Wampus Cat

Bergamot, mandarin, and lavender open bright and almost deceptively clean before the composition drops into something far warmer. Cinnamon and clove build a spiced heart with a gingerbread quality, then vanilla, tonka bean, and a heavy musk accord take over completely. Sandalwood, cedar, and guaiac wood keep it from turning purely sweet. Wampus Cat is animalic in a way that can be genuinely uncomfortable for the first minute or two, before the musk warms and turns into one of the most inviting drydowns in the catalog. The transformation is the whole point.

We chose Wampus Cat for the shape of the story. A woman wraps herself in a cougar skin to spy on a men's hunting ceremony, is caught, and is cursed to stay half-cat forever. Worth saying plainly: this is usually presented as Cherokee, but folklorists describe it as a story told about the Cherokee rather than one that came from them — James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee, published in 1900, never mentions a Wampus Cat, and the name itself appears to come from mountain English, most likely from "catawampus," meaning crooked or out of order.

Inspired By Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur — Wampus Cat is our impression of Musc Ravageur, hand-blended in small batches.

Fragrance Family Amber • Spicy • Musk

Fragrance Notes Bergamot • Mandarin • Lavender • Cinnamon • Clove • Vanilla • Musk • Tonka Bean • Sandalwood • Guaiac Wood • Cedar • Amber

Longevity: High A dense musk-and-vanilla base that stays on skin eight to ten hours and survives washing better than it should.

Projection: Moderate Warms and expands with body heat rather than pushing outward, strongest in the first two hours.

Sillage: Moderate Leaves a warm spiced-vanilla trail that reads as skin rather than perfume.

Size 30 mL

Maison Appalachia is an independent fragrance house. This product is inspired by Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by Frédéric Malle.