Bois Des Iles Parfum

I’m not entirely sure why I chose to wear Bois des Iles extrait today, not that anyone needs any particular reason to wear Bois des Iles. It’s not a perfume I reach for or even think of often, but it is probably the best sandalwood perfume I have ever smelled. The personality of it is quite specific, and lends itself to some of my own particular moods and moments. It’s a beautiful day outside, I’ve got nothing to do - so normally I would find something to do - but I’m feeling restful, quiet, and preferring to stay in, read, and nap away the day. Bois des Iles seems to suit those moments well with its meditative and peaceful, exotic, stately and luxurious character vis-a-vis sandalwood. That is why this accord is the star of Bois des Iles, the plinth upon which everything else sits that could not exist without it. From the fruity floral aldehydic top that sparkles like pixie dust. From the red rose, indolic jasmine, and bronze ylang-ylang heart that is rich, gently tropical, and luxurious, kept in check by a powdery and silvery orris. To that heartbreakingly gorgeous sandalwood - creamy, aromatic and woody, floral in its own right, cinnamon flecked, pale green edges from a vetiver adornment, and gently earthy vanillic. There is an energy to Bois des Iles that acts like a very low vibration, like a forest that has supernaturally come alive without making a movement or a sound. Though the perfume itself moves quite a bit: in several minutes it is rosy, jasmine, ylang-ylang and orris floral; the next several minutes are a sweetened cinnamon dusted sandalwood; in other minutes more convincingly the prototype of the sandalwood gourmand with more pronounced vanillcs, that we have ad nauseum today; and in other minutes the florals go a bit more fruity. And yet, with all of this shapeshifting and movement, never once does it veer from the holy sandalwood. It always smells like the same perfume, dependable and reliable, like Bois des Iles and nothing else, even when it pushes a particular facet to the foreground. It is an absolutely gorgeous perfume, which makes it all the more curious why Chanel can never make up their minds as to what they want to do with it. Sometimes discontinuing it, sometimes bringing it back, trying to drive sales of EdT or EdP concentrations and sometimes not bothering at all, to today where it survives (for the moment) as an EdP in the Les Exclusifs range with the extrait existing only at a small number of boutiques, behind counters and locked doors, that must be asked for in person. Bois des Iles extrait is not easy to find, which is a crying shame, so if you have a chance to experience it do not let that chance pass you by.

Moving this from the EDT page now that the parfum has its own page... The notes above are completely different from the vintage, where I get (in order of prominence) honey, animalic notes, resins, sandalwood, spice, vetiver. My vintage mini of Bois des Iles parfum exhibits a spicy sandalwood drydown emanating from the neck of the bottle that is a little misleading. It's this part that smells exactly like Egoiste, but if you are expecting a somewhat feminized, unisex, or generally more wearable version of Egoiste you may be in for a surprise. Though sharing some DNA, these two perfumes are quite different. This kept me from wearing BDI for a while (I already have a bottle of Egoiste), along with something intensely animalic that made me even blush a little. When I finally dabbed some on, I put a little on the back of each hand along with a honey scent on one arm to kind of layer and soften the effect. Turns out it complemented BDI exceedingly well, but it didn't need it. BDI started out with a blast of honey itself, the sandalwood, a bit of spice, and then more resin when I reached the drydown. It was animalic, yes, but not as in-your-face as I was expecting. Nevertheless, there is some sort of real musk or civet that appears in a nicely balanced form. I could not stop sniffing! Though the theme seems to focus on wood, the woodiness was really not overwhelming, nor the pillar of the fragrance at all. It was a honey-sweetened, balmy, musky wood, not nearly as sandalwood-forward as I had feared (sandalwood sometimes bites my nose a little). The scent calls to mind a walk through the woods as reddening leaves bake in the last bit of pre-winter sun. Warmth surrounds you, the kind of coziness that contrasts with the impending winter. BDI is an iconic oriental - balanced, timeless, exotic yet comforting. Performance was great; tiny dabs gave off quite a bit of sillage and lasted much of the day.

