The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
NEUP arrived in 2023 from UNDER THE PERGOLA, a young fragrance house drawn to shaded places, close air, and scent that belongs to the atmosphere rather than shouting across it. Sian Lee composed this unisex fragrance with that mood in mind. Its opening brings together cypress, violet leaf, bergamot, and blackcurrant, a brisk meeting of green wood, leafy dampness, citrus light, and dark fruit. The name NEUP, meaning swamp in Korean, gives the composition a useful tension: the garden isn't only blooming. Water is there, too, along with the mineral hush of wet ground and the private warmth of skin.
The structure does something clever with floral materials. Jasmine, wild rose, lily of the valley, and lemon sit in the heart, but they never drift into simple freshness. Violet leaf keeps the top cool and green, blackcurrant adds a dark, juicy edge, and citrus keeps the white flowers moving. Then the base changes the temperature again. Civet gives the drydown a recognizably animalic warmth, while musk, violet, and vetiver make it softer, powdery, and earthy. It's a floral with its collar slightly loosened.
The evolution
The first impression is a cool, leafy lift: cypress and violet leaf make a green frame around bergamot and blackcurrant, with the fruit adding a small, glossy bite rather than a syrupy sweetness. As that brightness settles, jasmine, wild rose, lily of the valley, and lemon arrive as a mixed floral heart. The result feels polished but not innocent, especially once the darker fruit and green leaf notes begin to mingle. In the later stages, civet brings warm skin and a faintly furry texture, while musk softens the edges. Violet and vetiver keep the finish from becoming purely pretty. What lingers is a cool, powdery floral with animalic depth and a faint green earthiness, especially noticeable on fabric or at the crease of an elbow.
Cultural impact
NEUP fits UNDER THE PERGOLA's quiet-intimacy positioning, landing in a contemporary niche register where floral freshness is complicated by green woods, civet, and vetiver. Its appeal is less about announcing a fragrance than creating a distinct atmosphere for the wearer. The Korean title, NEUP, meaning swamp, also adds a cultural layer of tension to a floral green composition: beauty, humidity, and something less polished all occupy the same space.
The House
UNDER THE PERGOLAUNDER THE PERGOLA is a new fragrance house with a compact, intriguing catalogue emerging between 2023 and 2026. Led by perfumer Sian, the brand pairs the intimacy of a shaded garden with compositions made for close, personal wearing. Its name suggests a place to pause, where scent becomes part of the atmosphere rather than a distant performance.
The Creator
Sian LeeThere is not enough verified information to define Sian Lee’s technique or preferred ingredients. The available notes name no materials, extraction methods, composition styles, or performance priorities that can be confidently linked to this perfumer.
