Desert Dawn

I LOVE this fragrance. I have 15+ frags, but if I don't really love something I will basically never wear it. For years I've been wearing the same 3-4 colognes, so I went to Nordstrom hoping to find something truly great. After smelling about 40 different designers/niches, Desert Dawn was the only thing that excited me. What I love: - Reminds me of Glossier You (I think it's the musk?), which I love on other people but skews too feminine for me to consider wearing. DD is truly unisex to my nose, and although two people have told me they think it leans feminine, most people have told me unisex to masculine - It's the first cedar/sandalwood forward fragrance that works for me. I love Santal 33, but it doesn't work on my skin. I've tried several others and nope. DD really suits me and I think that would probably be true for the majority of people. - Garnered many compliments - Its skin scent DNA means I can overspray without worrying about offending anyone. - It smells and feels truly niche/high quality. - It's actually reminiscent of a desert morning. I wouldn't say dawn. More like 10am and the sun has begun baking everything. I live in a very hot climate and DD pairs with most occasions/weather. - The dill pickle aspect. I wore it for weeks without one thought about dill pickles, but as soon as I read the comments I sprayed up and I totally get it. At first spray, there's something gerkiny there. But this is fleeting and I don't notice it unless I think about pickles. Even though I love dill and pickles, I wouldn't want to smell like a jar of them. What I don't love: - Performance. If I only do one spray, I don't think it lasts 6 hours. I am a sweaty guy in a hot climate, so maybe I'm sweating it off and other people might have better luck. I find that more sprays help with this and reapplying an hour or two after my first spray gives the fragrance added depth. Sadly, more sprays means I will have to replace the bottle sooner than I'd like to. - Price. I bought this through a discounter, but I don't know if I could pay retail with the lacking performance. The quality of the scent matches the price, but how long that scent lasts does not. Skin scents usually can't match the longevity of bolder styles, but I've worn others at this price point and below that do much better.

On the first sniff, Desert Dawn might seem insubstantial, even ephemeral, but as you feel the notes settle around you, you get the lovely creaminess of carrot seed dancing with silky musks and smoky ribbons of vetiver, and begin to fall for the scent’s soft-spoken, easygoing charm. The sandalwood is tender with a hazy milkiness that invites one in and the kind of effortlessness I used to love about Santal 33, though, thankfully, without the pickling spice afterglow. Papyrus haloes the woods in a subtly charred, toasty kind of warmth, though, to me, this is an inherently cool scent, channeling that soothing coolness of the moments just before dawn I always associate with sheer greys and blush pinks. As it dries down, the scent turns hazy and a touch steamy, the velveteen musks whispering against skin. The vetiver reminds me of ambrette, its sweet vegetal fluidity almost liqueur-like as it mingles with the dry smoky woods. Overall, this is an effortless, somewhat introspective fragrance that feels lovely and familiar, if not particularly unique. I see it as something I’d bring along on long strolls or roadtrips—a gentle and agreeable companion to layer in softness and a serene kind of calm as days stretch into nights, and I find myself craving that cozy embrace of woods to keep my mind at peace.🏜️

A creation by Jerome Epinette is usually high on my list of strong loves and Desert Dawn has just topped that list. This is just beautiful. It's overall composition is a silky warmth where that ever recognizable sandalwood is front and center but definitely not pickle-like (as it can present in Santal 33). This is much more in the vein of Parle Moi's Milky Musk but with less of a coconut vibe and with more of a mysterious, sensual nuance - the carrot seeds add a comforting savoriness to this that deepen it and make it soft and cozy. The rose note is almost non-existent much to my satisfaction (rose haters rise up) and it's blended in so nicely that all it does it add to the experience. Dries to the most beautiful musk/woods combo ever and is completely unisex. I cannot stop sniffing my arm. Some descriptor words: Silky, milky, woody, musky, savory, warm, comforting, cozy, hazy, fuzzy, dry. See reviews by: @MyMuse and @byrehoe for even better descriptors. Perfect 10!

I love it. It is so pure, so linear (in the best possible way), and so different from most perfumes on the market. The name Desert Dawn matches the scent so well. It is a morning scent that I find likable in my solitude before stepping into the world. I find it sexy in its simplicity and uniqueness. It makes me feel fresh and is a very uplifting scent for the heaviest days, so I also appreciate that component. Any time I have a lot of work ahead of me, I wear this scent. It gives me some power to endure a heavy day, some masculine touch with a feminine twist. Yin and Yang in one perfume. I read that cedar can motivate, and I feel it in this scent. It is not as sharp as a cedar pencil but very smooth, and I love it.