I have waited LITERALLY YEARS for Fragrantica to add the parfum to the database. I had requested it several times. I purchased my bottle some 7-8 years ago, and it is pure divinity, one of the greatest treasures of my entire collection. I agree with another reviewer that it's like No.5 with the sandalwood dialed way up. And the slightest bit of peach added. I don't see it in the notes here, but I smell it. The parfum is a bit more voluptuous than the Les Exclusifs EDT (I have not tried the current EDP yet and can not compare). It's a tad sweeter, thicker in a syrupy way, less aldehydic. But so incredibly complex. There are spices in the mix, but they are very distant, adding a truly teasing, exotic feel to the fragrance. I only dab a bit behind each ear and on my wrists, and it lasts all day with sillage that is very soft and sensual and seems just right for a proper lady. I wish I bought two backup bottles, as I don't know if they reformulated it in the past few years. Edit: @violinplayah I am confused by both the "gingerbread" note as well as the "almond" note. I smell not the faintest bit of either note. I do smell spices, but not ginger. My parfum is very woody--not gourmand on any level.

Chanel Bois des Iles Parfum (1926) - sandalwood surrealism - #ernestbeaux created the fragrance during a period of #surrealism believing that their works expressed elements of surprise, juxtapositions, and importance of the dream-like worlds and the notion of the subconscious dominated. While, on that journey, he got inspired from #tchaikovsky ‘s queen of spades. The opera is based on a groundbreaking story by Alexander Pushkin. In it, he wrote that "two obsessions can no more exist in the same mind than two bodies can exist in the same space." Such strong influences to make perfume! Beaux combines these juxtapositions of love and hazard by creating brightness & joy through sparkling Aldehydes, Ylang, White florals and then comes a woody and spicy backbone representing the mysterious forest. The surrealism component is how well he is able to represent Sandalwood, but this fragrance does not contain it. Aghast dear reader? Yes, it does not. For the components of the accords all come together to represent a magical sandalwood that isn’t there. A technical & artistic feat from the legendary master perfumer. Masterpiece.

@Carissaochoa's review below is spot on. "like a piece of rich spice cake with extra smooth sweet cream cheese frosting". To my nose though I experience it as closer to butter icing. Bois des Iles parfum is very buttery, but specifically if you find a particular batch from around the 1990s to early 2000s. I researched it because I was struck by the difference between EDP, this parfum and one I tried elsewhere. I expect them to be slightly different, but it's really marked with Bois des Iles. The EDP is less creamy, less 'old school'. The parfum is richly floral and buttery, with the woody/cinammon drydown quite sweet and close to skin. I absolutely love both. I'd say the parfum leans more feminine with its sweeter creamier florals. It's true to say the parfum is not a 'hard hitter', but then a few drops fell on my wooden dressing table. I thought " Well that's a few £s evaporated into the atmosphere!" But I've been enjoying the aroma wafting from it for days! Divine comfort scent. A classic. Love!

Subtle masterpiece. BDI definitely won't get you noticed at the club, but if you want to curl up and read a good book or just relax and netflix, wear this. It's like a warm, soft blanket surrounding you. Pretty amazing that Chanel has made something that smells like Mysore sandalwood with not a lick in it. The alchemy of aldehydes transform all the different notes to different woody facets of actual Mysore. Very faintly sweet (by today's fruit-chouli standards), and a light spice (gingerbready accord?) dance in and around a soft, creamy, woody heart. Chanel magic. I think you could say this almost ventures into gourmand territory, although stops just short. Think warm slice of gingerbread cake with a tiny dollop of vanilla scented whipped cream. BDI is not that strong, this is more soft and subtle, but is reminiscent of that. A man can easily pull this off if he is in a subtle mood. Don't give up after just one try. This one needs a few wearings to fully appreciate it's subtle warm charms.

The parfum is less aldehydic and more focused on that gorgeous sandalwood than the edp. The parfum imparts a transporting sacredness. I am beginning to think Chanel parfums are mind altering drugs, they are that good. Bois des Iles continues to be my favorite Chanel in both forms. I still love the edp for its 3 part experience of sparking aldehydes, heart breaking floral heart, and sensual sandalwood drydown. I adore the parfum for its rich meditative sandalwood. Vintage EDC: softened aldheydes, warm floral, gingerbread-tinged sandalwood, and the purr of real animalics. Divine! This is creamier than even the current extrait and less sweet. There was so much more depth with the vintage perfumes! When I experience the level of artistry like this I think "My God, humans were once capable of this!"

Heartachingly beautiful. Vintage art, sandalwood elevated to the highest level, and not a drop of sandalwood in the bottle. If you enjoy the EDP, the parfum wont disappoint. It’s rounder, smoother, slightly sweeter, less aldehydic, thicker. Perfection. Absolute perfection.

Creamy, well balanced wood, vanilla and floral notes. Enough spice to give things warmth, but not overpower. I have tried against the EDP and find this much more enjoyable on my skin. It’s a close, lovely scent - as others have said, like a warm blanket.

