The Virtue

The Virtue is a New Zealand fragrance house founded in 2016 by photographer and scent designer Brooke Lean in New Plymouth. Each fragrance begins as an image, a still frame of memory or desire, then is translated note by note into scent. Created for wanderers, adventurers and pleasure seekers, the collection features evocative compositions like Holy Smoke, Castro and Seakeeper, all designed in New Plymouth and made in New Zealand. Every formula is cruelty-free, vegan and IFRA-compliant. At Wally, we stock The Virtue fragrances for those who believe scent is as personal as the stories we carry. Shop The Virtue NZ in store at our Takapuna boutique or online with free delivery on orders over $80.

The Virtue range at Wally

Incense is where most of our The Virtue sales happen. Holy Smoke is the most popular scent across the range, whether as the 60-stick boxed incense or the 12-stick pack, and Castro sits close behind it. We also carry 12-stick packs in 1987, Back Beach, Narcosis and Iris, the parfums in 15ml and 50ml bottles, plus the Smoke Grey incense holder and boxed matches.

The Virtue FAQ

Is Wally an authorised The Virtue stockist in New Zealand?
Yes. Our The Virtue stock comes through the brand's official distribution, ordered each season.

Can I smell The Virtue fragrances before I buy?
Yes, the range is in our store on Hurstmere Road, Takapuna. Open seven days.

Does Wally stock The Virtue perfume as well as incense?
We do. The parfums come in 15ml and 50ml bottles, with scents like Castro and Iris usually on the shelf. If you want to test a scent before committing to a parfum, the 12-stick incense packs are the easy way in.

What is The Virtue known for?
The Virtue is a New Zealand fragrance house known for locally made fine and home fragrances, spanning eau de parfum and hand rolled charcoal incense.

What does Holy Smoke smell like?
Holy Smoke is the house's most recognised scent, a resinous frankincense and cinnamon composition. It comes as both a parfum and hand rolled charcoal incense, and Castro is the other core scent we carry across both formats.

What makes The Virtue different?
Founder Brooke Lean is a photographer turned scent designer, and the brand describes each scent as a photograph in a bottle, an impressionistic snapshot of emotion. The parfums were developed over six years of collaboration with perfumers in Grasse, France, and every fragrance is designed and made in New Plymouth, Taranaki.

Do you ship The Virtue within NZ?
Yes, free over $80, and we ship to 30+ countries too.