The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Ghost began on the Old Vancouver Island Highway at dawn, that suspended hour when night hasn't quite released and day hasn't fully arrived. Sunyata Calogeros-Smith was driving through forest thick with shadow, fog clinging to the treetops, the world holding its breath. It was a moment of pure threshold: neither here nor there, neither dark nor light. The air was thick with moisture and the quiet anticipation of transition. Forest enveloped the road, trees pressing close, their silhouettes softened by mist. There was no sound except the tires on asphalt and the occasional drip of condensation from branches overhead. Everything felt held in suspension, waiting for something to shift.
The old books accord brings something unexpected to the composition. Rather than mimicking a library, it suggests aged paper without the obvious dust. There is warmth here, but also restraint. The material feels read, handled, alive with the memory of attention. Vanilla introduces a gentle sweetness that prevents the accord from becoming austere, creating balance rather than dominance. White musk provides lift, suggesting the fragrance exists in motion rather than settling flat against the skin. Camphor keeps everything grounded in coolness, preventing warmth from taking over.
The evolution
The opening presents camphor's cool edge alongside the ozonic breadth of air accord. There is a medicinal quality to the camphor, something clean and direct, followed by the expansive feeling of open air. Neither element announces itself loudly. Within a moderate timeframe, iris emerges and introduces softness, its powdery character toning down the initial sharpness. The camphor remains present but recedes, continuing to influence the fragrance from underneath. White flowers appear in the heart, their presence transparent and light. As time passes, the drydown introduces old books and vanilla, their interaction creating something warmer while white musk maintains the overall balance. The fragrance develops through distinct phases, each note taking its turn before yielding to what follows. It is a composition that rewards patience, unfolding gradually rather than all at once.
Cultural impact
The contemporary fragrance landscape includes space for compositions that prioritize intimacy over projection. Ghost responds to this sensibility with a quiet presence that works close to the skin rather than filling a room. It represents a choice about how fragrance functions, offering an alternative to aggressive sillage.
The House
UNTAMEDUntamed Perfumes is an independent niche fragrance house founded in 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The house emerged from the creative vision of Sunyata Calogeros-Smith, a Canadian-born perfumer who transitioned from a career in somatic psychotherapy to pursue olfactory art. Handcrafting each composition in small batches, Untamed creates fragrances that function as sensory explorations rather than conventional signature scents. The catalog spans themes ranging from Pacific Northwest landscapes (Salish Sea, 2022) to mythological imagery (Running With The Wolves, 2021), Mediterranean warmth (My Greek Lover, 2022), and introspective darkness (Ghost, 2024). The brand operates without a dedicated in-house perfumer attributed to each release, suggesting Calogeros-Smith serves as the primary creative force across the entire collection. Untamed maintains an active presence in niche fragrance communities through direct-to-consumer sales and social media engagement, building recognition among collectors who value unconventional approaches to fragrance composition.
The Creator
Sunyata Calogeros-SmithSunyata's style resists the predictable architectures common in commercial fragrance. She favors natural materials and botanical complexity, working with the irregularities that make natural ingredients unpredictable and alive.
