Hwyl

You're walking alone through a forest of cedar and cypress. The trees huddle close on all sides, but there is little underbrush and enough space to comfortably stroll between the tall trees. Through the canopy overhead, the sky is the color of dark slate. The sun has not yet risen, but the faded silvery-white of the eastern horizon suggests that dawn approaches. A wispy haze hangs in the cool morning air. The earth you tread is damp, your footsteps muffled by fallen leaves, not dry and brittle, but heavy with moisture from rain that fell the day before. Gossamer clings to the branches of nearby trees. Miniscule droplets of water hang daintily on the fine threads, not quite shimmering in the pre-dawn light. A stream churns softly in the distance as the current washes over ancient stones worn smooth by years spent resting in the shallow waters. Among the trees, you discover a small clearing not far away. In the center you see a lichen-covered rock that seems, somehow, an inviting place to rest. As you approach, you notice the ground here is a thick carpet of moss. Struck by a curious urge to feel the moss between your toes, you remove your boots and woolen socks. The feeling of the soft moss upon your feet is a comfort. You rest upon the lichen-covered rock, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. You are captivated by the beauty of this place and allow yourself to be absorbed within its serenity. A sound startles you to alertness. Was it a broken twig you heard? How cliché, you tell yourself. That only happens in movies. Still...the thought occurs to you that you may urgently need to flee this place. You find yourself wishing you hadn't removed your boots. You sit motionless, holding your breath and listening intently for another stick to snap, knowing the sound will never come. An uncommon stillness permeates the clearing. The babble of the softly rolling stream has strangely faded away within this secluded patch of land. There is motion, no sound. You exhale heavily to breathe life back into the world, to make sure you can still hear something, anything. You reassure yourself that the sound you heard was only in your mind. The majesty and mystery of this place has caused your imagination to run wild. And yet you can't shake the feeling that you're being watched. You look around, but slowly, trying not to appear as alarmed as you feel. You tell yourself to act natural. It's nothing. You're being silly. You scan the woods in panorama, your eyes bouncing from tree to tree, searching the spaces in between. Everything is as it should be. But then...that's not true, is it? You fixate on an old, gnarled cypress tree nearest you, mere meters away. Something about this tree unsettles you. You stare at the base of the tree and slowly -very slowly- you scan upward. Your gaze passes over the lower branches. As your seeking eyes work their way upward, they catch upon something! For a moment, you think you glimpse among the branches a crouching form silhouetted against the backdrop of the morning-gray sky. But before you can focus on the dark figure, a sudden flash of light! The figure is engulfed in thick gray smoke. Was the flash accompanied by any sound? You can't be sure, but you recoil in fright and squint your eyes as tightly as you can. When you open your eyes again, your vision is momentarily blurred. The world quickly comes back into view. Up in the branches, the smoke is beginning to fade, snaking away on an airy breeze which barely rustles the treetops. As the smoke slowly dissipates you wait, your eyes trained on the spot where you saw the figure. Only nothing is there. Just the gnarled branches of the cypress tree splayed against the backdrop of a stone-colored patch of sky, trails of smoke dwindling off to mingle with the morning haze. And hanging loosely from a one twisting branch, a single broken twig. ________ Long story short, this smells like you've encountered a shinobi deep in a secluded part of some Japanese forest and they ninja-vanished on you with a smoke bomb. 10/10 would ninja again

