Scent One: Hinoki

Absolutely stunning. The first time I wore it the cypress nearly overwhelmed every other facet and it was so incredibly fresh and green I half-expected foliage to start sprouting from the seams in the seats of my car as I drove around running errands. Now that my nose has had time to acclimate to it I'm picking up these beautiful wood notes, as deep as anything I've ever encountered. It's nothing like holding a block of dead, processed wood to your nose, which is what I typically associate with woody fragrances, but like walking through an untouched forest or the rich, piney blast of a branch freshly shorn from a tree, still so fresh with life that it's almost damp. It reminds me so much of the woods that surrounded my childhood home and the solitude of losing myself in them for hours at a time. The way the green notes dance at the very edge of sweetness is a thing of beauty. It may be the most natural fragrance I've come across; there isn't even a sense that this is mimicking anything from nature, but one that an aspect of nature has somehow been captured and immaculately preserved. There's this tremendous, quiet sophistication to it, and a self-assuredness that's only achieved at the very highest levels of a craft, once it becomes clear you no longer have anything left to prove. This is my first experience with Comme des Garcons, and it's immediately obvious to me why they're held in such high regard.

Burada yorum yazan kişilerin büyük bir bölümüne göre bu parfüm İskandinav ülkelerinin ve Japonyanin ormanları gibi kokuyormus. O ormanları görmediğim için bilmiyorum ama yeşili bol bir orman koktuğu kesin. Kokulu bazı ot ve calilarin olduğu ormanda yürüdükçe sonra ayakkabımın altının bu parfümü biraz da olsun andıran şekilde koktuğunu söyleyebilirim. Bu etki ilk 20 dakika var. Sonra ise odunsu ve biraz baharatlı bir havaya bürünüyor. Yine de keyifli havası sürüyor. Ama ilk baştaki etkinin muhteşem olduğunu söylemeliyim. Bu parfüm üzerinde iyi çalışılmış. Farklı olmayı başarmış. Bence hak ettiği ilgiyi görmüyor. Ödül aldımi bilmiyorum ama bence ödülleri hak ediyor. Bunu söylerken tabiki özgün yanını dikkate alıyorum. Genel parfüm sevenler için değil. Onlar için muhtemelen "garip" tanımlamasını hak edecektir. Eğer parfüme meraklıysanız bunu dolabınızda bulundurun. Serin bir sonbahar günü ormanda yürüyüşe çıkın. Keyfini çıkartın. Kalıcılık orta düzeyde, koku dağılımı ise makul. Tene yakın kalıyor, kalması da iyi. Kokunun çok sevdiğim bir derginin adı ile çıkıyor olması daha da güzel. Bu durumda ormandaki yürüyüşe bir de dergiyi ekleyin. Keyfiniz ikiye katlanacaktir.

This isn't really a hinoki scent (the inspiration is there), but it is an amazing airy, sauna-inspired woody scent. I think of wooden baths and steam touching cypress needles. Woody, green, realistic leaning. It smells like fresh-cut conifer wood but not necessarily a pencil cedarwood (which is a plus for me.) Camphorous and resinous but the main components are wood, needles + air. Everyone else has said I wanted to say, but because I love this perfume so much I just had to leave a review. I have seen many people describe scents as "being forest after the rain". I've disagreed many times (I have to wonder if they ever stepped inside a forest before). This one does actually feel that way for me though it is not damp or rainy at all but has familiar atmospheric qualities. I love anything naturalistic + conifer with a nice dose of wood and this is easily one of my favorites. The downsides are the longevity, I would give anything for this scent but lasting a few more hours. Also, I highly recommend layering it with Heretic - Dirty Hinoki.

Between the opening notes and as this settles into its second act, it oscillates, back and forth several times, for me, between "fresh" and "musty" which brings me unending fascination not only to this scent in particular, but to perfumery and the wonders it holds in general. Though, one might not find "musty" particularly enjoyable or even endearing, any positive feelings and emotions -I- might find with musty are at least in the forefront of my mind in this particular perfume. To be said of "mustiness" and how wear-able this is as a fragrance, obviously, it may smell a little... unorthodox, to say the least, but personally, I don't care about how I smell in proximity to others. You like my smells or you don't! Sorry! Who's to say one even smells the same things I smell upon myself, anyways? Perhaps my muse finds this enchanting on me?~ That being said, I would have a bottle of this on hand and wear once in a while to change things up. I love the variation of wood in this scent.

