Why Icelandic Fragrance Is Taking Over the Perfume World—Plus 3 Outlets to Go to

Trying to deliver residence a reminiscence of Iceland’s famed landscapes? Strive stopping at certainly one of the capital’s high-end perfume retailers, a lot of which have been based by visible or musical artists.

Fischersund, a family-run model co-founded by Jónsi Birgisson of the band Sigur Rós and his sisters Lilja, Ingibjörg, and Sigurros, started with a single bottle—No. 23, a mix of aniseed and black pepper that Jónsi initially made for himself in 2017. Inspired byLilja to share it with others, the scent turned the inspiration for a model that now features a portfolio of fragrances made out of Icelandic important oils. “They’re very private, primarily based on our childhood recollections rising up in Iceland, surrounded by nature,” Jónsi says.

Every scent is accompanied by atmospheric, scene-setting textual content. Take No. 54, for example, described as “heavy slow-drying oil portray, Icelandic alpine fir, footsteps in frozen grass, and salt licorice.” The fan-favorite Útilykt—that means “the scent of the outside”—evokes the clear, bracing scent of somebody simply in from the chilly, and has change into so beloved it’s now supplied in candle and room spray type as effectively.

Fischersund’s Reykjavik boutique, housed in one of many metropolis’s oldest picket buildings, gives immersive scent experiences: visitors are invited to sip selfmade schnapps, shut their eyes, and be guided by means of perfume and story. “Scent, like music, speaks a common language,” says Lilja. For these unable to make the journey, Jónsi  periodically phases “scented concert events”—multi-sensory reveals that mix music and scent—in several cities world wide (thus far together with Cork, Copenhagen, and Los Angeles.)

Equally, visible and efficiency artist Andrea Maack, who created her namesake fragrance model in 2012, channels particular Icelandic environments. Right now, she runs a studio, lab, and occasion area close to the Blue Lagoon. Each perfume is developed, bottled, and packaged in Iceland, utilizing native water and Icelandic alcohol. Maack’s assortment channels the nation’s stark magnificence and surreal moods. “Coven,” a runaway hit (and TikTok favourite), evokes the scent of a humid forest flooring. “Gentle Stress” was impressed by getting misplaced in white fog stated to be inhabited by trolls within the Icelandic Highlands. “Solstice”—a mix with an sudden watermelon notice—captures the surreal pleasure of tenting beneath the pink skies of June’s midnight solar.

Whereas these perfumes have change into a must-discover for guests to the Icelandic capital, they’re additionally gaining worldwide acclaim—showing on the cabinets of buzzy perfume boutiques from  Stéle in New York to Nostril Store in Osaka  and incomes cult standing amongst scent aficionados. Two manufacturers, particularly, are main the cost.

Curiosity in perfume is booming, Maack notes, significantly amongst youthful Icelanders. “Teenage boys are calling me a few scent I’ve referred to as Supernova,” she says. “Generally their mothers ask if they’ll come by the home to select it up. That’s very Iceland.”

Must you go sniffing round Reykjavik, you’ll seemingly bump into extra native scent purveyors—like Ilmur & Sjór, a small-batch line based by Nicholas Brittain Shaber, whose bio (“composer and industrial fisherman”) may solely come from the Land of Fireplace and Ice.

“Iceland will be gloomy within the winter,” Lilja says. “Folks survive it by being artistic, as a result of you need to counteract the darkness with some magic. That’s why everybody you meet is an artist, musician, photographer, or author.”

A model of this story first appeared within the November 2025 concern of Journey + Leisure beneath the headline “One thing Within the Air.”