Introducing NATIVUS, a distinctly Australian parfum collection.
In an era of escapism, NATIVUS captures the essence of the Earth and Spirit elements, working to bring you back to your roots, ignite a desire for knowledge and truth, and open the wearer and those around them to the possibilities in their realm.
The result of more than two years of research and development, NATIVUS was born out of a desire to utilise Australia’s unique botanical life to create an evocative scent unlike any other. While Australia is home to a variety of flora, curations featuring more readily available native botanicals like boronia, fragonia, and lemon myrtle elicited a vaguely medicinal scent profile.
Determined to create an Australian fragrance, MELIS scent designer Kat Snowden explored lesser used ingredients, namely quandong and wattleseed. After months of development and countless infusions, the resultant scents provided such a unique olfactory experience that one fragrance turned into two, and so NATIVUS Terra and NATIVUS Spiritus were born.
As an Australian collection, NATIVUS was born and grown on First Nations land; we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land from where we seek our native ingredients, work, and live. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging and celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities.
Our ingredients
Both NATIVUS Terra and NATIVUS Spiritus are centred around wildcrafted native Australian quandong and wattleseed, marking their debut as hero ingredients in modern perfumery.
Australian quandong (Santalum Acuminatum)
Also known as desert peach, quandongs have been a popular fruit for centuries. Initially consumed fresh or dried by Indigenous Australians, quandongs were later used in jams and preserves by early settlers. Of late, quandong has been recognised for its potent skin and health benefits. The high levels of vitamin C, as well as vitamin E, antioxidants, zinc, and iron in quandongs have secured their superfood status.
Sweet yet tart, quandongs add a clear note of white peach, fruity freshness to NATIVUS.
Australian wattleseed (Acacia Victoriae)
Australian wattleseed has been enjoyed by the Indigenous Australian community for centuries. Thriving in arid climates and desert regions, wattleseed has now been recognised as a superfood for its high protein content and low glycemic index, providing sustained blood sugar levels.
Wattleseed has a nutty, dusty scent profile, with a hint of sweet spices, coffee, chocolate, and raisins, making for a warming, all-encompassing scent. Watch our video below for an insight into our Scent Designer’s use of Australian wattleseed in ‘Nativus’.
Australian-grown Indian sandalwood
The earthy, woody scent profile of sandalwood has made it a favourite in MELIS curations. Like our other perfumes, our NATIVUS collection incorporates Indian sandalwood (Santalum album), sustainably farmed in Western Australia. We’ve favoured Indian sandalwood over its Australian counterpart (Santalum spicatum) for it’s creamier and sweeter notes, making it an ideal well-rounded, layered base note and fixative in our nuanced fragrances.
Other ingredients
Botanicals like Australian grown peppermint, lemon, orange, bergamot, and internationally sourced famed floral ingredients like rose damascus and frangipani also appear in our NATIVUS fragrances, making for sophisticated, genderless scents. Supporting the Australian economy, its future and local livelihoods is of great importance to us at MELIS, which is why we prioritise botanicals that are sustainably grown right here in Australia.
Our perfumery process
While most conventional perfumes employ steam distillation to extract scents from botanicals, our unique NATIVUS perfumes involved infusions of our core ingredients in natural plant-based oils. All MELIS perfumes completely alcohol free. Each NATIVUS perfume is designed to be applied directly to the skin, allowing the wearer to reap the skin-loving benefits of our botanicals.
Like all MELIS perfumes, NATIVUS Terra and NATIVUS Spiritus are parfum concentrates; the highest fragrance concentration in perfumery. Of all perfume concentrations, parfums last the longest and have the highest concentration of aromatics. Though natural perfumes have a reputation of not lasting as long as their synthetic counterparts due to the volatile nature of natural ingredients, our MELIS scent designer and aromatherapist Kat Snowden was able to formulate each NATIVUS in a way that allows for optimal staying power.
Our packaging
Our packaging
The MELIS NATIVUS collection features exquisite paintings by Meryl Bell, one of Australia’s foremost still life floral artists. Meryl’s desire to bring greater awareness to and appreciation of Australia’s natural environment made her a natural fit for MELIS, with her artworks showcasing the native botanicals used in NATIVUS.
To purchase or review our new NATIVUS Collection of 100% natural parfum oils visit our Nativus collection here.
