El Cosmico

Deserts are my favorite landscapes. I grew up around them in Southern California, and I've spent plenty of time in many of them throughout the American Southwest and the Middle East. I haven't been to Marfa, but this fragrance reminds me of deserts like the Mojave Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. The herbal scents of low desert shrubs and the medicinal aroma of the driest woods on the planet sear your nostrils as you inhale a bone-dry gust of hot air. This scent perfectly captures that moment when a soft gust of air swirls together all those scents lingering over the hot desert floor, suddenly stinging your nostrils as you inhale, invigorating your senses and awakening you to the purity and grandeur that is the desert. I blind bought a full bottle despite reading the negative reviews comparing it to wicker baskets and Cowboy Grass. It's true that this fragrance shares a dry woodiness that's reminiscent of wicker goods, but El Cosmico is so much more than that. As others have noted, there are herbal/medicinal notes as well as a soft dry and sweet creaminess. As for Cowboy Grass, I fully appreciate that it also evokes an austere, isolated landscape. But for me Cowboy Grass is a prairie fragrance, not a desert one. The Great Plains extends into much, if not most, of Texas, so the association with Texas is not surprising. But as someone who grew up by the deserts of the Southwest and who currently lives in the Great Plains, the scents I associate with each are distinct. That brings us to the issue of wearability. Cowboy Grass is certainly the more wearable of the two, and could even work with a t-shirt and jeans. But given its name, it's apparent that El Cosmico is meant for individuals who are not of this world. This isn't for someone flying under the radar with khakis and a button up. This is for rugged pioneers donning boots, large belt buckles, and wide-brimmed hats; avant-garde misfits clad in monochromatic tones; and New Age shamans meditating under the desert moon. For these eccentric individuals, El Cosmico feels right at home.

El Cosmico is not my favorite from DS & Durga because it contains a note that I don't like (khella). The scent of most plants from the Apiaceae family, like celery, angelica, cow parsnip, etc. make me very literally want to vomit. It's an inexplicable physiological reaction. That aside, I still respect this fragrance and would enjoy it if that particular family of plants didn't bother me so much. El Cosmico smells dry (i.e. opposite of sweet) and herbal, with a muted celery/parsley-like quality, and a bit of very natural smelling wood. I would say oak more than pine, as this does not smell like an evergreen fragrance whatsoever to me. I notice a rubbery scent that I attribute to creosote bush (which I know better by the common name of chaparral, or the Latin name Larrea tridentata), since the taste of it is very medicinal, much like antiseptic. I think the use of chaparral here is clever because it hints at a distant smokiness without being overtly smoky. It's like a campfire that is hundreds of miles away, the smoke having drifted across the barren landscape for hundreds of miles. Along the way, it picked up the scent of the volatile oils oozing from the leaves of the hardy desert brush. I don't see frankincense listed here, but I swear that I smell it in the base. All of this adds up to a very unique and fascinating scent, like an herbal, vegetal frankincense fragrance. Perfect when your "church" is the great outdoors--in this case the starry desert skies. Longevity is several hours with soft projection. Verdict--An extremely compelling fragrance that makes me wish I didn't loath the umbel family so much, or I'd surely need a full bottle. I had to vote "Love" regardless of the fact that the khella makes me queasy. Edit: I just realized that the scent of khella reminds me of an ingredient my mother uses in one of her dishes, and she refers to it as "Chinese celery," but I am not 100% certain what the correct name is. The taste is indeed a cross between celery and parsley.

Almost freakishly evocative of a bone-dry, big sky desert, complete with thrilling wafts of dry herbs, desiccated wood and natural resin. It took me right where it was meant to, to the arid American Southwest, despite the fact I've never been there! I smelled this in the recent exhibition in Somerset House, London, called "Perfume", which is all about provoking your other senses to consider how you perceive and react to scent - and it was a hugely successful experiment. This has a natural beauty and magnetism to make you linger and it's a brilliant example of scent which evokes a specific spot. Some might think it more the smell of a wonderful place, than a perfume they'd want to apply to themselves ... but it's their loss... this is pure olfactory magic, imho, verging on witchcraft in its conjuring power. At D S & Durga prices I am unlikely to ever afford a FB of this, but it is an experience that anyone who enjoys scent and has a chance to sample, should try - even just once. It truly takes you on a journey - sorry if that sounds pretentious, as well as being a terrible cliche, but it DOES! (Unless you already live in Marfa, West Texas, and go on a lot of hikes anyway, of course.) I didn't get to apply any directly (at the exhibition you had to sniff it from some sort of weird stone diffuser?) so cannot comment on how it behaves in real life, though.