Hwyl is my signature scent. I’ve worn it for about five to six years and still haven’t found anything that comes close. I usually lean towards woody and earthy fragrances, although I try to explore clean, citrus, and aquatic scents as well. Hwyl is still the reference point I keep returning to. The opening is dry and quietly spicy. It's not loud, not attacking the nose in the way other spicy scents do, and also not smoky or incense-heavy. It feels like stepping into an urban spa that exists for functionality rather than escapism, and the owner of the spa "knows their shit" instead of just opening the business for the sake of capitalism, you know? There is a sense of clarity in the air, almost medicinal in its alertness, but without mint or anything that would tip it into traditional balm territory. It wakes you up without agitating you. As it develops, Hwyl becomes atmospheric rather than note-driven. It softens the emotional temperature of stiff environments like corporate offices, but at the same time creates a subtle buffer between you and other people. It doesn't invite familiarity. It helps you relax while maintaining personal boundaries. It's very androgynous, calm but not comforting, and grounded but not warm. The dry-down is where the fragrance feels most natural to me. It's nature as texture, not decor. It's moss that grows on its own. It's dirt that hasn't been curated. Right now most woody fragrances out there are trying to be friendly like a fairy godmother, a wellness spa, or a crowded tourist temple that looks serene on Instagram but is actually noisy with a long line of people waiting their turn to take 'gram' with the place. I love that Hwyl is definitely not that. Hwyl feels older, quieter, more self-contained. When people are trying to decorate their home interior into a 'zen' place, Hwyl just makes you the damn god of a thousand-year-old forest. For context, some of my top fragrances right now are Thé Noir 29, Tam Dao, Another 13, Vetyverio, and Santal 33. Thé Noir 29 and Vetyverio are social and extroverted. They're what you wear when you want to welcome people. Another 13 feels like clean laundry in sunlight. It is clean, but it's lab-level clean, so when compared to Hwyl, it completely lacks personality. Tam Dao is the commercialized Instagram temple experience I mentioned. Not bad, but definitely not unique. And Santal 33 is the definition of city people thinking what it feels like to 'touch grass' when they haven't really gone out to touch real grass. (Please, artificial public parks made for you by your government is not grass.) Hwyl remains the only one that gives you the real texture of nature. One thing I'd be extra careful with when wearing Hwyl, though, is that on a bad day like when mixed with sweat in Summer or when mixed with that jacket you're wearing twice in winter... Hwyl could smell like moldy laundry. It's a dry, spiky woody scent, so it has zero ability to round out any natural odor that's usually also spiky already. Just make sure you wear it on a day your canvas is clean.

It is not a lush green forest. It is maybe not even completely outdoors. I imagine an old wooden structure, with open doors and windows in the middle of a vast cypress forest. It is a 50 degree morning, but as the afternoon unfolds, warm dry air blows into the space. It is a church, temple, or even old abandoned library. Light pools into the darkened room in rays through the glass panes that remain, illuminated by dust and smoke. There is a feeling of knowledge being passed down, on the verge of being forgotten. This is one snapshot of HWYL. In trying to find a meditative, woodsy/forest scent, I have sampled over 100 fragrances over the past 6 months. Most were too synthetic, or smelled a bit generic. HWYL was the first AHA moment on this path for me. This is by far my favorite (and my girlfriends as well). She is incredibly sensitive to smell, and rather picky. I will put it on and get remarks every time. Strangely enough, on occasion she will compliment it and ask what I am wearing. HWYL is a bit amorphous and mysterious in that way, the scent can change based on various factors and be completely different from hour to hour on occasion. Sometimes I am in an ancient temple, but other times I am transported to vast, dry forest floor looking up into an expansive canopy. At least on my skin, it starts very subtle and gains power over the next hour or so. It is difficult to describe the notes exactly, but the overall atmosphere it gives off is a drier wood with wafts of mist/smoke and a hint of enigmatic spice. A bit of incense, but not at all like would smell in yoga studio or headshop. The vetiver listed in here does not smell at like other vetiver heavy fragrances I have sampled. I do not get the comparisons to Encre Noir at all, although I could see how they are in the same realm. Encre Noir is more obviously synthetic to my nose, whereas HWYL is more subtle and natural and shapeshifting on my skin. I am certain HWYL uses aromachemicals in addition to naturals, but they are used in a way that is subtle, balanced, and serves the whole. No part of the experience has any synthetic bumps in the road. Researching good scents to sample, CDG Hinoki was also listed as a close cousin to HWYL. Again, I do not think they smell that similar, but are in the same realm. Hinoki is a bit more green and less dry, and has a slightly synthetic note in there (ISO E?) but is overall enjoyable. If HWYL does not work for you, it is worth sampling Hinoki. In my newly embarked journey of fragrance, HWYL will always be a touchstone for me and I currently consider it my signature scent. I've been wearing it this winter frequently, and I could see it being great in the fall and spring as well. Time will tell if that holds true for summer as well. Probably office friendly if it suits your personality. I highly recommend getting a sample of this and spending some time with it. Throw in a good book and some coffee or tea, and you are setting yourself up for a successful day.