I am wearing the pure parfum today for the first time in ages. I absolutely adore this perfume. It’s a soft spicy sandalwood fragrance but with multiple layers of complex floral and wood notes. Stunning. Easily unisex.

my signature scent and absolute favorite chanel parfum (and I have worn many over the years)

Wonderful parfume. Smells sophisticated and clean.

(Vintage) Parfum I am truly fortunate to have this fabulous fragrance in the parfum concentration circa mid Twentieth century, recently un-boxed and opened for this review. The Blending of elements in this legendary perfume border on perfection, I believe the genius of Ernest Beaux is demonstrated here in it's most absolute and unrestrained glory. From start to finish I am mesmerized by Tunisian Neroli & Grasse Jasmine, Turkish Damask Rose absolute, ( Bulg. or Ottoman ) Iris and a warm spicy Gingerbread accord due to the combined elements of coriander, tonka bean & amber that lasts for hours on my skin followed by a protracted dry down of the most exquisite Florentine Orris butter, ( Iris root ) Mysorean Sandalwood, rare exotic woods and now obsolete Nitro musks. Alas, perfumery of this caliber will never be recreated again due to the un-availability of rare tinctures and precious aromatic compounds, the earlier presentations of the extrait were made with the highest quality raw materials available, Madame Coco demanded the very best both in fabrics including accessories, furs & brocades for couture as well as the perfumery side of her burgeoning business empire. I hope to sample the more modern eau de toilette formulation soon, the intrigue is becoming quite urgent now. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful vintage 'extraits' in my extensive collection of rare & long discontinued parfums. Merci Monsieur Beaux.............

I have quite an old bottle, the aldehydes within this are still absolutely functional, but there is a vinegar-y tone ro whatever fruits might've been here and have one off. I'm fairly certain that I'm not smelling everything that this used to contain at all, so it might be skewed, but I'm surprised by how powdery this is! Very, very soft orris, which is entangled beautifully with sandalwood. It's hard to tell them apart. There's vauge resins as this dries, but I'm also impressed that the aldehydes hold out so long, they're still on my skin after 3 hours slightly. This feels extremely autumnal to me, a gloomy evergreen forest with gray, chilly skies. Very cloudy, but evocative. It makes me want to rest, and is unexpectedly quite peaceful. Yet, this is also quite cerebral, especially in the late drydown stages. It's calming to the spirit, but it's something that I would wear if attending class. It's present, pensive, peaceful, but intelligently structured even if my particular bottle is past it's prime. The important bits are still retained.

I have the extrait. It just hit me - this is Chanel N 5 extrait with sandalwood! LOVE!! I’m sure it is more complex than that but I distinctly smell the beautiful N 5 in this. I adore N 5 and I can’t believe it took me this long to make the connection!

I really have begun to enjoy my sample of the edp of BDI, I think my chemistry has changed since my baby and it doesn’t turn acidic on me in the drydown anymore. I am intrigued by this alleged gingerbread note that is listed in the extrait but not in the edt or edp. I am a sucker for gingerbread sweetness in perfumes and would be curious to know your opinions on whether it 1)actually exists, and is 2)prominent enough to make it worth getting the extrait as opposed to the edp.

One of the truest sandalwood scents that i have smelt in its purest form. The parfum starts off strong and then mellows quickly into a skin scent for a few hours. It has the No 5 base with sandalwood note toned up. The edp is also quite similar but airier and slightly more powdery compared to the parfum but only slightly. Great one to try if Samsara / Tuscany pour donna are heavy going for you. BdI is not a strong fragrance to me.

Like a soft blanket. In fact, spray it on your soft blanket and snuggle in. The extrait stays close like a hug. If you want more projection you can find similar perfumes like Samsara, which I also love and own, but this is more complex and softer, with a hint of No 5. In fact it is so complex it doesn’t even contain sandalwood. Extraordinary. Edit: For some reason the drydown of the extrait has started to smell sour on my skin.

This is not a full review, just a quick checking in for someone who just like me has been putting off purchase of this beauty for the fear it could be close to the current edp version. This is 500000 miles away from the uneven scratchy modern edp version. I tested the edp from the official samples quite a few times, so can't blame potentially turned testers. The extrait is from a different planet, it's smooth and creamy.

Much better than you edp for me. Very wearable cosy deliciousness. Gingerbread pop was noticeable to me and I loved it. Longevity was nice also.