it has pine and gasoline with an hot incense that hits you in the back of your throat. it makes your nose open. i see why it can be described as camphor, but not in scent---its the effect of opening lungs for tonic air. it has a really piercing almost synthetic note at first smell. its the pepper no doubt. i find it so appealing, its unmistakable. on skin its has a round wooden warmness that keeps your feet in cooling sand. works so well on skin especially when its hot. warms up incredibly and you get less pine and more of a fresh, dirt after rain resin smell. on me there is a faint sweetness. barely and soft. it doesn't really last too long on me, which makes me so sad. it is pretty assertive when first sprayed though. i was living in Chicago at the time when i bought it. i'm from LA . it was summer and i was missing the west and camping. its fresh and green with out being light or shallow. its so sexy in a supernatural way. i would wear it when i was first dating my partner and every time i put it on they smile. it reminds us of organic, sweaty, pure nights . like falling in love with a landscape not a person. i find that most unisex scents are based in musk and amber and really lean in skin and that commonality. this one has none of that. it feels human because of the experience it evokes.

So let me start off by saying that Marfa holds a place in my heart, and some of my fondest memories have been at El Cosmico. I can honestly say that this particular scent, the more I sniff, the more it unlocks those fond memories. With that said, I don't think this perfume will be for everyone, and if you're looking for a more straightforward, smokey, cowboy scent from this house: Cowboy Grass is probably the scent for you. The way this perfume opens I did not like. It is really acidic and bitter, almost like gasoline or metal, like some of the other reviewers have mentioned. Its magic is in the dry down. There is a sweet woodiness, and more importantly a warm sandiness that accurately captures a hot windless afternoon, swaying in a hammock at El Cosmico, sipping on a Coke. I get the cola scent that others pick up on, but in this particular perfume, it works for me at conjuring up the memories of El Cosmico. If you wear perfumes for others to enjoy, you might want to skip this one. If you wear perfumes because you want to recall a memory, and that memory is a pre-Covid evening at the Trans-Pecos music festival, a dip in a fire powered hot tub, or your first experience of photographing the Marfa lights, then give this one a try.

I have recently delved deep into American mysteries located in desert landscapes. I am from Northern Europe, and so I find it hard to totally entrench myself into the culture and landscape these cases take place in, and so I reawakened my interest for DS&DURGA. To me, their scents, similarly to those by maison Margiela, revoke memories and transfers you to destinations and situations - both familiar and completely new. El cosmico opens with a poignant herbal scent, not necessarily pleasant, yet very intriguing. I find it similar to cilantro, it is cold and clean. Peeking through the aromatics is a conifer pine scent which is very realistic. This immediately reminded me of dusty costal beaches in Greece, perhaps aided by the sand note, making me believe it also smells like what American deserts give off scent wise. I don’t have any reference points for what either khella nor creosote bush smell like, but there is a faint aromatic sweetness peaking through the layers as the scent warms up, making it more wearable. Despite the scent fading rather quickly, I actually love it. The price is not justified however, but there is something about this, the mystery of American deserts that intrigues me enough to consider a purchase.

Creosote, khella, dry sand... the DSD's team has hit again, and makes a school case of marketing. What I get here is frankincense front, back and center. Yes, because this is what this one is about: frankincense. In the opening, the lemony olibanum is supported by some spices, reminding me (remotely) of DSD Coriander. In the drydown, the spices calm down, and are swapped with some resin (possibly labdanum and very probably fir sap). It seems that DSD follows CdG in issuing an 'incense series' but without saying it (for marketing purposes): indeed, this is the 3rd incense-centirc release of the house, the 'piney/sweet incense' (similar to Jovoy La Liturgie des Heures and CdG Avignon), after Mississipi Medicine, the 'smoky/woody incense' (a mix of CdG Hinoki and Kyoto) and Freetrapper, the 'citrus incense' (more unique, but also underperforming). Given the price and the average performance, I would recommend Jovoy LLDH (tested side-by-side, exactly identical in the drydown), CdG Avignon or Montale FI, instead. Still, the opening is a bit different, and if you don't own any of these 3, El Cosmico remains a great option.