This was a blind buy for me and was not love at first whiff, but as I continue to wear it I am starting to really enjoy it. I bought this to switch from Bleu de Chanel to something less toxic with no formaldehyde or phthalates, which is a new journey for me in the world of fragrance. I find that this is really missing that bright citrusy / bergamot hit that Bleu has and instead offers a much more resinous, vetiver-rich, mossy foreword, which reminds me of the faux ambergris notes in Sauvage by Dior. These notes were a touch overwhelming for me when smelling the atomizer, but while the initial application suggests that the herbaceous top notes are blanketed in vetiver, the dry down is incredibly complex and reveals a totally different scent. I have combination oily/dry, hairy Mediterranean skin, which tends to make earthy resin notes smell sort of damp - part of what led me to not re-purchase Sauvage. I was worried the same reaction would happen between my skin and Hwyl, but I find that once it dries down (which takes quite a while), the powerful notes of cypress, vetiver, and moss take a backseat to the warm spice of frankincense and, to my detection, a hint of clove. The thyme note is more like a supporting act to the subtle spice and earthiness, and a very clear note of smoke rounds it all out nicely, allowing the fragrance to smolder on the skin. The overall impression is one of contemplation and knowledge with a papery finish, like you've spent a crisp spring morning reading a good book by the fire before venturing into the forest for a petrichor-laced expedition. I am impressed with this fragrance, especially for being a more natural formulation without harsh chemicals and phthalates. The sillage is rather intimate, but the staying power is phenomenal for a less synthetic product. I applied this in the early afternoon and could still smell it on my skin during my workout the following morning. It also sticks to clothing nicely, and I feel contrary to similar colognes, the scent doesn't oxidize or sour after prolonged wear. While this hasn't replaced my signature scent just yet, I'm not ruling it out and I'm eager to see what else Aesop has to offer. I do think this fragrance skews more masculine than feminine, but I could see it working on a more mature woman or a nonbinary individual. It is a far cry from flirty and fun with its more studious and earthy scent profile, but the scent feels transmutable and open to interpretation on different skin types. I would, however, recommend trying this on in an Aesop location or retailer over buying blind. I feel that I got sort of lucky in how my skin helped to develop the fragrance, but I get the sense that others may not have the same experience.

This is stunning and something I've been looking for since I started my fragrance journey! The perfect woody scent. It has nothing else, just different shades of wood notes and some smoke. It's beguiling, nuanced, mysterious, and within two wearings this has become a top 5 fragrance for me! I bought a full bottle the day I wore my sample for a second time! I’ve looked for a long time for a woody scent that smells like... well, wood. And every single time I try something someone suggests or that is listed as a woody fragrance, it never smells like woods or like this. To say I’m beyond excited and happy to have found something like this is an understatement. As far as who can wear this and when, I’d say it definitely leans more towards a masculine scent, but a certain type of female could pull this off. And it’s definitely a more casual fragrance, not something you’d necessarily put on before going out to a fancy dinner or tuxedo event. Slightly learning towards a humid scent instead of bone dry wood, it has the most beautiful Hinoki Cypress Wood that is the dominate note the entire time. It’s almost like a sauna type smell. It's accented so nicely by the frankincense, giving it such a soft slightly lemon like quality. The smoky note (probably from the vetiver) is definitely stronger in the opening and first hr or so, but then recedes into the background and is incredible. And the touch of sandalwood (that you don’t smell) adds a smooth texture to the entire fragrance that mellows the whole thing out a few hours in. If you’ve ever smelled Hinoki from CDG, then you have a very good idea of what this smells like and how amazing this is. It’s like CDG Hinoki, but much better and has amazing sillage and lasts all day! Sillage is moderate to strong for the first few hrs, then moderate. And it lasts 10-12 hrs minimum. And this is coming from someone that has skin that hardly ever holds a scent for more then a few hours! Performance is amazing, but also appropriate. I don’t know what a Japanese forest smells like, but if this is what it smells like, I need to book a trip to Japan immediately! And for how well this performs with only a few sprays, it is very affordable and full bottle worthy. Barnabé Fillion created a masterpiece here!

