North Stars:

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Heritage Value

“Whenever I spritz one of them on, I’m back in Iceland.“

The Azure Road Take

When choosing a souvenir to remember your Iceland vacation, there are some standard go-tos: a lopapeysa woolen sweater, bags of licorice candy, skin care products from the Blue Lagoon. All classic finds, yes, but what about something more unique and unexpected? Consider a perfume.

The adage that smell brings back old memories is much more than a saying; it’s a scientific fact. Odors activate our brain’s amygdala and the hippocampus areas, which are tied to emotion and memory. Once the trip is over and you’re back home, getting a whiff of an Icelandic scent can whisk you back to the land of fire and ice. The scents don’t even need to be directly tied or related to specific places or materials; in fact, they can evoke another quintessential Icelandic quality: creativity.

Fischersund is a perfumery and art collective tucked down a side street in Reykjavik’s city center. Duck inside the black-clad building (which also happens to be one of the oldest in the city) and you enter a serene, minimalist, and low-lit space where scent is storytelling and sense of place. Drawing on childhood memories, seasons, locations, and emotional moments, the family behind Fischersund handcrafts signature scents using ingredients sourced from the Icelandic wilds. Accompanied by evocative visuals and music created by family members — this is a family of artists, from painters to musicians to photographers — it creates a sensory and inspirational shopping experience unlike any other.

Sustainability Chops

As a company inspired by the landscapes and sensations of its homeland, safeguarding and respecting that homeland is foundational to Fischersund’s craft. Native plants and herbs are mindfully sourced from around the island to be turned into essential oils for all-natural scents with no artificial ingredients or additives. The packaging is sustainable as well; in the case of the scented candles, which are made with recycled soy wax and an eco-friendly wick, Fischersund uses hand-blown glass containers. The perfumes are handmade and small batch to prevent waste, and are vegan and cruelty-free to boot.

The Gift

Fischersund’s perfume line-up is small but expertly considered and curated, with a handful of staple scents available as spray or solid perfumes, incense sticks or cones, and candles. Each is distinctive: No. 8 uses essence of flower stalks, asphalt, rhubarb, orange cake, and Sitka spruce to recreate the founders’ childhoods in the nearby village of Mosfellssveit. Flothole is the wild, briny sea tamed in a bottle, and Útilykt — done in collaboration with Icelandic outerwear brand 66 North — seeks to recreate the scent of Iceland’s great outdoors: Arctic thyme, Siberian fir, moss, ozone, and freshly cut grass. Poetic scent notes, the olfactory equivalent of tasting notes, conjure rich imagery to complement each perfume.

Selecting a signature scent is a highly personal journey, so if you’re unfamiliar with Fischersund’s work, I suggest starting with a Discovery Pack. Each set comes with three 5ml eau de parfum bottles and scent notes, packaged in a tiny tin container handmade by the family patriarch. In the store, you can pick and choose your three scents; if shopping online, there’s a choice of three curated sets based on the shortest and longest days of the year and the life cycle of plants. For my Discovery Set, I chose the No. 8, Flothole, and Útilykt; some of Fischersund’s most naturalistic scents. Whenever I spritz one of them on, I’m back in Iceland; strolling down rainy streets in downtown Reykjavik, soaking in a seaside thermal spring, or standing on a windy hillside out in the countryside, with nothing for miles.

For the full Fischersund experience, book a scent tour as well; a guided, half-hour walk-through of the company’s creations and inspiration accompanied by Icelandic tea, schnapps, and a small gift. In addition to the olfactory offerings, Fischersund also sells artistic bandanas, blankets, and vinyl albums. Limited-edition scents and collaborations pop up from time to time as well.

Origin Story

Icelanders are an incredibly creative bunch. One in 10 will write and publish a book in their lifetime, and this Nordic nation has given the world more than its fair share of big-name bands and musicians; Bjork, and Of Monsters and Men, to name a few.

The same is true for the family behind Fischersund. After becoming fascinated with the relationship between scent, music, and memory, siblings Jónsi (the lead vocalist behind experimental rock band Sigur Rós), Lilja, Inga Birgis, and Sigurrós — all multidisciplinary working artists and creatives — launched the company in 2017, becoming self-taught perfumers in the process. Parents Birgir (who makes Fischersund’s incense) and Guðrún also support the endeavor, along with the siblings’ partners Sindri and Kjartan. Between the four siblings, their artistic talents span nearly every medium, from music to photography to painting to sculpture, and they use their talents to create the music and visuals that turn Fischersund into a multisensory experience.

How to Buy

If you find yourself in Reykjavik, pop into the perfumery at Fischersund 3, 101 Reykjavík for the full experience. Otherwise, Fischersund offers worldwide shipping from Iceland with its online shop; you can also find it at a handful of perfume and lifestyle websites, like Venba.