The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Lore was born as part of Néomirage's Signature Trilogy, a collection built around the ideas of remembering, forgetting, and occupying an in-between state. Its title points directly at shared memories: stories, beliefs, and knowledge that shift as they're passed from one person to another. The fragrance presents itself as an interpretation of that idea, tracing the way an initial impression can gather warmth, texture, and association as it develops on the skin. Bright citrus and herbal notes establish the first impression, then give way to a richer blend of incense, sweetness, earth, and soft musk. The result is a fragrance about reconstruction, where the opening and drydown remain connected even as the composition becomes warmer, darker, and more intimate over time.
The unusual part is the handoff between polished brightness and dense resin. Grapefruit brings a clean, modern edge, while thyme adds an herbal, almost windswept note. Incense introduces a softly lit, gently smoky character as vanilla rounds the composition with a smooth sweetness. Then patchouli and cashmeran pull everything toward earth and skin, balancing the earlier brightness with deeper woody and musky textures. It's a structure built around revision: what begins as a clean impression becomes warmer, darker, and more intimate without losing its original thread.
The evolution
The opening arrives with grapefruit's clean brightness and thyme's herbal snap. That tension is the first surprise: citrus behaves less like a fresh splash and more like light catching on an old object. As the scent settles, incense brings a measured plume of smoke, while vanilla softens the edges with a creamy sweetness. Later, patchouli deepens the drydown, earthy and slightly damp, while cashmeran lays down a soft, musky texture that brings the composition closer to the skin. The bright opening gradually recedes, but its citrus memory remains connected to the warmer notes that follow. Lore settles into a warm, smoky-resinous signature, balancing the clarity of grapefruit with the herbal character of thyme, the gentle darkness of incense, and the creamy sweetness of vanilla.
Cultural impact
Lore belongs to Néomirage's Signature Trilogy, where remembering, forgetting, and liminality become distinct olfactory subjects. The fragrance offers a way to explore those ideas through scent rather than through a fixed narrative or inherited convention. Grapefruit and thyme create an opening marked by clarity and herbal energy, while incense, vanilla, patchouli, and cashmeran gradually introduce smoke, sweetness, earth, and skin-close softness. As these notes change in prominence, the composition becomes a study in recollection: bright and immediate at first, then warmer and more textured later.
The House
NéomirageNéomirage is a contemporary fragrance house founded in 2025 by Alexander Kasses. Based in Vienna, the house develops compositions inspired by art, illusion, memory, and modern storytelling. Its first trio of fragrances, launched in 2026, is built around the ideas of remembering, forgetting, and occupying an in-between state. Lore – The Scent of Remembering explores recollection, Lac Amné – The Scent of Forgetting turns toward loss and absence, and Limen – The Scent for On-Between considers the space between categories and moments. The name Néomirage combines “néo” with “mirage,” suggesting something new and elusive at once. Néomirage presents its fragrances as fully composed and produced in Vienna, with an identity rooted in artistic framing rather than a conventional narrative of inherited perfumery.
The Creator
Alexander KassesKasses’s most distinctive signature lies in the union of structure and atmosphere, a style shaped by his work across music and visual art. While specific ingredient preferences are not consistently documented, his approach suggests compositions built around contrast, texture,…
