The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Kupaloke is a La Fleur by Livvy original, composed by self-taught perfumer Olivia Larson. The 2026 edition updates the original 2018 release, carrying forward Larson's signature approach: all-natural materials, built layer by layer with no shortcuts. The composition treats tuberose not as a supporting player but as the main event, with cacao listed among the top notes alongside bitter almond and orange. The fragrance draws on Larson's childhood memories of scents encountered in India, a personal well that informs how she handles florals with such directness. There's nothing precious or overly polished about how the materials are arranged; the tuberose comes through loud, supported by a structure that knows exactly where it wants to go.
What makes Kupaloke worth a second look is how the notes refuse their usual roles. Bitter almond and cacao aren't typically paired with white florals, but here they create a sweet-nutty shell that holds the tuberose and ylang-ylang without smothering them. The orris root in the middle adds a powdery, rooty depth that keeps the florals from floating away. It's a composition that understands restraint, letting each ingredient argue its case without anyone shouting over the rest.
The evolution
The opening is the quickest part. Bitter almond, orange, neroli, and cacao land in a bright, almost confectionary burst that announces the composition without ceremony. The neroli recedes early, pulling back to let the almond and cacao do their work, and then the white florals move in. Tuberose and ylang-ylang take over with a creamy, slightly indolic richness, while guava adds a tropical fruit sweetness that sits underneath the florals like a quiet current. The orris root settles in next, pulling the composition toward something drier and more powdery as the heart phase matures. Eventually you arrive at the drydown: ambrette gives a clean, musky warmth, cedar grounds it with a steady woody presence, and Siam wood adds a faint smoky edge. What's left wears close to the skin, woody and slightly sweet, with the memory of tuberose still hanging in the air.
Cultural impact
Kupaloke occupies an unusual corner of the fragrance world: a natural, small-batch composition that leads with a notoriously difficult flower. Tuberose is one of those materials that can easily tip into cloying territory or collapse under its own weight in lesser hands, so a fragrance that builds an entire structure around it without leaning on synthetic support is a particular kind of project. The 2026 edition revisits an earlier release from 2018, a reissue of a formula that has had time to establish itself within the catalog.
