When the rain subsides, black pepper, aidan fruit and vanilla warm up the earth with the sun. Aromas of coffee, vetiver and leather stir with thiouraye(churai) incense over formations of stone. The ancient keeper of lore secretly adorns itself with bark and leaves, its presence seen only by the vultures circling the skies above.

KEY NOTES

Black Pepper, Wet Earth, Aidan Fruit, Thiouraye incense (Churai) Vetiver, Papyrus, Coffee, Iris, Suede, Frankincense, Vanilla, Leather

PHOTO INSPIRATION

The Borassus Aethiopum palm trees stand as tall, proud measures of time, quietly observing each ending cycle and its renewal.

Gambia 2022

All perfumes are vegan. In line with EU regulations, the products and ingredients are not tested on animals.

Available in 7.5ml travel size or 50ml full size

As a company, MN supports The Gambia Academy, founded by musician and activist Sona Jobarteh to reform education in Africa. The Academy offers a unique curriculum rooted in local values, history and culture, while equipping students with practical skills in entrepreneurship, leadership and health. Its aim is to empower young Gambians to become confident, capable change-makers and drivers of lasting, positive change in their communities.

Maya Njie also supports Ecologi, contributing to their global climate projects focused on reforestation, renewable energy, and community-based initiatives. Through Ecologi they fund impactful climate action and environmental restoration efforts worldwide.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

The fragrances of Maya Njie are blended as recollections of memory; scents that seek to capture the essence and preserve the spirit of the intimate and personal. Elusive moments and subtle details, those that would otherwise have slipped from consciousness, are remembered. The tones are of a time and the accords nostalgic, yet the end products feel profoundly contemporary. Memories from Mayas dual Scandinavian and Gambian heritage are reconstructed by way of scent.

As a self-taught perfumer, her practice was developed through experimentation; the blending of raw materials with a variety of essential oils, aroma compounds and resins; nature and science combining in autobiographical fragrances. Mayas olfactory identity draws inspiration from her upbringing, as well as an archive of intimate family photographs from the 1960s; the small Swedish summer house surrounded by mercurial forests, the visits to her grandparents sparsely furnished flat on Sunday afternoons, Uncle Lars’ and Aunt Erenes wedding. A bottling of a time, place and spirit.