All perfume samples are authentic fragrances that Surrender to Chance, Topeka, KS, has rebottled into smaller sample and decant sizes, repackaged and distributed. Surrender to Chance has no affiliation, connection or association with the manufacturers or brand owners of the perfumes.
Doppelganger is part of the Ghosts summer fragrance collection with spirits as its unlikely muse for the season. Breezy. Diaphanous. Vaporous. Ethereal. Transparent. Sparkling. Spectral. Lyrical. These are words that are often used to describe summer fragrances. But they’re also go-to adjectives for ghosts. This collection is a collaboration between Heretic and the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland. The museum had an exhibit called “Ghosts” about five different paranormal activities and asked Douglas Little, founder and perfumer of Heretic Parfum, to create fragrances to accompany the exhibit. Each parfum has a spectral musk accord that’s a combination of safe synthetic and naturally occurring musks that create unique sensations.
Skinlike, echoing and elusive, the concept of the doppelgänger appears repeatedly throughout European folklore and early psychological literature. Unlike ghosts or apparitions, it is not a figure from the past, but a duplication of the living; a second self encountered at the edges of perception. To see one’s double was once considered deeply unsettling, not because it was violent or grotesque, but because it was familiar. Almost correct. Close enough to confuse the body before the mind could intervene. Doppelgänger is composed as an olfactory replication. At its core are supernatural musks designed to echo human warmth: soft, saline, faintly animal. Worn close, breathing with the body, blurring the line between skin and air. Sheer woods, pale and abstract, give structure to the fragrance without solidity. They create the impression of form without weight, the suggestion of you, rather than a reflection. The result is uncannily intimate, as though something is walking alongside you, mimicking your movements just slightly out of sync. On the skin, Doppelgänger does not announce itself. It remains close, persistent, and difficult to separate from the wearer. At times, it may feel less like something applied than something that has always been there, or something that has quietly taken your place. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
Made with no phthalates, parabens, synthetic dyes or formaldehyde. Vegan friendly. Cruelty-free. Handcrafted to surpass all industry standards of “clean” with plant-based ingredients blended in organic, non-GMO sugarcane alcohol.
HERETIC PARFUM DOPPELGANGER REVIEWS
LuckyScent: “Uncannily intimate is so true it's scary. Didn't think much of this scent when trying it until I smelled my hat after taking it off when I got home. IT SMELLS SO GOOD. Like how sweat smells when you're really into someone. It's floral in only the best way, but also so human at the same time. Best fragrance I've literally ever smelled probably ever.”
Heretic Parfum: “Smells like seeing someone out of the corner of your eye in the fog in an abandoned carnival funhouse, and I mean that in the best possible way. A little astringent, a little herbal, a little metallic, with an undertone of old books. On me the musk doesn't linger, and I keep the cedar and moss. Another one knocked out of the park, Heretic.”
Heretic Parfum: “I’m kind of obsessed with this and also annoyed because it's nearly impossible to explain lol. It doesn't really smell like “perfume” to me. It smells like a person. Not clean skin or dirty skin exactly, more like the weird atmospheric evidence that a body was just here. It's warm and pale and musky and slightly woody, maybe a little saline? But every time I try to isolate an actual note it sort of disappears. Then 20 minutes later I move my arm and suddenly it's back. There's something almost uncanny about it, like if somebody genetically copied you but there was a 2% error somewhere and you couldn't figure out what it was. It's intimate without being obviously sexy, and haunting without smelling dark or heavy.”
Heretic Parfum: “Got this in the Ghosts discover set and BY GOD THIS IS A FAVORITE!!!! It’s slightly sweet but not TOO sweet, dark, mysterious, and somehow warm and inviting while being somewhat cold… I know I’m saying contradictory things but jeeez you have to smell it to understand. Wish i could give everyone a sniff through the phone. Going to get a big ole bottle of this and make it one of my signature scents. Thank you Heretic!!!”
Fragrantica: “I have another fragrance called Ghost in the Shell, which is what I was sorta imagining for this fragrance but less metallic and more musky. Definitely hit the mark for the theme on this. It smells like a synthetic warm feeling, like an imitation of sweat on skin. I loved it!! It could be wearable.”
Fragrantica: “This is one of my favourites from the Ghosts series. It’s such a strange and slightly creepy scent. It’s sweet but not too sweet, almost a little salty? It really does smell like A Person. Or rather an imperceptibly impersonal mimicry of a person. As someone who has been hunting for a scent that would make me feel like a creepy haunted doll without being too floral or smelling like a grandma, this is perfect. HOWEVER it does not read that way to everyone. My boyfriend doesn’t like it and says it smells like Bloomingdale’s used to. I wouldn’t recommend blind buying this one, but personally I want a full bottle, I’m in love with this uncanny valley mannequin scent. If you want an idea of what it smells like, to me it smells similar to Glossier’s You Doux, except with more depth and without the woody notes. Take that with a grain of salt though because I think both are very dependent on skin chemistry.”
Fragrantica: “Warning: if you don’t like sandalwood, you should probably move on. But I love it. Although I love Heretic, I find many of their scents are not necessarily easy reaches and some seem more novelty than wearable (which is totally fine; I love a scent that sends me on a journey, even if I don’t wear it on skin). That said, I would totally wear this on skin. I love sandalwood, and this is a balanced musky take. However, sandalwood can be very polarizing, so definitely NOT a safe blind-buy. My only complaint is that I would really like more complexity with a few more notes, as it comes off more one-dimensional. And with the lack of complexity, I can’t justify the full-size price tag; but I would absolutely wear it. Reminiscent of 7 Virtues Santal Vanille. Strength and longevity decent. I’d give it a solid 8/10 (for Sandalwood lovers) UPDATE: Wow! The dry-down at about 7-8 hours (yes it lasted that long!) turned a bit more Baccarat Rouge woodiness. Not only that, but I could still smell it on my skin after a shower! I didn’t spray more than 2 sprays in the a.m., so I am astounded that the long-term dry-down was so pleasant & its ability to stay on my skin. Bravo! Upgrading my rating to 9/10.”