#1220 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This scent is nice enough that the Chinese counterfeits are all over eBay. I am a sucker for a bargain on a woody, green aromatic, but not enough of a sucker to believe I've found a $120 scent on eBay for $39. I've heard from a number of users that made the mistake of thinking they've found a bottle of something not for sale in the US like Eros "Najim" on eBay at a bargain price, realized it's a counterfeit when it arrives, reported it to eBay, and the seller is still there peddling fakes months later. There's no free lunch boys and girls. This juice is not a bargain at $120 for 1.6oz, but in this case it's worth it to me. This is a great scent. I'm not sure whether to label it masculine or unisex as I'd love to smell this on a woman. Classic notes for a woody aromatic, not all of which feature an olibanum note, which always makes a huge difference in how the cypress, oak moss and vetiver project that barbershop vibe. These scents stand out in a world of amber, citrus and vanilla fragrances. When Dior "Sauvage" is being pitched by a 61 year old Johnny Depp you know that trend is getting long in the tooth. So if you've been wearing Sauvage or BDC for the last ten years and are thinking maybe it's time to go a different direction in your fragrance, a woody aromatic is worth considering, and this is one of the best. Hwyl will last most of the business day on the skin. I hung up a shirt i wore the day I applied this and 72 hours later it still was a strong scent on the shirt. I think it's fine for office wear if you don't overspray. Fine for date night, but for me this is less a date scent than a signature scent, one that your partner will associate with you, and not the fifty guys wearing Eros in the last club she was in.

Before I graduated from university, our school shoved us into a crowded, badly ventilated chapel to hear a good old Catholic mass. We rehearsed this mass as nauseam, and it was boring and sweaty beyond belief, but no amount of rehearsal could have prepared me for the incense. The INCENSE! Two bored looking altar girls came in, rhythmically swinging the silver censer back and forth like a pendulum to a great-great-grandfather clock boring the great-great grandchildren. Usually I am very used to incense, especially during mass, but at the time, I was nowhere near used to being seated so close to the edge of the pew and the center aisle... or having both servers pause near me while the priest did the blessing. The fans blew the incense smoke straight into my face, and while my friends were crying for the end of their college careers, I was crying because someone allegedly decided to give the baby Jesus this oppressive smelling resin nearly two thousand years ago, and now there was soot and oily fragrances swirling in my eyes and lungs. Let’s be real. Jesus was not three months old enjoying the smell of burning frankincense. He didn’t need it. And I did not need it either on one of what I imagined would be the most memorable days of my life for a different reason. Anyway that’s what this smells like. Frankincense, burning, but not entirely burnt. There is definitely an aromatic, nearly medicinal herbaceous vibe going on, but this is incredibly Catholic to me, far more than it suggests homeopathy and mystical forests. I love it. I would bathe in it if I could, but I only got a tiny bottle as part of a sampler set. The price is bonkers... if I wanted to smell like this for free I would... well, graduate again, or go to a Catholic Church.

