Bois Obscur

EN Bois Obscur Byredo — darkness without unnecessary poetry Bois Obscur is not a “fresh, green, conventionally forest-like” perfume. There is no damp woodland here, no moss underfoot, no pretty green clearing made for an urban fantasy of nature. This is another kind of wood — darkened by time, soaked with resin, the smell of leather, dust, and a trace of that strange rubbery note that some will find luxurious and others will immediately reject. The opening is dry and sharp. Saffron flashes with an almost metallic edge, while eucalyptus does not really refresh; it gives the composition a cold shade instead. Papyrus adds dusty dryness. In the first minutes the fragrance feels guarded, even slightly rough, as if it has no intention of making you fall in love from the first breath. Then echoes of flowers begin to rise out of the darkness. But jasmine and tuberose here are not white, creamy, or forcibly dressed up, as often happens in perfumery. They feel as though they had been lying in a closed room, inside a box with oud, wood shavings, and old leather. The floral notes do not soften the fragrance; they make it denser and more alive. There is something bodily in it, but without sweet seduction. The oud in Bois Obscur is not an oriental spice either. It is dry, dark, a little rough. Not a luxurious Turkish bazaar, not a smoky veil, but rather lacquered wood, heated leather, dark resin, and the expensive interior of a car after a long day in the sun. That is exactly the edge that can make the fragrance easy to love — or just as easy to remove from the collection. It works best not at the beginning, but later, when labdanum, patchouli, sandalwood, and mineral amber gather the composition into a calmer, denser base. The unnecessary sharpness disappears, and depth arrives. Not comfort, no. More like tension, now less nervous and more composed. Bois Obscur is not a universal Byredo-style perfume, and it is certainly not a safe blind buy. It depends too much on how one perceives its dark rubbery-leathery character. But when everything falls into place, it becomes a rare case for Byredo: the minimalism remains, yet it is no longer transparent, but gloomy, dense, dangerous. This is not an office fragrance and not an “every day” perfume. It is better worn in the evening or on a cool day, without any desire to seem appropriate in every situation. Bois Obscur does not ask for compliments. It simply leaves a truly indelible impression. _______ IT Bois Obscur Byredo — oscurità senza poesia superflua Bois Obscur non è un profumo “fresco, verde, banalmente boschivo”. Non ci sono una foresta umida, il muschio sotto i piedi, né una bella radura verde costruita per l’immaginario urbano della natura. È un altro tipo di legno: scurito dal tempo, impregnato di resina, odore di pelle, polvere e un accenno di quella strana nota gommosa che ad alcuni sembrerà lussuosa e ad altri farà subito alzare un muro. L’apertura è secca, pungente. Lo zafferano lampeggia con un taglio quasi metallico, mentre l’eucalipto non rinfresca davvero: dà piuttosto alla composizione una sfumatura fredda. Il papiro aggiunge una secchezza polverosa. Nei primi minuti il profumo resta guardingo, persino un po’ ruvido, come se non avesse alcuna intenzione di farsi amare al primo respiro. Poi dall’oscurità emergono echi di fiori. Ma il gelsomino e la tuberosa, qui, non sono bianchi, cremosi, né forzatamente eleganti, come spesso accade in profumeria. Sembrano essere rimasti chiusi in una stanza, dentro una scatola con oud, trucioli di legno e vecchia pelle. Le note floreali non ammorbidiscono il profumo: lo rendono più denso e più vivo. C’è qualcosa di corporeo, ma senza dolce seduzione. Anche l’oud in Bois Obscur non è una spezia orientale. È secco, scuro, leggermente ruvido. Non un lussuoso bazar turco, non una cortina fumosa, ma piuttosto legno laccato, pelle riscaldata, resina scura e l’abitacolo costoso di un’auto dopo una lunga giornata al sole. Proprio quella sfumatura per cui il profumo può essere facile da amare — oppure da eliminare subito dalla collezione. Il meglio arriva non all’inizio, ma più tardi, quando labdano, patchouli, sandalo e ambra minerale raccolgono la composizione in una base più calma e più densa. La ruvidità superflua scompare, arriva la profondità. Non il conforto, no. Piuttosto una tensione meno nervosa e più composta. Bois Obscur non è un profumo universale nello stile Byredo e non è certo un acquisto sicuro alla cieca. Dipende troppo da come si percepisce questo suo carattere scuro, gommoso e cuoiato. Ma se tutto si dispone nel modo giusto, nasce un caso raro per Byredo: il minimalismo rimane, ma non è più trasparente; diventa cupo, denso, pericoloso. Non è un profumo da ufficio e non è un profumo “per tutti i giorni”. Si porta meglio di sera o in una giornata fresca, senza il desiderio di sembrare adatto a ogni situazione. Bois Obscur non chiede complimenti. Lascia semplicemente un’impressione davvero indelebile.