Second foray into niche territory. Usually do Designer EDTs during my workweek, and I am currently looking into more adventurous scents for my days off. Went in the DS and Durga storefront in Greenwich Village to sample around. Mississippi Medicine and Burning Barbershop both caught my nose, but El Cosmico hit the spot. Threw me back to The Grand Canyon circa 2002. The khella and dry pine are lovely. It is strange how this fragrance "feels" hot. Wore it during a 90F+ summer day felt fine, but I am excited to try this out during the winter. Longevity is fantastic. 6 hours of strong projection (3ft) with the khella and pine elements being the main attraction. After that, a solid 4 hours of medium projection (8-12in) with the dry pine and "sandy" notes. Slowly wears down to skin with the woodier elements of the pine still present on my skin the next morning. Worth the price tag. Definitely at the top end of what I would shell out for a fragrance, but definitely holds up its end of the bargain in terms of both olfactive satisfaction and technical performance.

My favourite from the brand, uses the medium that is DS. & DURGA in the best possible way. The imagery, inspiration, marketing material, spotify playlist, the scent itself. Everything surrounding this fragrance is there for a reason, and Moltz's composition style fits the theme perfectly. The scent itself is believable, grounded, yet very artistic. I believe that rolling around high on LSD on the Marfa desert observing aliens smells this way. Everything feels tame and over exaggerated at the same time, the dust is rounded, but very diffusive, the greens are creamy, but bitter, and the woods are as smoky and resinous, as they are sweet. A desert scent, that doesn't rely solely on ambers and dried fruits, and does it with class and realism.

Overall, D.S. and Durga make some of my favorite perfumes. Cowboy Grass is probably as close as I come to a daily wear, but - and despite wearing it much more rarely - El Cosmico is my signature scent. I spent my childhood in northern New Mexico, and although this doesn't actually smell much like that specific place, it smells very much like the spirit of those sorts of places. It wonderfully captures the intensity and *weirdness* of high deserts and big skies. Scentwise, this is grass + gas; it's earthy and piercing, smokey but with a chemical cleanliness. It smells like your dad trying to fix the chainsaw, or the world's best-smelling feedlot. Strange, unique, and intoxicating.

A criminally underrated, under appreciated, and misunderstood masterpiece. I never get tired of smelling this, on me, on fabric, or in the air. Dry woods, sharply herbal and medicinal, with a hint of lingering wood smoke... nothing sweet here, and nothing floral, just naturalistic desert landscape. Pretty linear, but i think that’s kind of the point here. a hike in the desert southwest in January, arid mountains covered in creosote bush after a light rain. By far the best desert inspired perfume I have smelled thus far, as well as my favorite by DS & Durga. Every time I wear this I fall for it again, deeper and deeper, and it never ceases to blow my mind.

This is a UNIQUE juice. I can confidently say I have never smelled anything quite like this. It is haunting and impossible to forget after you first encounter it. Upon second and third sniff, you may begin to think this is otherworldly and a work of art. If you wear perfume for others’ enjoyment, I would not recommend this fragrance. But if you like to wear scents purely to pique your own curiosity and imagination, this is a great option. Maybe just try a small size to start.

I'm very new to appreciating fragrances, so I'm not great at identifying individual notes. I've owned a few different colognes, but wore them infrequently and wasn't enthusiastic about them. The first time I smelled El Cosmico, I was immediately transported to the desert landscape of the Big Bend region. If I pictured myself at Big Bend National Park with a campfire going, and a tent in the background, I would imagine the whole scene smelling like El Cosmico.

This scent is criminally underrated on here - I give DS&Durga credit for taking risks and this certainly is one. It has an addictive almost lactonic sour pine smell that shouldn’t work but does / smells like nothing else I own and could certainly be a signature scent

Absolutely true to life smell of the far west Texas/Chihuahuan desert -- and I know because I grew up there! Gorgeous sand and creosote bush, and ahhh the pinyon pines in winter... 💚🤎🤍 I'm honored by this accurate representation of my home 🌲

I love how this smells on me. I wear it around the house sometimes as a pick me up. It's sweet; it's woodsy; it's sandy. Surprised people don't enjoy wearing it based on these reviews, but, to me, it's hot.

one of my favourites of all time, I wish I could get more. Understandably unique scent that isnt for everybody, and theres certainly an aspect of nostalgia for me but the creosote note is magic to my nose

Conjures up a fantasy of swirling dry brush, bitter medicinal plants, and woods. Feels untethered, a bizarre emptiness. Creosote is such a powerful scent that's grown to haunt me in a welcome way.

This is my first 'review' here :) I loved El Cosmico, it is like nothing I smelled before, I would consider it a work of art. As to wearing it, don't think so Yet glad to have a sample :)

This stuff is MAGICK. Truly never smelled anything like it, and it lasts on my skin for hours and hours. It’s ceremonial, spiritual, and otherworldly. iykyk