I’ve never been a minimalist — not by nature, not by nurture. I’ll never live in an airy space with bare white walls or limit my clothing to a capsule wardrobe. My taste in perfume typically matches my taste in clothing and decor, leaning towards retro florals and cozy ambers. But in fragrance, at least, I’ll occasionally experiment to some extent.
In this spirit, I ordered a few samples from the Swedish-born, London-based indie perfumer Maya Njie, who founded her fragrance line in 2016. (It’s only recently become available in the United States, where I live.) Njie describes her olfactory aesthetic as “the spirit connected to the classic 1970s Scandinavian idyll, combined with the soul of her esoteric Gambian heritage.” That reference to Scandinavian 1970s style, plus the clean design of her perfume bottles and labels, made me expect minimalist perfumes…