La Catrina — Dark Floral Perfume Oil

Description

La Catrina is an opulent dark floral perfume oil inspired by one of the most recognizable figures associated with Día de los Muertos: La Catrina—elegant, extravagant, beautifully dressed, and unmistakably dead.

But La Catrina did not begin as simply a glamorous skeleton.

Her story traces back to Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada's La Calavera Garbancera, created in the early twentieth century as social satire. The skeletal woman wore an elaborate European-style hat, mocking those who attempted to distance themselves from their Indigenous Mexican heritage while imitating European fashions and social customs. Decades later, Diego Rivera depicted the figure as a fully dressed skeleton in his 1947 mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central, helping establish the image and name of La Catrina recognized today.

Over time, she became deeply intertwined with modern Día de los Muertos imagery—a figure in whom beauty, extravagance, humor, culture, and mortality can occupy the same space.

That was the La Catrina I wanted this fragrance to capture.

La Catrina opens with luminous neroli, white jasmine, and blood orange, before becoming darker and richer with dahlia, black currant, and velvety cashmere plum. Ylang ylang deepens the floral heart, while warm amber, sandalwood, and a soft trace of coconut settle underneath.

The result is feminine without being delicate, fruity without becoming candy-sweet, and floral without smelling like a bouquet.

It's rich, dramatic, overdressed, and a little dark around the edges.

Exactly as she should be.

Fragrance Profile

Fragrance Notes:
Neroli • White Jasmine • Dahlia • Cashmere Plum • Black Currant • Blood Orange • Ylang Ylang • Amber • Sandalwood • Soft Coconut

Opening:
Neroli • White Jasmine • Blood Orange

The first impression is bright and perfumed, with orange blossom-like neroli, lush jasmine, and a flash of citrus.

Heart:
Dahlia • Cashmere Plum • Black Currant • Ylang Ylang

The fragrance quickly becomes deeper and more decadent. Dark floral notes mingle with juicy plum and tart black currant, while ylang ylang adds a lush, almost narcotic floral richness.

Base:
Amber • Sandalwood • Soft Coconut

Warm amber and sandalwood soften the darker fruit and florals as the perfume settles against the skin. Coconut stays subtle, adding creamy warmth rather than turning the fragrance tropical.

Overall Scent:
Dark Floral • Fruity • Ambered • Lush • Warm • Sensual

The Inspiration

La Catrina embodies one of the ideas I find most beautiful about Día de los Muertos: death does not have to erase personality.

The dead can still be remembered laughing, drinking, dancing, dressing beautifully, telling terrible jokes, cooking, flirting, arguing, and being entirely themselves.

So I didn't want this perfume to smell solemn.

I wanted her dressed for the occasion.

Flowers. Dark fruit. Amber. Expensive perfume. An enormous hat.

And underneath all that beauty, the quiet reminder that eventually we all become the skeleton beneath the dress.

How to Wear

Apply the perfume oil to pulse points such as the wrists and neck and allow it to warm naturally against the skin.

Perfume oils wear closer to the body than traditional alcohol-based perfumes, creating a more intimate scent experience that develops with your natural skin chemistry throughout wear.

A little goes a long way. Begin with a small amount and reapply as desired.

About This Collection

This collection is for everyone. You do not have to be Mexican or Hispanic to honor your dead, remember the people you love, or find meaning in these traditions. But being welcomed into another culture comes with a responsibility to respect it—to learn where these traditions come from, honor the people who have carried them, listen to and elevate the voices of those within that culture, and embrace the culture rather than separating the beautiful parts from the people they belong to. If you come to this collection with that respect, curiosity, and an open heart, you are welcome here.

A portion of the proceeds from the Día de los Muertos Collection will be donated to the Acacia Center for Justice's Children's Legal Support Fund, supporting legal service providers dedicated to representing unaccompanied children.

For those we remember. For those we still speak to. For the love that death does not take from us.

Details

Handcrafted in small batches.

Concentrated perfume oil.

Created as part of The Brewery Co.'s limited Día de los Muertos 2026 Collection.

For external use only.

Allergy & Safety Information

For external use only. Do not ingest.

Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes.

Patch test before full application, particularly if you have sensitive skin.

Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

Keep out of reach of children and pets.

Contains fragrance oils and essential oil.