Hwyl is so underrated that it's scary. The fragrance community simply hasn't discovered this yet! Not a single YouTube review over 5k views and about 30 fragrancia reviews. Just a small cult following. Incredible. Someone should put Redolesence onto this or something. I genuinely can not think of a fragrance more underrated than Aesop's Hwyl. Aesop is such a constant and respectable brand. They've been around for a while now, but have only released 8 or so fragrances, all keeping in the same theme/aesthetic. They clearly care a lot about quality and believe in their products. Designed and made in Melbourne Australia. Hwyl is very natural. I took a nap with this on, and as my body heat rose, Hwyl got stronger and became a cloud of dark earthy woods and smokey goodness, which actually helped me sleep. It's calm and smooth like fog in a forest. This is all similar to the imagery that Aesop provides in the marketing and presentation, and it's spot on. I love the idea. This is absolutely a minimalist's dream fragrance. This is clean living, nature loving, sustainable minimalism in a bottle. It's not modern and mainstream that screams obnoxiously. This is just you and Hwyl. That being said, Hwyl is actually quite strong and long lasting. I'd compare it to Encre Noir preformence wise, but Hwyl is smoother and more natural and minimal, so that strength is more welcome in my opinion. The bottle is a gorgeous amber brown that is SO fitting to this scent. One of my favourite bottle designs. Definitely try this, especially if you enjoy the imagery that fragrances can envoke. This takes you somewhere special.

Austere, herbal, astringent, almost-bitter ... and magical. Dark, dark green woods in a glacial forest, evergreen and deciduous all at once. This does something I never dreamed of: making vetiver, one of my most-hated notes, into something completely compelling and addictive. Wrapping it in sweet frankincense covers the dirt, and the sharp bite of cypress dilutes that sometimes-sweaty edge vetiver can have. Smells like a tinder-dry blanket of conifer leaves with a warmer, spicy aura round the edges; it's full of organic greenness and plant-y aromatics. Really distinctive and individual, on the male side of unisex but could still be rocked with pride by anyone mad for the forest. It's spare and smoky and serene - really wonderful stuff. But - there has to be a but - it's well overpriced at full retail and I don't think longevity is great... but how would I really know, as I tested this with one of the hated scented wipes (manufacturers: please stop making samples in this format, they're horrible.) On me its full glory lasted less than an hour with softer, closer skin scent hanging on a couple more. Frustrating as it is really quite something. ETA: tested in from a parfum spray bottle in store and longevity was a bit better - maybe 4-5h? and the aromatics more tenacious than I feared. I'm still on the fence. The really distinctive and individual smell easily justifies a buy, but the performance doesn't... I think...

Oh, there is nothing like this in the world (more on that later). The first blast is smoke, and then it settles down to a woody incense, and then in its old age, amber-ish resin. Beguiled by Aesop hand lotions, I wanted to smell like *that* all over. Purchased the anthology to try a variety of their fragrances. Tried Hwyl and was immediately disgusted by the smoky blast. But as the hours passed, I kept sniffing my wrist. Although I tried and liked the other fragrances, Hwyl and Eidesis were the ones I kept going back to. Hwyl reminds me a lot of Commodity’s Vetiver, but it’s drier and more woody. It reminds me of arriving at our country house in the pines, on a wet cool night, stepping out of the car and inhaling the wet gravel of the driveway and the carpet of leaves and pine needles, with the smoke of the fireplace on the breeze. Nothing else does that for me. I can get a decent approximation from layering Commmodity Vetiver with L’Artisan’s Mure et Musc, but it wasn’t good enough. At the price, I wish it were. I splurged on a bottle of Hwyl for my birthday. It’s a fairly masculine scent, IMO. However, I’m a woman who likes to dabble in “men’s” scents. Grey Flannel (original formulation) was a favorite. Hwyl feels that way, for me. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to wear in this cold weather. I just love this.

