The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Toskovat' emerged in 2022 from the hands of David-Lev Jipa Slivinschi, a self-taught Romanian perfumer operating without formal training but with a precise point of view. The brand name pulls from тоска, the Russian word for a longing that has no specific target, no clear object. This is not nostalgia in the comfortable sense. It is the ache of something almost remembered, and each fragrance functions as an extrait de mémoire, a concentrated extract of a feeling rather than a place or event. Things We Never Shared is the olfactory equivalent of standing at the edge of a shared memory that belongs entirely to you now. The notes were never meant to smell pleasant in the conventional sense. They were meant to smell true.
The note selection in Things We Never Shared follows no genre logic, and that is the point. The opening pairs Mulled Wine with Advocaat, two heavily cultural beverages, one spiced and alcoholic, the other rich and eggy, creating an olfactory collision that feels familiar yet impossible to name. Narcissus and Hyacinth were chosen not for their commercial appeal but for their green, almost indolic intensity, the kind of florals that demand attention. The heart leans hard into confectionery territory, Blackcurrant macaron and Chocolate cake sitting alongside Panettone and Plum Jam, because the memory being described is not a single moment but an accumulation of shared meals and sweet things eaten in silence.
The evolution
The opening of Things We Never Shared arrives like a scene from a winter kitchen, Mulled Wine and Advocaat colliding in a way that is simultaneously festive and unsettling. The spiced wine warmth collides with a thick, egg-cream richness, Narcissus and Hyacinth injecting a green, almost electric floral pulse beneath the surface. Mandarin Orange flickers briefly, a flash of zest before the florals take over. As the top notes begin their slow fade, the heart opens like a bakery door in the early morning, Blackcurrant macaron leading with its tart-sweet intensity, Chocolate cake following close behind with deep cocoa richness. Honey drips slowly over Panettone, Plum Jam spreads sweetness across the mid-section, and Almond threads through with a dry, bitter edge that keeps the gourmand heart from becoming saccharine. The Orange note arrives late, a citrus brightness that lifts the density before the drydown pulls everything inward. The base settles like a closed room, Toffee and Skin cream wrapping the skin in warmth, Cocoa blending into this creamy skin accord.
Cultural impact
Things We Never Shared arrived in 2022 alongside a small wave of memory-driven niche fragrances, but it stands apart through its specific nostalgia, the week before Christmas, not Christmas itself. The name alone has generated discussion: it implies intimacy, unspoken moments, things held back. Community reviews describe it as 'a gourmand lover's dream' and note that the mulled wine note is particularly authentic to Romanian seasonal traditions. The divisive element is density: some find the pastry-heart overwhelming, others find it deeply satisfying. That polarization is typical for Toskovat', compositions that don't aim for universal appeal. Wearers describe it as the scent of someone who walks into a room and doesn't need to announce themselves.