This is the first fragrance that I fully fell in love with. It is so intoxicatingly green, throws me into a state of calmness. It helps me return to a stableness within myself, a serious beauty. Green, gray, brown, clear rain drops. Quiet moment next to a chilly bus window. Closed eyes. I wore this heavily during an odd vacation I took to San Francisco to visit a friend. I was in a period of thick depression, separation, heavy eyes and constant fatigue from citalopram. In the days I walked around alone, taking in the new city, insanely beautiful surroundings but such a fraught culture and mythology. I had to come home each day from wandering parks that were practically nature reserves to take sweaty naps on a leather couch, then wake myself up and reapply Hinoki. It is corny but with the this scent I gained a certain peace towards life during a period where I was grappling with sufferance. This fragrance is very fleeting, little trace of it after a few hours of wear.

Starts with strong camphor note, but with a carbonated brightness to it, almost like the prickliness of a good ginger beer on the nose. Medicinal, but in a way that makes you keep smelling your wrist. It settles into the hinoki wood itself, which is dusty rather than fresh. Think aged wood, not a freshly cut plank. However there's still a green quality underneath, like you're catching the leaves on the branch alongside the wood. It edges toward incense without ever quite becoming that. It's certainly similar to Hwyl by Aesop. But that leans heavier into the musty and eventually lets the incense take over in the dry down. This stays rooted in the wood throughout. I liked this more: it felt sparser and more meditative. I think criticism that it may be better as a room scent or candle is fair - I would not describe this scent as "sexy" by any means. But it's full bottle worthy for me, it makes me feel sophisticated and clean.

When I first got into fragrance I thought that woody perfumes would suit my taste best. But after getting more acquainted, I'm starting to realize that to get my fantasy wood requires incense notes. Something like Chris Rusak's "Timbre", that is much closer to what a wooden board would smell like when cut into, is too dry for me. The olibanum and vetiver notes present here give this a fuller body but the coniferous character still comes through strongly. To me it's perfect and is exactly what I was seeking, even as my tastes have expanded and I have discovered new favorite scent profiles. I put this on for a trip to a sculpture garden / landscape park on a spring day that was just on the brink of being too chilly for short sleeves, a spray on the front of the shirt and another to the back of the neck. The fragrance complemented the experience perfectly and lasted the entire six hour trip.

An extreme level of dry woods, paired with a wet-stone impression and a cold, dark forest; almost like a three-way overlay. Deep, mysterious, calm, yet simultaneously unsettling. A quiet place where anything could happen; still and hushed, but clearly a habitat for darker things. I love the cypress effect here, though anyone sensitive to a turpentine-like facet might find it challenging. Vetiver sits in support; working backstage but you can still feel its presence. There’s zero sweetness: black pine freshness and a lot, a lot of woody material. In the drydown, incense starts to take more of the wheel; but don’t read this as burned smoke. It’s more like frankincense: a resinous, shadow-casting veil that adds mystery and darkness. A dark monastery hidden in the dark woods; wonderful. Tag(s): dry woods, wet stone, cold dark forest, calm, mysterious, black pine, frankincense, austere, dark

A perfect mix of cypress and cedar. I have no clue how Hinoki wood smells, but if this is it - I love it! The fragrance itself has a somewhat transparent quality to it and, instead of being linear, it shifts seamlessly between the different stages and notes. Notes I find to be represented are camphor, pine, moss, thyme, different woods and incense (probably due to the olibanum). The overall sense is that of being in a green forest, with the camphor giving off a slightly "turpentine"-ish effect - sort of like opening a paint can in the middle of the woods. The woody parts also give an impression of a wooden sauna, when the damp seats and walls are slowly being heated and steamy. Warm, dry and very natural smelling. Projection and longevity are mostly average, but overall an excellent scent though a little expensive. A fine and unique offering from Antoine Maisondieu.