When I first sprayed it on my wrist, I immediately thought: that’s how an expensive spa smells like. It reminded me of a sauna ritual I attended once in the mountains after which I jumped into an external swimming pool surrounded by cold winter forests. It also made me think about my trip to Kyoto and the smell of its old wooden buildings which I’ll remember forever. Having thought that, I immediately removed it from my wish list. The fragrance was very pleasant but I couldn’t think of it as a perfume. It smelled like a place, like a memory, but not a person. What’s more, I’ve never been into this kind of perfumes. Yet on my way home from the Aesop store, which took me about 15 minutes, I couldn’t help sniffing my wrist. There’s something intoxicating and alluring as it unfolds which is not something I’d expect from something I’d call a typical spa scent. ...Of course I have already ordered it :) I’ve seen some people saying it is too smoky - in my opinion it’s mostly woody, I get a lot of cypress and cedar with a tiny bit of smoke which is just a background melody. It has been 4 hours and I can still smell it, although it’s definitely a very intimate, “close to skin” fragrance - but it would’ve been odd if this kind of fragrance would leave a strong head turning trail.

firstly, wow. this tells a beautiful story or atleast to me. in the opening i get only spice and woods maybe a tiny bit of cypress but really not much. the spices and wood feels hot, burning like a hinoki forest that was still hot and smoking after a fire. extremely dry and warm. though as it dries down and develops over the next few hours, cypress, moss, and vetiver takes away from where the spices left off. this shifts the once dry hot woods to a cooler and perhaps slightly damp and rejuvenated forest. to me it tells the story of how forests recover after fires. but in saying this, the perfume never becomes really wet and earthy so i do wish that there were maybe a soil kind of note to really sell the idea of a recovered hinoki wood forest. but this is really solid. could be quite unwearable to most and i see it as quite a daring/edgy fragrance due to it not being a typical aromatic aquatic woody fragrance, and instead being a photorealistic wood fragrance throughout its lifespan; in the beginning a photorealistic hot wood, and after a few hours, a reborn slightly earthy wood given by the cypress, moss, and vetiver

Very nice. I’m already a fan of Commes des Garçons Hinoki and Kyoto. Hywl almost leans a tad more on the masculine/cologne side of unisex compared to those two. But it is still unisex imo. It is slightly more complex as well with some additional notes that appear upon wearing that the others lack. I’ve heard all three of these referred to as simplistic scents , but by no means is that the case. You are being offered a photorealistic snapshot of a temple in a deep wooded forest, but that is due to many notes masterfully blended. I can tell you right now that Cypress, oak moss, olibanum, and thyme do not smell on their own each as deep as this. They must be carefully portioned out to complement one another. That is perfumery my friends. That all being said, I actually prefer CDG scents just slightly more to this, even with their poor performance. Maybe because HYWL is leaning into masculine cologne territory on the drydown more so than the others. If you are in doubt, try them all to compare! They are all full bottle worthy in my eyes depending on your preference.

A huge fan of Japanese temples, their verdant forests, their crafts - from sashiko to woodwork, their sensitivity to nature. This fragrance brought me back to those early morning walks in a Japanese forest, with steps made of stones leading you to a temple shrouded in the midst of trees. Misty, atmospheric and damp, yet the air is crisp. I'm surprised a French perfumer can recreate that imaginative scene so well. One shouldn't think about longevity and projection when getting this fragrance. This is a meditative experience, the scent is for one to enjoy and be at peace with its surroundings. It is great for walks during an autumn day, where fog starts to form in the woods, or during springtime at home, where you are accompanied by a good read and a nice pot of tea. This is better than Monocle's Scent 01: Hinoki. Bottomline: If you love the sensitivity of Japanese culture, you'll get this scent. Notes of cypress (hinoki), moss and cedarwood. I'm on my 2nd bottle already. Aesop's scents are all very natural-smelling and not at all synthetic.

I've long found Aesop's line of fragrances to be reasonably made but not so reasonably priced for what they offer. However, I have a soft spot for Hwyl (and I found it for a discount I couldn't refuse). It opens with what reminds me of the cool snap of conifer twigs and frankincense. It is driven by a fair amount of Timbersilk/Iso E Super, but it doesn't feel violating, and adds a twinkle to the bitter, herbal woodiness that forms the core of Hwyl. It is the dry down, however, that is most satisfying, a slightly fusty, peppery old wood smell, mingling with a medicinal tonic and some residual sparkle. I definitely wouldn't expect heavily layered realism—or surrealism with Hwyl, but it isn't nearly the same eye-rolling meme as Santal 33 has become among the urbanite hipsters. I would recommend seeking it out for less than retail, I stand firm when I say that $160.00 for 1.6oz is not worth it for any of the Aesop fragrances.

