Floral-amber-fougère with a hint of green.

Rules rewritten.
Forms unbound.
Sands reshaped.