Aethi Opum

Genuinely don't even know where to begin with this fragrance. Endlessly nostalgic to me, the smell of rain when it just hits the earth in a hot climate, the smell of a house made out of clay or the inside of a wooden church in the north. The smell of trying to tell your own future by looking at streaks of coffee on your small plate after flipping your cup upside down. These are all very personal assocations to me, but if there's any perfume that I know I love from the bottom of my heart, it's this one. The incense in this is DIVINE! It also lasts a while on my skin, which is a great addition. Can't wait to own a full bottle ♡

Maya is a genius, visionary, pure soul, and true artist. She is the FIRST to use Gowé seeds in a fragrance. She made history in that aspect and also made history by being the first to win an award, The Art and Olfactive award for Aethi Opum in the Artisan category. Excited for what lies ahead for her and will be cheering from the rooftops as she continues to climb in the fragrance ranks while taking Gambia/Senegal/Sweden to the top with her! 🇬🇲 🇸🇳 🇸🇪

I never had to visit any religion classes nor go to a church with family, but I've always admired the architecture, especially the gothic one, and of course the smell of cold walls, incense and old wood. My gosh, this is the ultimate musty church and I'm absolutely in love and in need of a full bottle asap! I don't smell any coffee nor vanilla, fortunately. The church smell is stable throughout the day on me.

Gowe seeds used, and central to the perfume as part of Njies’ Senegalese and Gambian heritage . Probably the first, if not, one of the first to use this and authentically bring it as her culture to a Western market. Fragrantica please list Gowe seeds as a fragrance material, immediately. She rebuilt the material herself for use in perfume herself. A beautiful deep incense forward, haunting and spicy perfume.

I love Maya’s work but wow this one is a level above, a true masterpiece. On my skin this starts pretty earthy, with a wet earth feeling and then the dusty, old incense steals the show, accompanied by the most exquisite coffee note. I think it’s a very nostalgic perfume thanks to the incense note, kinda reminiscent of an old church in the best way possible