This is an excellent woody/aromatic from CdG based around the Japanese cypress, Hinoki. This note is very similar to cedar in many ways, but with a noticeable lemon vibe. The addition of cedar, vetiver and pine creates a distinct camphoracious accord, which cools the composition down nicely. The signature CdG incense note is there too, which results in a subtle nod to Kyoto from their incense series to my nose. The structure is ethereal and feels cool, almost austere in a sense, but still welcoming. Unfortunately this one retreats fairly close to the skin quite quickly on me, which is a shame, but it does linger long enough for you to thoroughly enjoy. The bottle design is minimalist, and classy. It’s something I love having in my collection.

Put me in the love it column. L-O-V-E I like all kinds of wood and forest aromatic scents, and this one is a superb, pine forest...very photorealistic. I’m not an expert on the scent of real Hinoki so I wasn’t let down. I don’t detect anything unnatural. Camphor is initially very strong but it moves back into the composition after about 15 minutes. Then it’s a freshly cut wood scent. I’m also picking up green notes. For an EDT, I’m getting acceptable performance, between 2.5-3 hours. I’m not sure I would pay retail, but if anyone is selling their bottle—like a reviewer below from 2015 who sold their bottle for $50– please contact me. (And that’s not because the bottle is not worth it, it’s because I’m on a Covid reduced budget)

I adore CDG perfumes but I do not think I am biased when I say that this is an absolute winner, as is this whole series. I literally feel this on my skin 12h if not more- projection, sillage, smell- this is just perfection. First spray was weird, I was like, hmmmm do I like this? Five seconds after I was like: I adore this. It is woody, but in the nicest possible way. Wood that is fresh and young, daring and mesmerising. I love the pine smell which I feel quite a bit here, and its generally woody-green vibe, like a garden of trees and tree ash smell. I am a woman I think than any woman over thirty with an attitude and personality needed to wear this can pull it off. It is so sexy as well. Nothing not sexy about this gem.

A nice version of hinoki wood, with a few pleasant accents and nuances throughout. This is, by-and-large, a wood-forward scent, as the name suggests. I can't pick up too much of anything else, a bit of sparkly resinous frankincense, and, seriously, not much else! Wood, wood, wood and more wood! Plays very similar to Kyoto, which is also from this brand, albeit a different series, and so a bit of a let down. I own this one, so I don't see myself getting it AGAIN, but, aside from from coniferous notes and the general sawdust nature of this, I don't think it has too much going on for it! I still enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but when (if) this bottle finishes, I don't think I'm going to look for another one...

I blind-bought a little decant of this recently, and now I'm so glad I did! It's so cleanly woody, perfect when you want something refreshing in fall or winter. It's light, somewhat low-key, and not exactly dusky or sexy, so I've been wearing this to school functions, libraries, cafe meetings, etc. It's "appropriate" but still off the beaten path, classy yet kind of hippy. The scent is a little sharp, and rather radiant. I smell a bit like the inside of a woodshop, in the best way possible. Light, freshly-cut wood: my nose picks out pine, cedar, balsa, camphorwood. I wouldn't know the smell of actual hinoki wood if it bit me in the butt, unfortunately, so I can't tell you how prominent that note might be.

This is one of those perfumes I can and will dose myself with likes its holy water and I'm about to enter le porte de d'enfer. It is one of the most beautiful woody fragrances I have ever smelled. And even if I did not find this scent godlike I would still be in awe for the amazing intepretation of terpentine soaked planks. Cypress, cedar and pine makes for a sharp, fresh and divine scent. the terpentine dissapear, and with it its sweetness, to keep you inclosed in a cloud of cedar dust. Please understand that this is a fragrance that is trying to transport you to a calmer and more peaceful place. And it will. It makes me feel not only calmer, but nicer, sweeter and more content. This is perfume magic.

