A couple of days ago, I received an email from INeKE Perfumer San Francisco with a subject “Last Call for Ineke Perfumes.” Ineke Ruhland, the owner of and the nose behind this niche brand, wrote the following:
Hello fragrant friends,
After 20 years of making perfumes, I’ve reached a new chapter in my life and will wind down my business over the next few months. As many of you know, I co-founded Ministry of Scent with Antonia Kohl in 2018. We sell niche and indie brands from around the world in our two San Francisco stores, as well as online at ministryofscent.com. This year we’ll also be opening a Perfumery Studio in San Francisco and selling raw materials to perfume makers online. We’ve been growing in leaps and bounds, and it’s more than a full-time job, so I’ll be focusing my efforts on Ministry of Scent.
She also mentioned that there were some remaining bottles of her perfumes produced in the last small batches, samples and sample packs for some of them. There is no sale going on, whatever is available can be purchased now. Some online retailers also have the remaining stock, but I’m sure it’ll disappear quickly once the brand closes.
Saturday Question #290:
Are You Buying Any INeKE Perfumes Before They Are Gone Forever?
Do you have any favorites from this brand? Will you miss any of them?
My Answer
When three years ago I featured the brand in my Brand Appreciation: INEKE post, I ended it saying that I was looking forward to their next letter – K. I am sad that it will never happen.
I have 3 favorite perfumes from the brand – Field Notes From Paris (its story is in the post linked above), Hothouse Flower (“H” for Hothouse Flower by Ineke) and Idyllwild (Light and Shadows: Ineke Idyllwild). I still have enough of FNFP and Hothouse Flower. My Idyllwild bottle is still 1/3 full, but if feels like not enough. I enjoy this perfume very much. Recently, before I learned the news of the brand’s closing, I wore Idyllwild and thought how great it was and how much I liked it. Besides, this perfume holds a special place in my heart because of the picture I took for the post (a shadow of Rusty “smelling” a shadow of Idyllwild).
Considering that, I wanted to get a backup bottle. It was sold out on the site, so I ordered a pack of 10 samples thinking that 15 ml in addition to what I have in my original bottle would be enough. And only after I started putting together this post, I thought of checking Ineke’s new enterprise – The Ministry Of Scent. They still have a bottle of Idyllwild. I wrote to the brand’s sales to see if I could cancel the samples order and buy a bottle instead. I hope they’ll agree, I’ll get that backup bottle.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I like the ones you mentioned and others I can’t recall now. I probably won’t try to buy more. I don’t have the energy for a massive search right now.
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Fair enough. Only very-very special (for us) perfumes deserve even consideration of a backup bottle.
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I have never tried one, so it’s best I don’t attempt to now!
So lovely to see the photo of dear Rusty.
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While I think that most of their perfumes are quite deserving, it doesn’t make any sense to start with them now.
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I immediately pulled out my sample set. I wore Field Notes for a day, and Idyllwild for a day. Ended up ordering Idyllwild. I did not need another bottle but it’s just so lovely.
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It is! I thought that Idyllwild was very unique – at least for my collection. I’m glad that you have a bottle of it. For me, it works both for warm weather and as a Winter holidays scent.
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I never had the opportunity or inclination to sample anything from INeKE. I just reviewed the notes for the your three favorites, and they all sound wonderful. I hope they honor your request.
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They did! So now I’m a happy owner of a backup bottle :)
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I’m another who never tried INeKE fragrances. What I have never known I will never miss.
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Same sentiment here.
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Oh, well… It is NOT your loss :)
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I think that you would have liked at least one or two of their perfumes, but they are not groundbreaking enough to run for them.
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Rusty was such a beautiful soul.
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He was! Thank you, alityke.
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AHHHH Rusty! What a cat!
This is very sad news Undina. There are still three bottles of INeKE here. Chemical Bonding, Evening Edged in Gold and Gilded Lily. All 2/3+ full. I remember discovering the brand and falling deeply in love. There were two other bottles that a girlfriend really loved so I gave them to her but now I can’t remember what they were. My head is saying Field Notes and Angel’s trumpet but I could be way off.
San Francisco, and INeKE, were supposed to be part of our next USA adventure but we haven’t been back since 2014. The scheduled 2019 visit didn’t happen, you can guess why, and we really haven’t wanted to return since.
I’m sad not to own Jaipur Chai.
Oh well, you snooze, you lose.
The perfume landscape is changing.
Portia xx
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Rusty holds a special place in my and my vSO’s heart. And I’m pleased to think that over years he brought some joy to many people – both in RL and online.
I still hope that eventually your travels will bring you here.
I completely forgot about Ineke’s “books” – I have Angel’s Trumpet and the other three (?) from that series as travel sprays packaged as books. But those were bought mostly for the look, and I don’t wear them.
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They were a big deal when released, if I remember rightly. The pretty fragrances and clever packaging making them extra desirable.
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So nice to see Rusty! I have some Ineke fragrances and samples that I haven’t worn in a long time, so I won’t go seeking out more even though I liked them.
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I had to discard the sample set that I had because perfumes went off after all these years. I was sad because the set was beautiful. But I can’t keep spoiled perfume samples indefinitely.
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