TikTok’s Favourite Perfume Pistachio Is Now Available In Australia — And We Tried It First

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I have to admit: I have a bit of a perfume addiction. Fresh fragrances? Love 'em. Delicious gourmand perfumes? Gimme. Unusual niche fragrances? Yes, please. I've amassed a rather sizeable collection (including an embarrassing number of discovery sets) but still find myself gravitating towards the perfume counters every time I'm out shopping, just to take a whiff of the latest olfactory delights.

It's probably not surprising then that it's seldom for me to come across a perfume that is truly unique. So when I heard that Pistachio, from cult niche perfume brand DS & Durga, was finally launching in Australia after all the hype on PerfumeTok, I was intrigued. Initially released as a limited edition fragrance with only 100 bottles, the perfume sold out in just a few hours. The brand re-released it as part of its permanent collection in January 2023 — and it is now available exclusively at Mecca in Australia as of today, the 30th of May.

"I made it on a whim in Feb 2022...and the response was insane — more comments and asking for it than anything else", David Moltz, the brand's co-founder and the nose behind the scent, tells Refinery29 Australia. "So we brought it into the line in January, and it has been our most successful launch to date."

Unlike DS & Durga's usual evocative fragrances, which are meant to recall a certain time and place (including Australian summertime), Pistachio abashedly worships at the altar of the humble pistachio. "Every fragrance I make is a deeply researched world with playlists, images, words, and a large concept. Pistachio is not that," Moltz says. "It’s just direct and to the point, in a fun sort of way." 

Pistachio is definitely fun. It's not quite gourmand, not really woody, and not particularly green, and yet, it somehow manages to be a combination of all three. It's earthy and extremely nutty (not surprising considering that pistachio features in the top, middle and base notes), and I get a strong hit of cardamom tea (cardamom is featured in the top notes, but not tea). There's also the tiniest hint of vanilla, but the overarching scent is (shocking) a creamy, nutty pistachio.

Pistachio notes (as well as rose and vanilla) are clearly having a moment right now. But the most popular scents featuring the note, including Kayali's new Yum Pistachio Gelato fragrance, not to mention Sol de Janeiro's Brazilian Crush mist, are firmly in the gourmand territory. Not DS & Durga's interpretation, though. "The fragrance itself is not just a boring sweet gourmand — there is a depth to it," Moltz says. It's a bit darker ("dank", according to Moltz), and a lot more sophisticated.

Normally, I tend to gravitate towards perfumes that transport me — to a place, a memory, a feeling. But spritzing this perfume is a pure experience: there's no journey to an exotic locale, and it doesn't matter if your passport expired three years ago. The only experience is of getting to smell yummy.

"I’ve always loved the aroma of pistachio desserts," Moltz says. "It’s so alien green, nutty, and cherry-like (almond, cherry, and pistachio flavourings are all very close)."

TikTokers are layering Pistachio with other fragrances, like Lost Cherry by Tom Ford, and rose fragrances like Diptyque's Eau Rose. I really loved it with the former, though not with the latter, which I was hoping would smell like a Persian love cake or baklava, but sadly, didn't. (For any perfumers out there, please make this scent!)

Pistachio is for the person who isn't afraid of standing out. If you're more of a Baccarat Rouge girlie (and there's no shame in that!), this might not be your jam. But if you are a bit more experimental with your fragrance choices, Pistachio is calling your name.