Comme des Garcons certainly know their incense and heady meditative woods. I was really looking forward to this having become a real fan of hinoki wood recently after familiarizing myself with the note. It's a soft woody/citrus type smell which is really gorgeous. Hinoki is what I expected in that it's a perfect note to build this kind of accord upon. Superbly woody, with the freshness of cedar, pine, cypress and my favourite... frankincense. Stunning, clean and hits the mark to me evoking the oriental vibes of a Buddhist temple crossed with and a Scandinavian forrest. Longevity (which is okay) and projection are not that great (in fact poor) but still Highly recommended.

I love this so much. My first thought was: this is my grandparents old campher chest!! Then, a minute later I am transported back to Tibet. This perfume was a journey for me. Nothing matches the feeling of home and peace I felt in this beautiful country. If you love this I advice you to get your hands on some real Tibetan or Bhutanese incense. It's made of high grade natural materials and very much compliments this scent. Hinoki is a beautiful raw and natural scent. Not everyones cup of tea, but beautiful none the less. It's quite potent but burns out and calms down to more of a whisper within a few hours - i think this is suitable for a scent like this.

the most beautiful thing i have ever smelled in a bottle. i am a hinoki fanboy. it somehow smells perfectly like wet cypress, my favorite scent. people say petrichor, and maybe that is there, but i wouldn't know - my sensory inputs latch onto the wet cypress and don't let go. perhaps by the time the petrichor makes an appearance, i'm already gone. i thought "petrichor" was "wet stone" - perhaps it's that others get that note from "wet wood". it doesn't last long, and it doesn't project much if you spray a normal amount, at least not on my skin. i don't care, i love it. i don't really use it, but i pop the lid and inhale it whenever i want a little treat.

This scent seems deceptively simple, but it's been my favorite for years now. Wet cedar and moss, decomposing dusty/mulchy pine needles. Old sauna in the woods. there is a patina to it that isn't "fresh" like more realistic forest scents can be. I don't find it heavy on the wood-finish or shellac smell either, so it's between fresh and treated wood. It's really giving aged hewn boards and lichen. I love the dry down even though it is subtle and doesn't project much. Feels close and personal. Smelling like a dead tree stump in the forest is all I desire. This is the closest I can get when I am far from home and missing the damp woods.

This is a fragrance that I initially disliked. The opening is really funky and I was getting hung up on the top notes. Where this comes into its own is during the drydown and in the basenotes. Just a beautiful, natural wood scent that is both very manly and clean. Even my wife remarked that it smelled fantastic. Some prior reviews have likened this to Diptyque Tam Dao (which I love), and while I would have initially laughed at this comparison, I now get it. It isn't the same scent, but it has the same concept using a different wood(s). In the end, this scent haunted me so much that I did place an order for a FB.

Really does smell like a sauna made out of freshly cut wood, very dry with an occasional "wetness" coming through. The sauna feeling is on point, be it wooden jacuzzi or a dry sauna. I can see the old damp barn comparisons though. I'm no expert on discerning wood notes, but the wood here really is slightly citrussy, and ever so slightly green as if the cypress stump still has a few branches attached. Olibanum and thyme are discernable and add some body. Not something I would personally want to smell like but very well executed. Definitely leans more masculine, not many women will be able to wear this daily.

This is a camphor centric fragrance. Or should I say: the impression of camphor, given by an ultra loud combo of cedar, incense, a smoke aromachemical, and as always Iso-G super (aka cypress). Performance is average. Will please fans of cold incense, woods and dry greenery a-la FM French Lover. I love it, despite its linearity and its clealry synthetic composition. I recommend it, but would suggest to wait for some discount or sale, as the full retail price might result a bit too steep in view of what it delivers. Fall days, masculine but a younger women with personality might also wear it easily.

I have to agree about the poor longevity. It doesn't last more than one/two hours on skin, and in this price range........that is something to consider. The scent, however, is nothing short of breathtaking! Wonderfully green, woody and mossy, slightly campherous, resinous, a whisper of incence.......and NOT sweet (hooray!!). Truly evocative; it conjures images of a coniferous forest, its green, dewy freshness, its stilness, its mystery, and speaks of spiritual solitude. Magical, though very short lived...... If this were available as a room spray.....Oh my God!