Wow. This one is special. From the moment it released I could just tell I needed to get my nose on that. I finally did. It’s woody, with this slight aromatic freshness, its soft and spicy, it’s creamy yet dry and dusty (which I adore), it silky and musky. This is what I would call a signature scent at least for this season. I could wear this in any season, but there’s a freshness to it that screams warmer weather. This is an easy grab. I also love the fact you won’t see everyone talking about this or wearing it. This is my favorite Byredo. 10/10

Freshly varnished furniture. The smell of an art studio. Smooth, dry, and beautifully blended. The rose is smooth, and the cardamom is not sharp at all. It all lingers behind a woody drydown. I prefer the complexity, accord evolution, and the spa/desert vibe in De Los Santos, but this is an easier reach, cleaner and drier. This is definitely the masculine (leaning) counterpart of Mojave Ghost, as I expected it to be. A sense of calm and renewal. I blind bought a full bottle, and I ́m so glad I did.

I get Gritti Tutu Extrait from this on clothes (a lighter version) and a definite remnant of Super Cedar on first spray in the air. On skin it’s a mix, with the cedar on initial spray and the Tutu sweetness/silkiness coming out as it evolves. This is the Byredo that brought me back to the brand, as I got fatigued by the DNA many years ago. I love it. It’s clean, a little woody, a little sweet. Easy to wear and you will smell good. Delicious and low key sexy to my nose.

Desert Dawn is a fitting name. This is a spicy, airy, dry and woody, molecular scent. This has a similar carefree and casual vibe to Mojave Ghost, but with an overdose of cardamom. The intriguing thing about this perfume is that is combines spiciness with smelling clean, which feels like a rare pairing. I’m a huge Mojave Ghost fan and I’m impressed that Byredo have made another good release that has that similar Bohemian and nonchalant clean-girl feel.

A woody, spicy, dusty opening with a hint of cardamom. It is a unisex fragrance - it feels a little too masculine for me originally but it dries down to a more feminine addictive, sweet, floral, musky note which I absolutely love. It layers perfectly with my favourite Mojave Ghost. Great warm fragrance for autumn and winter. Long lasting for a Byredo fragrance. I can see and smell a perfect desert dawn when I wear this.

This is currently my signature scent. I also really love Super Cedar, but unfortunately its longevity is below par. I think Desert Dawn is a more developed version of the latter fragrance. It’s a beautiful creamy-woody scent with a slightly papery touch. The sillage isn’t strong, but the longevity is good (though it could be even better). At the moment, I can’t think of a more beautiful fragrance than this.

This is so good I went through a 5 mL decant in no time. I think Jerome Epinette is at his best when he works to create this creamy, ethereal compositions (a la Bal d’Afrique). Soft, mediative, highlighting the most comforting facets of raw materials. Projection and longevity are disappointing but nothing is perfect I guess. If you smell pickles here, try cleaning your nostrils with a saline spray.

I don't know how to explain this, but the opening of this is nothing special, very nice musky, woody scent, but nothing to ring home about. But it has the single most beautiful dry down of any fragrance I have owned: musky but powdery, fresh, and spicy. It is like a completely difference fragrance altogether. I reach for it almost every day

I am not usually a fan of woody scents, but I received a sample of this when I ordered Alto Astral and really fell in love. It's such a well balanced, high performing cologne. It lasts much longer than most from this house, and perfect for the fall season. New favorite!

I love it so much!!! Feels like Another13 in Byredo style, and somehow it reminds me of Bal d’afrique, super ceder at the same time. But it doesn’t mean it’s common. Very unique and a scent you can wear anytime and anyplace. This perfume is very much intimate though!

Oh wow... big time sensuality! Desert Dawn is similar to Alto Astral from this brand- but Alto Astral is like the cheap wine you put out for guests and Desert Dawn is the good stuff you keep for yourself (ha ha). Joke is on you if you don’t like this fragrance!

I'm not entirely sure why Mojave Ghost Absolu (extrait) was removed, with even the article on Fragrantica and the Instagram promotional post on Byredo’s account being pulled. Excited for this.

Lots of cardamom off the bat on my skin, then becomes this captivating creamy and softly spiced scent. I keep coming back to sniff my wrist. Truly unisex but maybe leans a touch masculine.

I'm very excited for this new Byredo release. I cannot wait to read reviews on it. I have a feeling this will be the next Mojave Ghost or Gypsy Water, in terms of hype status.

I really like Super Cedar but hate that it is so weak. Now Desert Dawn is a somewhat stronger version of Super Cedar to me, so it might justify the price for me

If you've ever lived in the Desert, you'd know what a masterpiece this is. It's the exact scent of unrelenting heat on various plants and woods.