D.S. & DURGA Perfumes: Brooklyn Scents, Candles and Eau de Parfum

D.S. & DURGA makes more sense to me through the people and stories than through a single fragrance family. David Moltz, the D.S. in the name, is a self-taught perfumer; Kavi Moltz, the Durga, is a trained architect who builds the visual world around the scents. AnOther dates the brand’s start to 2008 in Brooklyn, where the couple began it as a creative side project. The brand says its scents are made in New York, with the city shaping its vision.

 

The official language treats perfume as a door into an invisible landscape, and each scent as a narrative. AnOther describes David drawing on overlooked everyday smells, including weeds coming up through Brooklyn pavement. I love that scale: a familiar street detail can sit beside a faraway landscape or a half-remembered myth. Kavi’s architectural training gives that sensibility a visual counterpart, so even the bottle belongs to a larger world. This is a house that invites curiosity instead of asking for one permanent signature. When I want another scent world to wander, I turn to the NEST New York perfume guide.

 

This edit moves from hand care to candles, pocket perfumes, eau de parfum and sets. I would choose the ritual first: hand care at the sink, a candle for the room, a pocket perfume in a bag, or a larger fragrance for a personal signature. Picture her getting ready for dinner in Brooklyn, then tucking a perfume into her coat. D.S. & DURGA is for the curious fragrance lover. I would pass on a blind buy if I only wanted a familiar scent family.

Hand care, candles and a pocket perfume give D.S. & DURGA a few different ways to bring a scent story into the day. Big Sur After Rain Hand Soap and Big Sur After Rain Hand Lotion make a natural pair by the sink, especially in a guest bathroom where an everyday ritual can feel considered. I also like this scented hand-soap guide as another way to think about that small daily moment. Salt Marsh Rose Candle and Pacific Mythic Candle suggest two distinct settings through their titles. I would choose a room scent by the atmosphere I want at home, not by trying to make every room match.

 

Big Sur After Rain Candle and Concrete After Lightning Candle extend the candle choices, while Wild Brooklyn Lavender Candle keeps the city in the naming. AnOther describes Concrete After Lightning as a snapshot of New York in August after rain, a specific everyday scene transformed into a story. Jazmin Yucatan Pocket Perfume shifts the ritual from a room to a bag. I like that difference in format: one choice stays at home, another can travel along with a coat and a paperback.

 

Picture a candle waiting for the first evening back from a trip, or Jazmin Yucatan Pocket Perfume tucked into a weekend bag. This group suits someone who enjoys scent as part of a setting, from the bathroom sink to a quiet night in. I would skip the candles if I want something to carry with me, and choose the pocket format instead. If the goal is a matched hand-care ritual, the Big Sur After Rain pair is the clearest place to begin.

Pocket perfumes, body care and eau de parfum let a scent story take different forms. Rose Atlantic Pocket Perfume and Debaser Pocket Perfume make sense for a weekend bag or the pocket of a coat on a long city day. I like a small format for making fragrance part of the day rather than reserving it for a dressing table. I would choose by the title that keeps drawing my attention, then keep the rest of my routine uncluttered.

 

I Don't Know What Body Lotion brings a body-care step into the mix, while Sunshine Set offers a set for someone choosing a gift or a small collection. I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum, Ain't That Sweet Eau de Parfum and Steamed Rainbow Eau de Parfum move the conversation toward full fragrance. Brown Flowers Eau De Parfum gives the selection another evocative title. I would let the format decide where a product belongs in my day, then read the scent descriptions and choose a story I want to revisit.

 

Picture her carrying Rose Atlantic Pocket Perfume through a full day, then giving a favorite eau de parfum a place on the dresser when the story becomes familiar. This range suits someone who likes browsing by idea and changing the ritual to fit the moment. I would pass on a full-size blind buy unless I already enjoy scent as a small adventure. Sampling when possible makes the choice feel personal, and a pocket perfume can be a thoughtful way to keep a fragrance close.

Eau de parfum and a fragrance set make this the part of the edit where I would give a favorite story a proper place on the dresser. Pistachio Eau de Parfum has a crisp, specific title that makes me curious. Jazmin Yucatan Eau de Parfum brings a travel-minded feeling to the selection, while Debaser Eau de Parfum offers another story to follow. I would choose by the idea I keep thinking about, rather than treating fragrance as a label to collect.

 

Black Magenta, Big Sur Eucalyptus Eau de Parfum and Rose Atlantic Eau de Parfum bring a range of evocative titles into one group. Crush Balls Eau de Parfum offers another single-fragrance route, while Deluxe Box Set turns the ritual into a boxed presentation. I like this selection because the titles feel like settings, colors and fragments of a private notebook. For a gift, a set can make the gesture feel considered; for myself, I would choose one title that stays with me after the first read. When rose is the note I want to explore, a modern rose perfume guide is a useful next read.

 

In my fashion dreams, she gets ready for a hotel bar in a silk shirt, puts on one fragrance and leaves the rest of the routine quiet. This group suits someone who enjoys scent with a point of view and knows that choosing a fragrance is personal. I would sample when possible and give the favorite a few ordinary occasions, not only a special night. I would skip the set unless I already wanted a fragrance wardrobe rather than one bottle to return to.