I have been wearing this regularly since its launch and bow to CdG`s genius. Hinoki(the cypress) is by far the nicest and most complex wood fragrance out of all the woods. Scent One:Hinoki has remained truthful to the natural product and blended this potion to perfection.The essence of an ancient Japanese temple in a bottle.Yes,the sillage is not great BUT this HAS to be subtle,it`s peaceful AND you should wear this for yourself and your significant other that can share the intimacy of the temple with you from very close. A masterpiece indeed.

This is a scent that brought up vivid images and memories for me: a hike in a damp cedar forest, a night camping in a state park cabin, visits to buddhist temples. The smell is lovely, damp, and woody, a hint of incense, and a lingering cedar-like aroma (presumably the hinoki?) that goes on for hours. I sense the vetiver more than really smell it; it lends a subtle earthiness and groundedness to the scent. This does remind me of Japan, but also of my home in the evergreen-rich Pacific Northwest; it's both familiar and exotic and I adore it.

a dry, coniferous photorealistic impression of what hinoki smells like. the cypress adds to the composition amazingly well and they work together to create a thought and memory provoking perfume. this is the smell of japanese forests, and for the most part, it reminds me of visiting and living in japan quite artfully. onsen, outdoor structures and all manner of materials are made of hinoki, and this scent conjures up memories of rural japan. i don't think i want to smell like this, but i do want to smell this...

A beautiful and bright pine-based incense which evokes the smell cedar and Japanese "Hinoki" wood. This light and airy creation adds notes of cypress, turpentine, camphor, cedar, thyme, pine, frankincense, moss and vetiver to create a well balanced and easily wearable scent. The downside like many CDG offerings is low to moderate sillage and longevity. The perfume conjures up of a morning walk in a pine laden forest. Clearly, yet another winner from the always unpredictable and edgy house of Comme des Garcons.

ADDICTED. Best wood scent i’ve ever smelled. Cold piercing cypress, a hint of pine. Truly the Home Depot lumber aisle experience i’m looking for, none of this sweet warm amberwood nonsense. The problem is it’s quite masculine so i want my husband to wear it, but he says it smells like the wood shavings you put in a hamster cage. Duh they’re both wood 🙄 he will stick to LP Black Sea, equally addictive but aquatic instead of woody

first impression; smells like CDG-kyoto. second impression; no it doesn't!!! the hinoki is strong. having lived in japan, this smell is familiar. i remember smelling this around temples, and if i'm not mistaken, i think this is also used in building the traditional houses... the camphor then kicks in a minute or two later. sorta smells like black cardamom, campfire-y and moist. only 10 minutes in and i'm quite intrigued...

The delectable sense of possibility: summer camp at dawn, traipsing through wet woods; sticky sap, the product of longing. An ancient cabin shared with a lover you barely know, listening to Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk. An Adirondack lean-to at dusk, an eighth of Philosopher's Stones. The excitement of the raw aliveness of a forest. Ceremonial solitude and the quiet reverence of earth.

If i absolutely douse myself in this I get that toothpaste note after an hour or two that I've seen a few other mention but otherwise it's quite a wet, earthy wood. gets a more classic dry wood scent after a few hours. def not an every day but i love for special occasions--makes me feel like i just walked out of a forest trailing mist with dirt under my fingernails wearing sheer ann d

This might be my favourite scent this decade! I spend a lot of time in Japan, and love the scent of Hinoki bathtubs, inscense and traditional buildings and shrines made from this extraordinary wood. On my skin, it gets a lot more complex, and turns into a fresh, spicy scent with a woody base. Low sillage and medium staying power - that's my only complaint, I wish it lasted longer!

sweet and hot and dry and sexy this scent smells like it's coming out of your pores i love it. i want to wear it all day every day. my only hang up is that everyone in London smells like hinoki at the moment which is nice i guess but it doesn't make a gal feel special. oh well. trends will change eventually and i will still be wearing CdG Scent One Hinoki when that day comes.

My mother wears it lately and I can't help but sniff her hair everytime we meet... To me, this is the smell of fancy, well crafted, old furniture (one of my favourite scents). True, it's probably made for men, but I find it charmingly unisex for women who can wear it with grace. Somewhat like a distant relative of my beloved "Spiritus Land" by Miller & Bertaux.

