At Domestica, Home is an Honest Lie
- Ruby Robison
- 52 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The Chicago-based perfume label’s debut scents dabble in the art of confabulation, from Band-Aid accords to the smell of cereal milk.
Domestica has managed to create an impressive debut introduction for themselves amid the ever-rising scene of independent American perfumers. Heralded by Chicago-based couple Marty Schissler and Alvaro Lozano, their scents capture the joys of the domicile, without being stuffy or relying on ironic archetypes. In fact, all three scents are very accessible, capturing three distinct moments: playing outside, eating a bowl of cereal, and having a sick day with a loved one.
These are intimate and youthful fragrances rooted in the concept of confabulation — a neuropsychiatric disorder where the patient produces false memories unintentionally. It can include small details, entire events, or broader dynamics, as a way to integrate an aspect of self and fill gaps in memory. Some psychologists speculate that such false truths are due to low-grade forms of amnesia or a post-traumatic response to protect one's sense of self.
Domestica has a playful take on confabulation, calling it “honest lying”. A creative language this clear is rare for a brand as new as they are. The team behind these scents has rejected the common marketing tactic of exotic escapism; Domestica’s brand of escapism isn’t about retreating from the material world but about escaping towards what is right in front of you. Their perfumes want to remind you it's okay to be grounded. And where better to land than home?
The first fragrance I had the opportunity to smell was Yard, a fresh, green, slightly aquatic fragrance. At first spritz, I sense lemon mist, a touch of mint, and water. It’s like drinking from the hose as a kid. Once it settles, a strong chlorophyll emerges, finished with a touch of tomato leaf rolled in the earth. It’s reminiscent of a long day playing outside while your mom manicures a garden bed. A couple of hours later, I still detected the chlorophyll and mint; however, it's sweeter and blends into a fresh skin scent, likely due to the vetiver and green pepper base. Fans of Mandhi Rhubi from Isabelle Larignon will appreciate the vegetal base, and those who crave something more complex from their aquatic scents will cherish the longevity. In the emerging ranks of independent midwestern perfumers, Yard is a wonderful entry into the canon of scents that capture youthful summers spent outside. Wearing Yard made me feel like anything is possible; the most divine thing may be in my backyard, or running through the sprinkler. Its balance of effervescence and earth feels right at home next to cult favorites like Clue’s Dandelion Butter and Pearfat’s Kewpie Doll.
Domestica’s second scent in the trilogy is Reckless Baby. It is the clear standout of the three, featuring a delicious fruity cereal accord, followed by a pang-in-your-chest nostalgia loaded with a dose of colored pencil shavings. I have never smelled anything like it; Schissler and Lozano have achieved the perfect balance of fruity, lactonic, and woodsy without relying on any of the trendy fruity gourmand tropes flooding the market. The opening includes a synthetic pear accord paired with a strong pink pepper, keeping ripened fruit from leaning overtly sweet. As the pink pepper fades, Fruit Loops take center stage. On my skin and a test strip, this lasted hours. The sleeve of my sweater even smelled like cereal milk the next morning. The cereal accord never fully fades, eventually inviting in the pencil shaving note. It brings back distinct memories of walking up to the pencil sharpener in elementary school during craft time, right after eating an individual serving of prepackaged Fruit Loops in the cafeteria. Reckless Baby moves like a memory, seamlessly shifting between notes no matter how long it's been. Sometimes it's a ripe fruit, sometimes cold milk brings you to the breakfast table. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, a whiff of something new comes out, pulling you back in.
Home With You is the first fragrance developed for their debut collection, inspired by a sick day at home with a loved one. Some of the listed notes include cherry cough drop, Band-Aid accord, and someone to hold. This perfume is less wearable than the other, more playful fragrances, yet it has the strongest projection of the three. The traditional mix of white flowers and resins tends to create sexual, voluptuous scents that veer matronly. Domestica’s take on an animalic white floral has the medicinal quality pumped up to the max, with a mentholated cherry dominating the composition. At first, I was repulsed and turned off, possibly because of the stark contrast with the other two. However, I kept coming back for more. As it evolves, the cherry dissipates, and a note I can only describe as penicillin emerges. I imagine this is supposed to be the band-aid accord, supported by carrot seed and orris. Carrot seed keeps the composition energized, trying to bridge the gap between sterile and animal notes. The menthol never truly fades, overpowering the coziness of opoponax. Home With You is an incredibly literal interpretation of a sick day. It brings to mind the cravings one has when sick: someone to hold, a medicine to take the pain away, and the slightly vile sweetness of retreating from the world.
Connotations of domestic environments evoke images of nuclear families, 1950s housewives, a pristine lawn, an apron-clad worker. Instead of leaning on traditional evocations, Domestica goes inward. They open up memories, small moments of bliss and tenderness. For queer people, especially those who grew up in traditional American domiciles, these memories either don’t exist or become overshadowed by a culture of fear surrounding expressing one's identity. Smelling these perfumes offers a way to redefine that relationship through the honest lie of ephemera. Suddenly, playing in the yard as a carefree child is not a fantasy, just something you forgot you did. Domestica’s version of a home is one of color and self-expression. You can have sugary cereal for dinner and a mess of drawings on the coffee table. It’s undone, the sweetest mess to bathe in for your moment of respite.
Domestica is sure to be a welcome addition to the collection of independent Midwest perfumers selling nostalgia in a bottle. The first three scents are available for $140 a bottle on their website, as well as Everything, and the Center of Order and Experimentation, both in Chicago. They will also be at Fumed, an exposition for independent perfumers and consumers, set to take place on March 28 in Chicago.
By returning to the home, a place that can be a site of tenderness — or painful beginnings for queer people — is reframed as one of play, comfort, expression, and nostalgia. Marty Schissler and Alvaro Lozano offer their customers an opportunity to reclaim a space that, for many, holds complicated feelings and disjointed memories. The magic of Domestica lies within leaning into that memory gap, holding a place for a simpler world that the wearer can always return to. In queering the domestic, they allow the wearer to engage in this honest lie. And it's addicting. 🌀
Ruby Robison is a multidisciplinary artist originally from rural Oregon. She has lived and worked all over the United States as well as in Amsterdam as a writer, model, actor, and media researcher. Her creative process includes Socratic seminars in the back of an Uber and sleeping 10 hours a night. Currently, she serves as the art editor for Sabr Tooth Tiger Magazine and has perfume column on Dirty Magazine. Links to a variety of her work can be found on Instagram @darlingmsbaby.