Encens Japonais

I have been crushing on incense perfumes and have Encens Suave and Encens Asakusa, both of which I love greatly. The idea of japanese incense was therefore very high in my esteem when I discovered that Aedes had produced a fragrance called Encens Japonais. Add to this the powerful fragrant storyteller, Bertrand Duchaufour and I was reeled in immediately. It’s a balmy night, my skin has cooled from the overhead fan, a fine mist sprays from the bottle into the crook of my arm. I can feel the contrast of my warm cheek against my upper arm as I lean in to inhale. Some of the fragrance is dispersed by the fan, into the surrounding air. Its a wondrous experience. The fresh and cool juxtaposed with the warm and spicy. Creating a captivating curiosity. It is sweet, cool, spiced, lightly incensed. Everything is participating in the story. I love smelling this on my skin. It leaves me with the same impression as drinking a delicate refreshing tea. I love its elegance and ease of wear. This one leads you to serenity.

This is a fantastic fragrance, and Bertrand Duchaufour is easily one of my favorite perfumers of all time. That said, I don’t want my admiration for his work to overshadow why I genuinely love this scent. Incense typically doesn’t work for me, as it often turns sour on my skin, but not here. This one stays beautifully balanced, and that’s a big part of why I enjoy it so much. Lately, I’ve been gravitating toward fruity fragrances, especially those that highlight plum or currants. While I wish this scent featured a plum note that evolved into something darker, earthier, or more jammy as it dried down, that’s just me nitpicking at this point. It’s already so well done. Aedes is a house I’m excited to explore further. I own a bottle of their signature fragrance, and I recently sampled Encens Japonais, which has only deepened my interest in their offerings.

The opening is awesome. My brain immediately went to "great signature scent". It's warm, spicy, a little herbally. Definitely reminds me of Jubilation from Amouage, but only in the beginning. This thing goes its own way in the dry down. In the dry down you get this sort of warm, woody incense that is just perfection. I'm kind of obsessed with this to be honest! It's very addictive, soothing, and reminescent of just. . .joy? Nostolgia? I'm not sure haha but it's great.

A beautiful scent. The opening immediately wins you over - I could smell the spices, the incense and woody notes, and some sweetness coming from the orange. Then it settles into a warmer woody incense. It is perfectly unisex in my opinion. The sillage will not be big, but I find that with some scents that is exactly what you need. This fragrance doesn't scream but why would you want that? A very classy fragrance.

Love at first sniff for me. It became my new signature scent. I would describe it as smoky, woody and dark but in a femme fatale way. Definitely for nighttime use. The smell is very refined and quite seductive. The longevity is good but the sillage is very intimate.