Heretic x Chelsea Wolfe Ghosts Discovery Set

Heretic is one of my favourite perfume houses. Every one of their scents is a piece of art and truly an experience. Each perfume is meant to dress you with a certain aesthetic. After selling out super quickly in May, I finally got my hands on the Ghosts discovery set by Heretic. Having tested it out for 2 months, I bring you all a review today.

It’s supposedly a collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe, but when I unboxed the set, I had yet to find any relations to the singer. I don’t know if the original release had more to do with Chelsea Wolfe or that she was simply part of the promotion of the set. As a fan of hers however, I was disappointed to find that the Ghosts set didn’t have anything to do with her. Maybe she was included in the formulation process, which I honestly highly doubt.

This set contains five natural and vegan perfumes: Spectral Grace, Doppelgänger, Shadow People, The Veil and Ektoplasma. Heretic had previously released a Ghost/Geister set in 2025. However this one contained other perfumes and old formulations of The Veil and Ektoplasma, alongside Poltergeist, In Between and Fantasmino. Where the Geister set is more tailored towards the colder months of the year, the Chelsea Wolfe set is clearly oriented towards the warmer and lighter half of the year.

The discovery set came in a beautiful book like box. Inside it contained a booklet with photography and stories capturing the essence of each perfume. Furthermore the box also contained testing papers. The perfume comes in small glass vials of 2mL. I really love the packaging and I definitely think it encapsulates the aesthetic of the perfumes. They are lightweight and like a veil that drapes over your skin.

Surprisingly enough (natural perfumes have a weak longevity), the perfumes have a good longevity, often lasting till the next day on my clothes. The more floral scents are definitely more fleeting, whereas the wood heavy scents are strong and longer lasting, with Ektoplasma and The Veil prevailing in longevity.

Spectral Grace
Spectral Grace opens with a strong white floral scent. Once it settled more on my skin it smelled more masculine and woody, blending in with the floral scent. After a few weeks the smell of rocks and wet dirt became more apparent. This scent reminds me of spring, specifically Imbolc. Where the first flowers, often lily of the valleys and snowbells, peak through and blend in with the smell of the wet earth.

Heretic states that the perfume contains Lily of the valley and petrichor notes. On Fragrantica it also points out that the perfume contains woody notes and musk. I can definitely pick out the Lily of the Valley as the white floral scent I have been smelling and the woody musky notes definitely make an appearance. For the petrichor notes to be apparent, the perfume needs to marinate a little more.

Overall I do like this scent. I think it’s a perfume that appeals more to the masses, but still holds that Heretic signature touch through the petrichor notes.

Doppelgänger
When I first sprayed this scent, it smelled extremely musky and overwhelming to me. The initial spray is a powerful one. It quickly dries down to a skin-like scent, appealing to the smell of your skin. It feels like it enhances the smell of your skin with woody notes. This one is slightly more masculine leaning than Spectral Grace and also really dependant on the smell of your skin.

According to the Heretic website, this perfume contains different musks and woody notes. However they do not necessarily state which ones. In my opinion it’s a complex musk scent. Due to the musk notes, it’s able to mimic that skin-like scent.

I do enjoy this scent, however because it isn’t that spectacular to me, I don’t necessarily reach out for it often.

Shadow People
This is like a strong mugwort scent to me. It reminds me a lot of mugwort. Furthermore it also reminds me of Hecate Queen of Witches by Black Moon Botanica if it was more muskier. It’s very masculine, amber heavy and herbal. It reminds me of Samhain and Autumn, making it a scent I’d definitely wear during Autumn. The scent wears down to a woody amber scent.

The notes in this perfume are Oakmoss, Amber, again the woody notes and musk (Do we see a pattern here with the perfumes?). These notes make sense why I smell mugwort. The perfume also shares notes with Hecate Queen of Witches, primarly the Amber and Woods.

I really like this one, it’s has a complex scent profile and is perfect for Autumn. However, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you don’t like amber in perfumes, this one is not for you. It’s very, very amber heavy, I wouldn’t even consider this a spring/summer scent, which is how Heretic advertised it.

The Veil
This scent initially smelled very comforting and lightweight. It’s warm and buzzing, reminding me of the silence of the inbetween. After it marinates after a few weeks it smells more earthy and warm.

The perfume is formulated with Musks, Orris Butter (Have never had this in a perfume before), Vetiver, Atlas Cedarwood, and Patchouli. This is again formulated with woods and musks, but in a nice grounding and earthy way.

I also really enjoy this one, but then again I love earthy Patchouli perfumes. If you enjoy Lord of Misrule by Lush, you’ll like this one. It’s less smoky than Lord of Misrule is, but definitely has the same Patchouli note.

Ektoplasma

For me this was the strongest of all five. It hit me really hard on initial spray with a strong sweet and woody smell. To me it smelled like honey and amber, but also very cold, giving it a sticky and weird feeling. Furthermore its a very dual and complex scent. As you wear it throughout the day it becomes more muskier, very uncanny.

The perfume contains notes of cold citrus, aromatic woods, vapor, lactonic florals, sandalwood, skin like musks and ambergris. The flowers and amber explain my first initial impression. The different woods and citrus explains the strength of the perfume.

This one still has to grow on me. I’m not a fan of the sweetness the perfume contains because of the flowers. The flowers in combination with amber really smell like honey on my skin, which is why I am not a particular fan of this one.

Conclusion
Overall it’s clear that Heretic tries to mimic the Ghost effect throughout all the scents by implementing musk and woody notes. Musk is known to mimic the scent of your skin, which is very on theme with ghost lore. Woods are used to make the musk scent more of a uncanny and spiritual experience (using Sandalwood and Vetiver for example). All with all I like how Heretic tries to tell a story through the notes it uses. Spectral Grace for example really gives a sophisticated and ethereal feeling to a ghostlike venture. Whereas Ektoplasma really smells like Ektoplasma would feel. Sticky and cold. If you don’t like musk, this set is not for you. Every perfume is very musk heavy and the musk doesn’t fade away (atleast for me).

If I had to rank them I’d rank them in the following order:

1.     The Veil: I love earthy, woody patchouli notes. Added bonus that this one feel comforting.

2.     Shadow People: I am a sucker for mugwort and herbal smells.

3.     Spectral Grace: Very springlike and wearable for every day. Although I am not a big fan of white florals, this one is quite quaint.

4.     Doppelgänger: It’s an okay perfume, very musk heavy and doesn’t have a complex scent profile that the others do have.

5.     Ektoplasma: I don’t necessarily like this one, the honey smell just really throw me off.

Have you ever tried a Heretic scent before? If yes, which one? If no, what scent would you like to try?