The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Hecateis was composed and launched in 2022. The fragrance draws on a note list that reads like an apothecary shelf: galbanum, orris root, valerian, violet, lotus, sweet acacia, jonquil, and monkshood. April Engloner is the nose behind Lvnea, a Montréal-based natural perfumery and apothecary known for small-batch production and compositions that lean unisex. Each release arrives with the quiet specificity of a real botanical, materials chosen for what they bring to the skin rather than what they signal on a shelf. Hecateis sits firmly in that lineage. The galbanum carries a sharp, resinous green that feels closer to a snapped stem than to any abstract citrus.
What gives Hecateis its structural character is the way its floral and botanical elements interact rather than blend. Galbanum brings a sharp, almost bitter green that cuts cleanly through the powder of orris and violet, giving the composition its first edge. Valerian and monkshood deepen that edge, adding an earthy, slightly uneasy undertone that prevents the florals from ever drifting into simple prettiness. Lotus and acacia soften the whole with water-flower sweetness, yet the fragrance never fully surrenders to that softness.
The evolution
Hecateis opens with a burst of galbanum so sharp it reads almost mentholated, the green of a stem snapped cleanly in half. That brightness steps back as the orris arrives, powdery and cool, with violet folding in beneath it like a softer shadow. The heart settles into a dense floral thicket: lotus lending its watery sweetness, jonquil adding that golden, almost narcotic floral hum, and acacia threading honeyed lightness through the darker flowers. Somewhere underneath, valerian hums its earthy, slightly animalic note, the part of the composition that feels less like perfume and more like something brewed in a back room. Over the next few hours the powder deepens. Orris dominates the late heart, and the whole composition gradually pulls inward. The drydown becomes a close-skin whisper of violet, orris root, and that persistent valerian warmth. It doesn't project widely.
Cultural impact
Hecateis carries a distinctly apothecary character that sets it apart from conventional florals. Its powdery violet-orris backbone connects it to a long lineage of classic floral compositions, yet the galbanum sharpness and valerian undertone steer it somewhere less familiar. The fragrance reads like something prepared rather than simply applied, closer to a botanical infusion than a fashion accessory. Wearing it feels less like making a statement and more like carrying a small, specific ritual object, something personal and contained.
