D:SOL CISTUS, image via the brand website 

Founded in 2020 in Berlin by beauty expert Dennis K. Werner, D:SOL redefines what modern luxury should really feel like: sensory, fresh & sleek. On the inside – everything is rooted in the traditional ways and old-school craft and savoir-faire, as the perfumes are processed and produced at Accords et Parfums in Grasse – the legendary artisanal lab founded by Edmond Roudnitska. On the outside, and in your hands, it feels like modern art – from the tactile weight of the hand-polished bottles to the distinctive Bakelite caps made by artisans in Spain, and the understated elegance of the packaging, printed in small German ateliers. D:SOL is a brand that puts ethics and aesthetics on equal footing, and in Dennis Werner’s words, “We are dedicated to creating perfumes that are sophisticated and selective without being elitist. “Inspired by the journey between sun-drenched Mallorca and Berlin, the collection distills this contrast into radiant, thoughtful fragrances – a “sunshine state of mind, bottled” – moments of warmth, energy, and golden light, refracted through the lens of contemporary perfumery.

Dennis K. Werner, behind-the-scenes photos via the brand©

 

For the launch of D:SOL CISTUS, creative director, and founder Dennis Werner teamed up with none other than Delphine Thierry, the perfumer behind two of my favorite ambers of all time – Occitane’s Ambre and Lubin’s Akkad. And here’s what Dennis shared -exclusively for  ÇaFleureBon – about his choice of working with Madame Thierry:

“When envisioning the soul of CISTUS – this amber-rose reverie built around the resinous heart of Cistus as an ingredient – I knew it had to be someone who not only understood the material but who could feel it. Delphine Thierry was the natural choice. Her mastery of amber fragrances, especially when woven with incense, is not merely technical – it is soulful. She has that rare ability to evoke warmth without weight, to conjure sacredness without distance. Her compositions linger not just on skin, but in memory. Moreover, her deep love for nature, and her almost spiritual connection to raw materials, made her the perfect counterpart for this project.  D SOL CISTUS is not about polished perfection but about raw beauty – nature not as ornament, but as essence. And Delphine understands how to capture that: the wildness of cistus, the softness of rose, the slow, golden gravity of amber. One of my most beloved ingredients – Cistus, in both absolute and essential oil form – lies at the heart of this fragrance. It dances. It smolders. And it needed a perfumer who could make it sing, not shout. Delphine did exactly that. She didn’t just compose a perfume – she gave it a voice.” – Denis Werner for ÇaFleureBon

Delphine Thierry, behind-the-scenes photos from the brand

 

And for a brand rooted in a sunshine state of mind, few plants could be more fitting than Cistus…

In the sun-drenched, arid lands of the Mediterranean, the Cistus plant – also known as rock rose – thrives where other vegetation withers and dies. Though its crinkled, five-petaled blooms may appear delicate, the soul of this plant is truly powerful. Long before it became one of the most defining base notes in perfumery, it was the stuff of legend – as labdanum shaped civilizations, perfumed sacred rituals, and gave voice to myth and memory. In Crete, goat herders who grazed their flocks among wild Cistus bushes noticed that their animals returned sticky with a strange, fragrant resin. As they combed the thick substance from their coats, the scent revealed itself – rich, sweet, and balsamic. Going way back, in Ancient Egypt, pharaohs wore ceremonial beards made from goat hair soaked in labdanum and the scent became part of funerary rites, temple rituals, and sacred incantations, as to inhale labdanum was to breathe in divinity. Greek mythology carried the legend further: on Mount Olympus, the gods argued over the purpose of the rock rose as it was both beautiful and powerful – and it was said that warriors returning from battle were treated with its essence, a balm not only for the body but for the soul.*

“Cistus is an extraordinary essence, embodying a fascinating duality that captivates both the senses and the soul. It carries a warm, resinous amber quality with an unmistakable animalic undertone reminiscent of castoreum, leather, tobacco, and honey. This grounding, earthy richness evokes a raw, almost primal connection to nature. Yet, cistus also has a sacred side, calling to mind the quiet serenity of old churches-wax polished pews, aged paper, incense smoke, and the dust of forgotten histories. It is this sacred warmth, blending the carnal and the spiritual, that elevates the scent of cistus, making it both profoundly grounding and transcendent. Cistus roots you to the earth while lifting your soul to the heavens.“ – perfumer Delphine Thierry.

