Heritage
A house, in its own words
Caitlin Hayes founded the company in May 2022 under the name Sorcellerie Apothecary. Early releases arrived as perfume oils in 3.7 ml vials, a size that reflected the brand’s commitment to intimate, wearable art. The first public showcase took place at a pop‑up in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood district, where Hayes shared her process with curious visitors. By late 2022 the line expanded to include alcohol‑based sprays, allowing the scents to travel farther on the skin. In 2023 the brand shortened its name to Sorce and opened a modest storefront at 2123 East 7th Street, offering samples and a space for scent‑focused conversations. That year also saw the debut of Cabanilla, a fragrance that blended tropical fruit with smoky woods, signaling a shift toward more experimental pairings. 2024 brought English Major, a composition that references academic nostalgia with notes of leather‑bound paper and fresh ink, and Match Made in Heaven, a duet of citrus and amber that quickly earned a place on the brand’s best‑selling list according to independent boutique sales data. The following year, Sorce released a series of seasonal scents, including In Dreams and Fairy Tales Strawberry Rosewater and Vampire Wife, each framed as a narrative vignette. Throughout its growth, the house has remained a single‑person operation, with Hayes handling formulation, sourcing, and quality checks herself. The brand’s modest scale allows rapid iteration; new releases appear roughly every six months, keeping the catalog fresh while preserving the handcrafted ethos that defined its origin. Sorce treats fragrance as a language for self‑definition. Hayes describes her work as "bold scent art for self‑expression," a statement that appears on the brand’s About page and is echoed in interviews with indie perfume blogs. The house prioritizes transparency, listing ingredient origins on each product label and inviting customers to ask questions via social media. Sorce rejects mass‑market hype, instead fostering a community that values curiosity over consumption. The brand’s social channels feature open‑ended prompts that encourage followers to share personal memories linked to scent, reinforcing the idea that perfume lives inside the wearer, not on a shelf. Sustainability informs the philosophy as well; the company sources many raw materials from small farms in France and Madagascar, and it ships products in recyclable glass with minimal plastic. By keeping batch sizes small, Sorce can adjust formulas quickly, responding to feedback about wearability and skin compatibility. This iterative loop reflects a belief that perfume should evolve with the people who wear it, rather than remaining static.