A fresh brand with a fun concept and an even more delightful take on perfume. Cue “Entrance of the Gladiators”.
In an industry that often markets itself too seriously, Puppet Parfum arrives like a burst of biodegradable confetti and sparklers in a boardroom. This indie perfume house, founded by “head puppet in charge” Dali in 2024, was birthed between the intersection of a love of ephemera, a focus on sustainability, and the olfactory arts— creating perfumery that that tickles the senses and endears at first spray. Dare I say, just like magic.
The Scent That’s 100% Magic
100% Magic lives up to its ambitious name with an absolutely sparkling start and a transition between notes that’s endearing from the first sniff. Launched just a month after the brand’s release and just in time for the founder’s birthday, as Dali said in an email “it is a celebratory and reflective perfume”, to which it certainly does round out the current set of offerings quite nicely.
It opens with a burst of sparkling citrus and something warm, not quite hot, but warm like the way a sparkler is bright that genuinely smells like the first spray of flitting stage lights. And lasts as long as a sparkler too before in glides a notable sweetness like caramel candy that doesn’t morph to become a caramel sauce the way most sugar notes do. And yes, there is a difference. And of course, at the very base of this perfume is the ever so reliable combination of sandalwood and patchouli. While the sandalwood and the sugar accord are in synch, the patchouli adds an earthiness that grounds the whole thing and keeps it from being too tidy.
The perfume as a whole somehow manages to smell like the moment you realize that you’ve been thoroughly delighting by an illusion— the way you turn to your companion, furrowed brows but with a smile on your lips, mouthing the words “Did you see that?”.
A Little Bit Of This, A Bit Of That
Their discovery set, fondly named Party Pack feels less like a sampling collection and more like a magician’s set in three parts. Haunted Baby warms up the audience by setting the scene, Ingénue is a wink between the magician and the viewer—or in this case, the wearer, and 100% Magic is the grand flourish of the main act.
It is also a carefully packaged introduction to their philosophy that perfume should have both whimsy but also environmentally conscientiousness. Upon further clarification, Dali explained that they “didn’t want to contribute to plastic waste. After lots of research I found a clear bio cellulose film, which is a material that can be composted, to mimic the look of clear plastic packaging”. And the best part is they have switched over the labels on the bigger offerings to the very same material.
The presentation itself feels like excitingly tearing open one of those treat bags you begged your mom to buy you while waiting in line at the checkout. Or to quote the founder, “I was inspired by vintage deadstock party supplies found in a random 99cent+ store”. To which they have succeeded quite well in doing. It certainly adds to the story telling of the brand all while touching on the kind of nostalgia 90s kids remember fondly.
