The Story
Why it exists.
Chapter 1 of Sorce's Love Story Collection begins here, with desire, but not the romantic kind. This is the wanting before the wanting. The perfume asks: what if you cast a spell and you were the one under it? Caitlin Hayes built this around a simple idea, the moment you choose something before you know why. Blueberry jam as the opening is deliberate: sweet, domestic, almost innocent. Then the violets creep in and the name clicks. "Chapter 1: Desire", this is the before.
If this were a song
Community picks
Do You Believe in Magic?
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Beginning
Chapter 1 of Sorce's Love Story Collection begins here, with desire, but not the romantic kind. This is the wanting before the wanting. The perfume asks: what if you cast a spell and you were the one under it? Caitlin Hayes built this around a simple idea, the moment you choose something before you know why. Blueberry jam as the opening is deliberate: sweet, domestic, almost innocent. Then the violets creep in and the name clicks. "Chapter 1: Desire", this is the before.
The combination sounds like a kitchen experiment. What makes it work is the restraint. Most fruity florals rush to sweetness, this one lingers in the green. Ivy and lavender add an aromatic layer that pulls the fruit away from obvious territory. Star anise appears late, just enough to remind you that not everything in this perfume is soft. It's the aromatic counterweight that keeps the jam from becoming syrup.
The Evolution
The opening hits thick, blueberry jam, sweet, immediate. Violet arrives within minutes, more powdery than fresh. Ivy keeps things green and the sweetness from tipping into syrupy. Lavender and sugar carry the heart. Then star anise appears around the two-hour mark, anise, slightly bitter, unexpected. Vanilla settles last, pulling everything into a warm close that holds for another four hours on skin. The drydown is quieter than the opening but not weak.
Cultural Impact
The Love Story Collection arrived in 2024 as part of a quiet moment in indie fragrance, a push toward storytelling over note-count, toward emotional resonance over complexity. Sorce sits in a niche space between art and accessibility, and This is Not a Love Spell is the collection's opening statement. It's the fragrance for someone who wants the story before the scent.
The House
United States · Est. 2022
Sorce began as a modest experiment in Charlotte, North Carolina, where founder Caitlin Hayes turned her home‑lab blends into a small‑batch perfume label. The brand offers a rotating catalog of niche scents, each released in limited quantities and presented in minimalist glass vessels. Sorce’s lineup includes playful titles such as In Dreams and Fairy Tales Blueberry (2025) and more contemplative notes like English Major (2024). The house focuses on scent as personal expression, inviting collectors to explore fragrance as a daily ritual rather than a fleeting trend. By keeping production tight and distribution direct, Sorce maintains a hands‑on relationship with its community of indie perfume enthusiasts.
If this were a song
Community picks
This fragrance smells like casting a spell in your kitchen while something waits for you outside. Sweet, slightly witchy, intimate, a playlist that matches the wanting before the wanting. Enchanted, but make it late night.
Do You Believe in Magic?
The Lovin' Spoonful
