Invocation is an all natural perfume and aromatherapy house founded in 1999 and based in the Wendake First Nation reserve in Quebec. It is also a part of the Aigle Bleu/Blue Eagle shop. The nose behind Invocation’s fragrances is Blue Eagle, a shaman who is of Abenaki, Algonquin, Pawnee and French Canadian descent. I first learned about Invocation through Blue Eagle’s collaboration with Michel Roudnitska, the nose behind one of my first favourite niche perfumes, Noir Epices.
Some time ago, I purchased a sample set of all of its fragrances and have enjoyed using them since. Each scent features notes from plants that are native to Canada.
The house’s first release, Chiiyaam, was developed as an alternative to smudging for use in environments where it is not possible to burn sweetgrass. It definitely has a refreshing, bracing quality which I’m guessing are from the cedar, juniper and hemlock.
The Roudnitska collaboration resulted in Miwahu, a warm, sweet and spicy blend that definitely smells more like a traditional perfume than an essential oil blend. Like Chiiyaam, it features sweetgrass, but also the warmth of citrus and a swirl of clove and anise which is not listed in the notes. This is definitely a fragrance worth at least sampling for its complexity and it is very pleasant to wear.
The remaining five fragrances I sampled are based on the five elements and have corresponding benefits such as earth for soothing anxiety, fire for stoking passion, and so on.
Wind - Yuutin is another refreshing scent featuring balsam fir, white pine and hemlock. It’s gentler than Chiiyaam, warmed up with clove.
Fire - Iskutaau is warm, earthy scent where the spicy edges of notes like ginger are smoothed out with vanilla. This apparently contains rose but I can’t smell it.
Water - Nipiiy is a cooling, slightly sharp scent dominated by anise and woods. There is nothing “aquatic” about it in that there is absolutely nothing resembling calone, one of my most hated aromachemicals.
Earth - Aschiiy is very grounding with a hit of vetiver, patchouli, and bitter myrrh. Strangely though, I find Fire - Iskutaau more “earthy”. Earth - Aschiiy is more foresty to me than soil.
Sacred Sound - Patakwin is my favourite of the five elements. There’s my favourite spices, cardamom and nutmeg, paired again with Canadian notes like spruce and the herbaceous Labrador tea.
Inovcation’s fragrances are definitely worth trying out, if only to experience notes from the Canadian landscape. They are beautifully blended and all share a refreshing quality. There’s nothing musky or dense about them. I will say however, that like many all-natural scents, they have weak longevity although Miwahu and Aschiiy have more staying power on my skin.