Return of the Maack: Icelandic fragrance house reveals two new scents

Incoming later this month, 'Soft Tension' and 'Dual' are two new perfumes by the Icelandic artist – and eponymous fragrance house – Andrea Maack. Collaborating with IFF perfumer Alienor Massenet, the duo took inspiration from Maack’s upbringing and the barren Nordic landscape.
The scent of 'Soft Tension' is light and floral, stemming from freesia, with underlying earthy tones thanks to its cedar wood roots. The cedar wood is important to Maack. ‘I always go to the pool and then the wooden sauna,' she explains. 'This has always been one of my favourite smells and cedar wood represents that well.’
'Dual' is reminiscent of 'Soft Tension', but more ‘in your face’ – stronger, with hints of refreshing ginger. On the skin, a fragrance similar to tea and lemon reveals itself. Both perfumes are also remarkably long-lasting.
The perfume vessels, designed by Maddalena Casadei for Studio Irvine, are comfortable to hold in the hand, dark purple in colour and sleek in design; housed in gender-neutral boxes created by graphic designer and art director Tommaso Garne, who took Maack’s original paintings and translated them into the black and white exterior design. The fragrances are meant to be unisex; ‘I don’t like the idea that women and men should smell a certain way,' Maack says. 'You just never know what people will respond to when it comes to scent.’
'Soft Tension' possesses a freesia fragrance, balanced by earthy cedar wood undertones...
... while 'Dual' is stronger, with hints of refreshing ginger. The black and white, scratchy box design was derived from an original painting by Maack
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Andrea Maack’s website
Photography: Gísli Sverrisson
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
‘I’ve considered every single detail’: how Victoria Beckham designed the perfect make-up brush collection
Victoria Beckham speaks to Wallpaper* about the meticulous design process behind her debut collection of make-up brushes, which perfectly treads a line between form and function
By Hannah Tindle
-
Can Maserati modernise or is the sun setting on one of Italy’s most beloved automotive brands?
Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore is an epic electric grand tourer without equal. If only its traditionalist customers wanted it more
By Jonathan Bell
-
Viviane Sassen considers fine art, fashion photography and fragility in Italy
Viviane Sassen’s exhibition, 'This Body Made of Stardus' at Collezione Maramotti, spans two decades off Sassen's career
By Hili Perlson