Debaser D.S. & Durga

Debaser is a fragrance that interrogates the boundary between fresh and creamy, landing in that uncomfortable, compelling space where neither fully dominates. David Seth Moltz constructs something deliberately unsettling here—the bergamot opens with characteristic brightness, but it's immediately shouldered aside by a leaf green accord that smells like you've crushed bitter vegetation between your palms. This is where Debaser reveals its contrarian streak: rather than allowing citrus to establish dominance, the green notes assert themselves with almost aggressive herbal clarity.

The heart introduces coconut milk and fig, but this isn't the creamy tropical sweetness you might anticipate. Instead, the coconut reads watery and slightly soapy against the fig's jammy earthiness, whilst iris grounds everything with powdery, almost dusty restraint. There's an oddly austere quality here—the creamy accord never fully surrenders to indulgence. It's as though Moltz deliberately prevents the fragrance from becoming comfortable.