The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In 2018, Chris Rusak built 33 as a self-portrait in fragrance form. He chose three natural ingredients he most reveres, Haitian vetiver, orris, and angelica root, and committed them to bottle in a composition designed to function as his olfactory signature. The choice of his lucky number as the title wasn't decorative; it signaled ownership. A perfume that is, explicitly, him. The nearly 90% natural formula reflects both a philosophical stance and an artistic one. Rusak has described hyraceum, the tincture anchoring the base, as smelling like a natural history museum. That reference tells you everything about how he thinks about fragrance: not as product or commodity, but as artifact.
The interplay between three core ingredients defines 33's structure. Vetiver provides the mineral, slightly smoky foundation that everything else builds on. Iris, used as both butter and resinoid, brings the powdery warmth, the slight sweetness of cocoa that tempers vetiver's intensity. Angelica sits between them, aromatic and slightly bitter, bridging the gap. The addition of cypriol and hyraceum deepens the base considerably. Hyraceum, fossilized musk, animalic in origin, keeps the composition grounded. Cypriol adds earthy, almost tar-like depth. The result is a drydown that feels architectural, mineral-rich, and long-lasting without ever becoming sweet or cloying.
The evolution
The opening hits sharp and clear. Vetiver announces itself with immediate mineral-green intensity, followed quickly by the bright, slightly licorice-like quality of fennel. Paprika, the hidden note in the orris, adds a subtle warmth beneath. It reads as clean, sophisticated, and slightly astringent. Not harsh, but definitely not soft. Within the first hour, the structure shifts. Iris takes prominence, softening the vetiver without overwhelming it. The powdery warmth expands, the cocoa-like facets of the orris resinoid emerge. Angelica provides an aromatic counterpoint, slightly bitter, keeping the composition grounded. Cypriol weaves through, adding earthy depth that prevents any sweetness from dominating. The drydown is where 33 earns its reputation. Vetiver settles into a warm, mineral base. Iris lingers in its powdery phase, soft and close to the skin. Hyraceum persists as a quiet animalic undertone, museum-dust, not animalic in the confrontational sense. The cypriol grounds everything in earth. On fabric, this persists for hours.
Cultural impact
33 occupies a specific position in contemporary perfumery: it was built as a self-portrait, not a market offering. The nearly 90% natural composition and Rusak's use of hyraceum, fossilized musk, described by the perfumer himself as smelling like a natural history museum, mark it as work that prioritizes distinctiveness over accessibility. For collectors who approach fragrance as an intellectual pursuit, this is the appeal: a composition that rewards attention.
The House
Chris RusakChris Rusak arrived in niche perfumery as a visual artist and UCLA art history graduate, bringing a painter's sensibility to scent. His Los Angeles studio produces fragrances that read less like products and more like creative statements—each bottle a condensed artwork with a conceptual title. Rusak bypasses traditional retail entirely, selling direct to collectors who seek work that challenges rather than comforts. His compositions draw from a broad cultural spectrum, weaving references from classical perfumery into structures that feel distinctly of-the-moment. The result is a small but serious body of work that has earned devoted followers among those who want their fragrances to provoke thought, not just smell pleasant.
The Creator
Chris RusakDescribed by collectors as simultaneously airy and dense, Rusak's compositions favor contradictory textures that shift and layer in unexpected ways. His work references classical fragrance structures without adhering to them, borrowing techniques from art history to construct…