An absolutely glorious scent that brings a feeling of serenity to the lucky wearer that I am :) Excentric, luminous, "unusual" would be an understatement. Smells of rich woods and opulent resins, incense and to add an absolutely delightful touch - thyme. Pure perfection, but way, way out of charted territory. That could be the perfume of a fairytale elf :)

I get mostly camphor, with a noticeable incense, freshly cut and damp woods support. After long hesitations, I finally decided to get my hands on that one. Very happy, but glad I found a decent deal for it, since its modest performance might justify its full retail price. Still, a beautiful fragrance. Fall days, unisex (a bit) masculine, 25+

Hinoki is an absolutely exquisite, beautifully camphorous, airy, fresh, bitter and dry woody fragrance with gentle nuances of terpenic conifers and cool incense. For me this moderately light and fleeting yet reasonably long lasting scent is wonderfully soothing and works very well also for aromatherapeutic purposes :)

A fresh spicy start that evolves into a green meditative woodsy scent. Calming and tranquil, very beautiful fragrance. It does wear close to the skin, but that very much so fits its effortless ethos. Really loving this fragrance, one of my favorite woodsy fragrances I’ve had the pleasure of trying.

hello from the hinoki spa i mentally transport to when i smell this 💆🏼🌲 deeply woody and conifer-fresh featuring a beautiful, centering pepper note... UMPH. just divine. there are a ton of beautiful perfumes out there but this is the first composition i’ve felt a truly aromatheraputic effect from.

I do enjoy this! As a lover of Sauna and Onsen, I adore this fragrance as it smells just like the resinous and camphorous wood coupled with incense. I enjoy it very much. Hinoki is calming, refreshing and soothing. Its a unique scent, not a traditional perfume, rather it evokes an atmosphere.

Very nice, incense/piney fragrance. But poor performance. At $100 for a 50ml, that's a hard pass for me. That said, I'm a man with bold tastes, women or men looking for an initmate frag may like this one a lot - I hesitated for long if buying it or not, as the smell is quite creative.

One of the best scents EVER. If you ever lived in Japan, or had a Japanese childhood this scent will throw you back. It smells like pure tatami mats with an amazing brush of hinoki. It feels like you're living in a temple or relaxing in your small open house in the heats of Okinawa!

I loved everything about this fragrance, but this is my second bottle, and it's not the same anymore. Much weaker, almost water, can't smell the turpentine anymore. Really sad. The first batch was much better. I won't buy it anymore because the lack of consistence of the house.

This is amazing, a true masterpiece. A wooden temple in the forest. The first perfume I like olibanum in. Not very wearable on me, as there is no compromise to make it anything else than a perfume painting, so this will be only a weekend scent for me, until I finish my sample.

Hinoki gets 10's across the board from me, but don't let that encourage you to wear it. The less people who wear this one the better. That being said, if you're not wearing a CdG scent of some description, then are you really wearing any scent at all?

Soothing woody fragrance. Make me able to stay calm in noisy and stressful office. It stays on skin for the whole day, and on clothes for even the next day! Love this scent sooooo much that I decided to write my first Fragrantica review here.

Beautiful pine scent. Sunday morning dew. It's Avignon in the forest. Where Avignon smells like the inside of a big church, Hinoki smells like it was abandoned and taken by nature hundreds of years ago. Interesting, fresh and energetic. 9/10.

The best hinoki scent ever and my favorite green scent. It's the camphor that makes it distinguishable and memorable for me. The scent is simply so well-blended. CDG is very avant-garde but such high quality that the result is enjoyable.

This fragrance is brilliant. Sharp opening, soft drydown, pronounced cedar note... can't get enough! You won't get compliments or noticed with this, but it's not that kind of fragrance. It's really a fragrance you wear for yourself.

One of my favorite scents, ever. It’s a pity it is so fleeting on my skin—otherwise this would be the one for sure. As it is, at least in the 2022 decant I recently purchased, it says hello and goodbye almost in the same breath.