Debaser
Inspired by music he was exposed to at an island summer camp, perfumer David Moltz bottled the sound of the Pixies song, Debaser, playing in the summer heat. This iconic indie perfume is a satisfying blend of fresh green leaves, creamy fig, moss notes and white musk — perfect for a summer picnic or laze in the grass. In the words of the perfumer himself:
"Music is essential to life. I was born in a house of blues—dad’s from Chicago. At 9 I went to camp on an island. Cool older punk kids showed me the Misfits and the Pixies. (One of those kids was actually comedian Rob Delaney).
That summer was ruled by Doolittle. The provocative lyrics. The cackle of Frank Black. I absorbed it in the summer heat.
August humidity. Young romance. Debaser is hot, humid, sexy. Green stems, deep purple fig, soft blond woods, a wet white ethereal musk, and the coumarin-vanillic note of tonka bean." — DS
Perfumer
David Seth Moltz
Notes
bergamot, green leaf, pear stem, fig, coconut milk, iris, blond woods, tonka bean, moss
Fulfillment & Shipping
We provide free shipping for USPS orders $75+.
Ministry of Scent offers shipping to the United States through USPS Ground Advantage and UPS. We process and ship orders within 1-4 days, major holidays excluded. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at orders@ministryofscent.com
We do not ship on Sundays; Sundays are not included in our shipping window.
We are not responsible for lost or stolen packages. We will not provide replacements or refunds for lost or stolen packages. If you have a risk-prone address, we recommend you send to a safer locale.
First-time orders $125+ and all orders $200+ will be shipped with signature confirmation to ensure safe delivery. Customers may request "no signature confirmation" in the Order Note section of the Shopping Cart page, at their own risk. If the item is stolen after tracked delivery, the order cannot be refunded or replaced.
We cannot file claims or be held responsible for orders that have been designated as "delivered" by UPS or USPS (and/or signed for by recipient). We can file claims for orders that have be designated as "lost in transit" by UPS or USPS.
| Order type | Shipping Method |
Cost |
| Sample-only Orders (including Sample Sets) | USPS Ground Advantage* | $5 |
|
Standard Shipping (orders under $75) |
USPS Ground Advantage* or UPS Ground (depending on destination) | $10 |
| Free Shipping (orders $75 and over) |
USPS Ground Advantage* or UPS Ground (depending on destination) |
$0 |
| 3-Day Shipping | UPS 3-Day Service |
Variable |
*Ship times vary. All products ship from California, shipments can take up to 5 business days to the East Coast.
Returns
We do not accept returns of perfumes, simply because perfumes can't be resold once they've been opened and used. We encourage you to order samples before purchasing full bottles of perfume. And here's the good news — with every sample purchased, we'll send you a coupon code that allows you to redeem the cost of the sample and sample shipping if you buy a full bottle of the fragrance you tried (in other words, you get $10 off).
Please contact orders@ministryofscent.com if you have a question or issue related to your order or shipping.
Sample Orders
Samples are designed to help you evaluate scents you might want to later purchase as a full bottle. You may order one sample per fragrance, up to 15 total in a single order. Samples are non-refundable.
For sample orders, please check your packing slip for a special code that will allow you to redeem the price of samples and sample shipping when purchase full bottles of the scents you sample ($10 off full bottles).
Complimentary Samples
We provide complimentary samples with $75+ full bottle purchases. You may request up to 3 samples with any qualifying order. Please use the Order Note section on the Shopping Cart overlay to let us know which complimentary samples you would like. We'll try to provide the scents you've requested, but substitutions may occur if items are out of stock.
My second fave from DS & Durga. I just love the fig.
(I'm a novice fragranatic)
top seller for a reason. this is a fig who's still attached to the tree. a coconut, nestled in moss and blond wood, is trying to coax the stubborn fig off the tree, pleading for it to join the tonka & iris for dinner. the fig finally gives in but a leaf falls with it. they shrug it off and dance the night away. the pear stem never made it.
If you're going to try this, please for the love of scents make sure you let it dry down before you judge it. It has a very intense earth, dirt, and grass smell initially. My nose refused to continue inhaling for a moment, it almost seemed a bit chemical, possibly just because of intensity.. No matter how many times I've tried it, I've always been repulsed right off the bat, but when I come back to it, I am drawn to the smell. What's left behind is so pleasant, creamy, a little sun tan lotiony maybe? The image I see from this beauty is a sparkly bronze once it dries down. I could never justify a full bottle of this, but it is highly complex and interesting. I can see how some would love it.
Very reminiscent of Un Jardin sur le Toit from Hermes. Any floral notes of Debaser are gently swaddled in clean/fresh/green notes. I didn't really get the wood notes, but the moss is fresh & dewy. The crispness of bergamont/fig/pear stem still come through on the drydown. Nothing about Debaser was obnoxious or cloying. Perfect for a first date, nothing objectionable.
Wasn’t expecting much, heard a lot about it, but none of the notes are anything I go for typically, in the past coconut feels too synthetic and loud, fig is nice but not something I target. I have never been so shocked at how much I love a scent, there are some beautiful green notes that cut through soft, creamy coconut milk, the juicy fig notes round out the body to completion. Don’t hesitate, buy this, or at the very least sample, everyone should smell this. I cannot stop smelling myself, not loud in terms of projection, but strong at the core, I easily can still smell this on my skin 6+ hours later. Absolutely beautiful fragrance.