Savoring every last drop. I have been wearing this since its release. This is a mossy, dark forest, someone burning incense after rain. I would bathe in this if I could. I would wish for this to last forever, but it’s at least among the better performers from the Aesop line. If I had to pick one fragrance to wear for the rest of my life, this would be it. It saddens me a little to see people dismiss it as a masculine scent, but more gorgeous forest:y incense for this girl then. Opens with photorealistic notes of frankincense, thyme, maybe even myrrh. It has this thick, almost camphoric balminess to it, before gradually transforming into soft, dark woods and slowly smoking incense. This evokes memories of playing in forests, squishing moss between fingertips, walking past freshly tarred boats drying in the sun and tripping over wet roots. My only caveat is - I want it darker, less ephemeral.

I’m so surprised that moss is rated so low here. To me, this ultimately smells like an incredible rendition of the moss carpeting an old growth forest after a torrential downpour. I’m getting a lot of damp soil and dirt, and moss. It’s hard to distinguish where the moss ends and the vetiver begins, making this bewitchingly atmospheric. The first thing that hits me when I smell this from afar is the thyme supported by a light touch of cypress and vetiver. Once you get a little closer, the vetiver begins to take over, and closer still you get more prominent woodsy notes, spicy resins, and frankincense. I was worried this might be too smoky for everyday wear. It’s not. If there’s anything remotely smokey here, it’s more like the scent of an incense that went out hours and hours ago. This is overall surprisingly fresh and light and somehow manages to smell clean.

I first came across Hywl when I was helping my friend choose a gift set at Aesop for his girlfriend. The sales assistant sprayed the fabric bag down with this and I immediately needed to know what that was. At the time, £90 seemed steep but once I left the store, I noticed that I had been sniffing my wrist all evening. Hwyl is not a multi-faceted fragrance; it is smoky, woody and green with a prominent frankincense accord that lingers throughout the whole day. Nevertheless, this is my daily go-to. It doesn't smell like I'm wearing perfume, it smells more like clean skin. The projection and longevity are moderate but that will not stop me reaching for this. I have even noticed my partner stealing a spray or two, which is understandable as this is definitely a unisex fragrance, perfect for cooler days. This will not be my last bottle.

Probably the most realistic forest (cypress/pine) I have ever experienced in perfumes I tried. While GDG has almost an exact dupe, it in my experience isn’t as realistic and long lasting as Hwyl is. Hwyl builds up and lasts for a least the whole day, CDG disappears on me instantly and never comes off in the same deep way. Very sophisticated spa like fragrance but never in a soapy way. Might be my the most favourite woody fragrance to day, even I find GAIAC 10 being closer to my signature scent due to its versatility. Yet with Hwyl, I can’t resists its realistic nature, something so honest about it. Only dealbreaker for me is it is way too fresh to wear outside summer, if I would live in warmer climate, it would be my everyday fragrance no doubt. Although I think it wouldn’t be a problem for guys, since it leans masculine in general.

I love this frag. I only wear this perfume to sleep. Normally, woody scents are a little too strong for me but this frag is done just right. It’s not headache inducing and very calming at the same time. I honestly don’t know what specific notes I'm picking up but it’s woody, spicy, warm and minty. I’m smelling incense, too. Imagine a temple with burning incense or a priest swinging the frankincense around. Now, imagine a forest after a thunderstorm. Then, combine those scents. It smells like that. It’s familiar and comforting. I want my room to smell like this but they don’t sell a home scent version of this. I’m not gonna drop $100+ for a candle. If anyone has any recommendation for an identical scent as room spray, specific incense or reed diffuser, feel free to send me a message. I would really appreciate it.