This is absolutely amazing. You can stop reading this review now if you like. For those of you still here, I can explain a little of why I think this is so good. If you've followed my reviews you may be aware that I am a card-carrying Byredo fan and this is them at their creative, slightly obtuse best. Their Night Veil extrait concentrations are absolute powerhouses and Bois Obscur is right up there. Lots of Byredos come flying out of the blocks with really punchy openings that need a little breather to calm down a bit, and Bois Obscur is one of the best examples of that. It is confrontingly strong in the first breath and really rocks you back on your heels. Wow. The saffron, patchouli and eucalyptus are utterly dominant until it starts to dry and then you get a massive dose of jasmine and a tangy, tart whack of tuberose coming in. Typically Byredo, it all then starts to make sense. This is, at its heart, a dark and heady floral adventure but one that has power and complexity for days. I mean that literally. It lasts 12+ hours on my skin and stays on clothes for days and days and days. There is no old lady rose or retro lily of the valley here. There is no calming lavender. It reminds me a bit of Crivelli's Tubereuse Astrale a bit, with the aggressive, powerhouse tuberose and the oud. It is pretty much as powerful as the Crivelli too, but it is more complex and I do prefer it. I preferred it in the opening and I still do in the drydown. The oud in the base is absolutely amazing. There is that sourness there but it is kept in check with the amber and the sandalwood. The effect as it entwines with the myriad floral notes and the saffron is spellbinding. You expect the florals to drop out and they never really do, they just darken and deepen with the oud. It somehow manages to be fresh and dusky, floral and oudy, light and dark, all at the same time. The eucalyptus is always there but never difficult out on its own; much more apparent and stringent than with Eucalyptus Patchouli by BohoBoco. The drydown after four or five hours is refined, balanced, dark and extremely memorable. This never truly sinks into the skin as a skin scent: it is presence in fragrance form. Bois Obscur is very well blended. I can already tell that this is going to be one of their more difficult sells in their boutiques because it is so strong and it does need ten minutes to start to dry down. People will overspray this on a tester strip, hate it and never give it a second thought and that is a mistake. A massive mistake. You rarely see their highest end flagship extraits in the discounters but I think you will see this one and that is great news because it is expensive. When my 5ml tester is up, you'd better believe I'm having a full bottle of this. It is funny because I need this full bottle in my life but I'm not sure it would be a regular wearer for me. Aggressive florals are not in my fragrance comfort zone and I couldn't wear this to work at all, or indeed with a work formal suit, or casually with jeans and a t-shirt. For me, this is an adventurous night out in a bottle, with the emphasis on night. I do think it is the sort of bottle you want just to wear it every six months. Is it unisex? Absolutely but a lot more feminine leaning than Tubereuse Astrale. Does it have mass appeal? I do not think so. Should you try this? Yes, but give it ten or twenty minutes on your skin before you decide how you feel. Do not overspray. One on the chest and one between the wrists will more than suffice. Trust me on this. You have to really love intense, full on florals to enjoy this one. Three Word Summary: Sith Lord Florals Scent - 8/10 Drydown - 9/10 Sillage - 10/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 10/10 45/50 a very strong score for an extremely strong fragrance.

9/10 Magnifique oud parfaitement utilisé, le meilleur oud que j'ai senti après Oud Imperial extrait de Maison Perris Monte Carlo.

I’m going against the grain. Don’t come for me. This could be so beautiful, but like most scents from Byredo, it lacks in the performance and becomes a skin scent in 2-3 hours. Which actually pisses me off because it’s more expensive than their other fragrances. Smells beautiful on hubby and myself so it’s definitely unisex. I’m just devastated in the performance so I’ll never, ever buy it 😔

Whoever said this smells like pepboys and autozone is 100% on the money. Smells like Vanille Antique and new car tires.

It’s a No for me and nope it doesn’t smell like Oud isaphan

Bois Obscur is a sensual jasmine fragrance. With a touch of warm Oud and spicy eucalyptus. It lasted on my skin for 8hrs before I washed it off. On clothes I got a much longer preformance, though projection reduced around the 3hrs mark. Please, it smells NOTHING like Oud Ispahan. If there was a world where it’s reminiscent of anything, it would by Jasmine Xclusif by Mancera; bearing in mind the presence of the addictive Jasmine and Oud combo.

My favorite Byredo it's a dry spicy fresh woody floral the dry down is so enjoyable I've been searching for a perfume in this realm that isn't too sweet or oudy that makes me feel good it reminds me a little of the original opium from the 80s but more smooth on the morning the florals are still on my skin I don't feel the oud, the original spray is camphor but this moves into a spicy amber dry addictive bubble

unfortunately a fairly boring addition to the house; nothing particularly interesting or unique about bois obscur though it's not an unpleasant scent. in the dry down there's a resinous slightly sour, balsamic note. i would also say the oud is fairly prominent throughout the duration of this scent, and i don't tend to find oud-heavy fragrances very compelling

Dry down smells like a “modern” Cartier’s Oud & Musc. Meaning: less natural. Although it takes time to get to that point as this opens leathery suede-y with florals. I can see the faint connection to Jasmin Exclusiff. Overall, I’m not a fan of the opening but enjoy the dry down. My opinion is only based on a spritz on the back of my hand from a decant.

I smell leather and rubber and spicy. It's the type of scent I get from new car tires or car floor mats. It's like I walked into Pepboys or Autozone. Can't recommend unless you're into that kind of fragrances.

absolutely addictively gorgeous. strong. woody, leathery, dry spicy. I am absolutely in love - it smells like a very rich sophisticated and sexy woody scent. head turner. perfect for the colder months.

It seems this is the only “new” one no? Just looks like a bottle rebrand?