Midsommar (2019), via IMDB

Hot stones. Dry herbs. Ocean air.

From the first breath, D:SOL Cistus felt like a ritual – a grounded, herbaceous, sun-worshipping one. Witchy, but not in a dark, shadow-bound way. Instead, it felt ancient, pagan, elemental – white linen illuminated by dazzling daylight, a ritual invoking both the gods beneath the restless sea and those who ride their chariots high across the blazing sky. Fresh, herbal, it felt like breathing in the salty air of the ocean – even if I were wandering through the dreamy haze of a city heatwave.

My mind kept making connections to the world depicted in Ari Aster’s masterpiece, Midsommar (2019). I re-watched it (for probably the third time) that very weekend and -opening a parenthesis and recommendation – Midsommar is, in my book, one of the most interesting (let’s call it supernatural) films of all time. Besides the hauntingly beautiful imagery, the subject matter close to my heart (mythology, folk, and rituals), the psychological musings upon the theme of grief, and not the least – the excellent performance of the actress in the leading role – this movie manages to pull the rabbits out of the proverbial scary hat out in the sunshine. No darkened corners, no cheap tricks, no jump-scares, all in the open, all painfully bright, forcing you to keep your eyes glued to the story.

D:SOL CISTUS, bottle detail,  image via the brand website

That’s CISTUS. Unnerving in its honesty. Honeyed edged, yet sharp and spiky. Ancient, yet strangely intimate. This isn’t the plush, comfortable, ambery labdanum you may know and love. This is the raw, ancestral counterpart: brighter, fiercely herbaceous, medicinal, with the stern, almost severe depth and the restraint of old-world wisdom. All the incensy, resinous introspective depth you know – now out in the sunshine.

The opening is stark: a bitter-green clash of artemisia and geranium, pierced by a sharp bergamot. Then, something unexpected: buchu a South African leaf oil that smells part mint, part blackcurrant, part incense smoke – that lifts the scent and drags it through the wild grasses. Imagine over-steeped dark herbal tea, left to cool in a heavy clay mug. The texture is vegetal, and intense – like something you’d drink before walking into a sacred circle. A more austere Turkish rose absolute anchors the heart, stripped of all its velvety romanticism. There’s elemi, too – resinous, peppery – and a base that softens the ritual into something oceanic: papyrus, incense, ambergris – a breath of cool evening air rolling in from the shore, carrying with it the smoke of something burned for protection.

D:SOL CISTUS, behind the scenes into the making, via the brand

D:SOL CISTUS is for those who crave something resinous and incensy that still wears effortlessly under the summer sun. A beautiful transitional scent – just as fitting for a day spent in white linen on the deck of a boat, as it is for evening,  silk dresses, and old European restaurants. Or event – planning the next maypole dance  – come to think of it.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the start of summer than this floral, balsamic, ambery ritual worthy of a picky sun god packing for vacation. Sensual without being “seductive,” primal without veering into the wild, strangely familiar and unnervingly new -it’s one you’ll come back to, again and again, all summer long.

Notes: Top: Bergamot, Artemisia, Geranium, Buchu Heart: Turkish Rose Absolute, Elemi, Cistus E.O. Base: Cistus Absolute, Incense, Ambergris, Papyrus

Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor

Disclosure: A sample of D:SOL CISTUS was kindly offered by the brand, opinions are always my own.

D:SOL CISTUS, collage with Unsplash background by Nicoleta

Thanks to the generosity of  D:SOL Perfumes we have a 100 ml bottle of CISTUS  or one registered reader from the EU or US You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes 6 20/2025

*For more about cistus/labdanum and rock rose, please read Guest Contributor Mason Hainey’s article here

Also, please check out the reviews for: Terram, Sombra

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