Book -

The opening of Book (-) reminds me of Bowmakers by DS&D. Both begin with a very soft woody scent which I believe to be the cedarwood. After a few minutes the sandalwood in Book- melts into the cedar, and then you smell the tea. The musk sneaks in, and dances with the sandalwood, adding just a hint of warmth. It is a soft, clean wood, with just a pinch of tea to give it a little more complexity. The musk is not animalistic, and adds just a little bit of powder to the wood. If you like sandalwood, you will enjoy this scent. It's quite a beautiful yet simple fragrance. I'm surprised at people who say this doesn't remind them of a book; it does to me right away! It's the smell of a fresh paperback that's sitting on a dusty, naked wood bookshelf. And just like the intimate scent of a paperback and the words typed within it's pages, this perfume is just for you. This is not a fragrance you wear on a date, or one that others will notice and compliment (maybe only if they hug you)! I personally enjoy wearing this while I read (oh, the irony!), and at night. I find it to be a very personal, gentle, calming sandalwood scent that lives up to its name. The only downside about this perfume is that it doesn't last as long as I would like . :)

I am obsessed with this. I will say that when I first smelled Book expressive I hated it, and it took months for me to pick up my sample again and give it another go. I fell in love with Book expressive and it was the skin scent that I wanted JHAG Not a Perfume or Another 13 to be. I love Glossier You and these are in the same ballpark, but where You is peppery and effervescent in an uplifting way, Book and Book- are woody and soft in a calming way. I actually prefer Book Personal to the expressive only because it tones down the Sandalwood a bit and so that ‘sous-bois’ scent is a bit tamer and lifted up by the tea note. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this is a fresh scent due to the tea, but it’s definitely not as dusty as the Expressive can feel. TLDR; Where people compare Book expressive to be like an old leather-bound tome you read in a corner of a library, Book Personal is a fresh paperback you crack open at a picnic on a sunny day.

Reminds me of: Walking through the top floor of the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles in the middle of summer. I’m reading the back of a detective novel as a handsome stranger passes close enough for their scent to linger in the thick summer air, blending with the smells of the old building, the book pages and dust. This is definitely one of my favourites in the personal scent space samples I have tried, even though it’s hard to choose as they have all been delicious. Commodity has really hit the nail on the head with Book-. It’s soft, sensual, personal; like curling up with a good book or a lover. This is definitely something I would want to reach for on a date night. I like it more than Velvet- as a sensual scent because I do lean more towards wood notes than florals these days. It’s a very personal skin musk scent but with depth. I could not gush about this one more. Just try it, I promise you’ll love it.

Beautiful, beautiful woody scent. To my nose, it is very similar to Santal 33, it has the same sandalwood note. But this one is more creamy and not so loud (Personal). Perfect. It is my first time experiencing Commodity scents, I have Exploration Kit and for now, I love it! I was kind of interested in this -+ lasting thing, but mostly, I wanted to try the scents cuz I thought I'd like it. And I was right! Found couple of favourites :) The interesting thing is that I always wanted my perfumes to be bold and long lasting and was kind of insulted if the scent just disappeared. But this Exploration Kit taught me how to admire softer scents. Because I was already expecting bad projection with Personals, in the end, I was impressed by the scents!

My absolute favourite fresh/woody perfume! The opening is a sparkly “green” scent, very sandalwood but so so fresh. My friend could only smell dill pickle, which made me so sad because it only got better in the dry down! The dry down smells like hang dried linen in the late spring, no florals - just this beautiful outdoor scent that made me addicted to the test strip. On skin it was just as stunning, and significantly stronger than I expected being the personal version - I could smell it on myself for 6 hours until it slowly faded into a lingering skin scent. I wouldn’t recommend this if you pick up dill notes in other fragrances such as Ariana Grande’s. But this one is a definite winner for me, could easily be my summer/spring signature.

I love it. It’s woody and reminds me a lot of Santal 33 but without the pickle juice. The dry down has a lovely and comforting tea scent. The downside is that the longetivity could be better and i wish it wasn’t as subtle as it is right now. However my first go was with one spray only and the tester tube sprays are not very generous. I definitely consider a full bottle after testing it out a bit more and comparisons to other Commodity scents in the discovery pack. Shame that it only comes in a huge 100ml or small 10ml bottle and there is not a chance to get a 50ml bottle.

This gets me into a very cozy, rainy autumn vibe, which I love. The first time I tried it out from a sample was in the summer, though. I layered it with Chloé by Chloé EDT and it turned out lovely layered as well. I also tried the expressive concentration of Book and liked that too. I guess if I were to buy a full bottle it will be the more expressive one, because I can always underspray that, whereas overspraying the minus one does not seem wise economically. It lasted for a long time though, although with minimal sillage (which is the aim of the personal (-) line)

Feels like you were sitting under a tree so engrossed in a book that you didn’t notice it was starting to rain. Musky, a little dewy, and soft. The tea is there but it’s before the boldness that comes from brewing and adding sugar/lemon you might find in something like Vilhelm Dear Polly. This perfume whispers sweet nothings. I just finished a 10ml and I need a full bottle.

Fresh, crisp, clean, woody and a little earthy. This is a beautiful skin scent. Loads of sandalwood and musk with hints of tea throughout. I also pick up on eucalyptus in the opening but it fades into the other notes rather quickly. This is one of my favorite fragrances in my collection and definitely in my top 3 by commodity.

i absolutely love this scent. simultaneously elegant and cozy. present without being too strong.

Book- (or the "Personal" edition) has a grassy sweetness that is not present in the original or "Bold+" versions of Book. It's almost fig-like, a la Pinrose's Treehouse Royal. I find it much more wearable than the original, and is my favorite of the 3 editions. But I will say, after trying a number of complete sets of all 3 "versions" thanks to the Exploration Kit, the "scent space" concept is clever, but not new. And it's also not exactly what you think you're getting. The idea of "scent space" is that the brand is taking the same scent and either lessening or increasing its concentration to produce higher projection and sillage. They're advertising "same scent, different impact." This is ultimately not true: The notes themselves are very different, with the addition of either musks or iso e super for the - "Personal" ones, and hefty, thick notes of tonka, oud, woods, etc. for the + "Bold" editions. What's worse, I have not found the projection, sillage, or strength to vary all that much between editions. I've actually found some of the Personal blends to last the best! But again, this concept is not new at all. Imagine your favorite scent gets a "l'eau" or "eau de toilette" flanker. Then imagine it also gets an "extreme" or "intense" version. That's what you have here. COMMOdity has taken its original scents and released them with two flankers each, all at once. And the usual problem with flankers is the problem here: You expect to get the same scent, just jacked up or watered down. Instead, you get new notes and some of the original notes removed to create a lighter or heavier experience. As a result, whether or not you like the original is not actually much of an indicator of whether or not you'd like the flanker. Fortunately for COMModity's bestseller, Book, this is not the case: The flankers are pretty clearly the same Book DNA. If you like the original, you'll like the others. That is NOT the case for scents like Gold or Moss. The Bold + versions of these smell like entirely different fragrances. Listen, COMMOdity basically came back from the dead. This "scent space" marketing strategy is clever, and is a great way to see what customers like and get repeat purchases. I have to respect this tactic. But buyer beware, just because you're buying the Bold+ version doesn't mean you're getting a bomb. None of the scents, with the exception of Velvet+ (Bold), last longer than 4-6 hours on the skin. And some of the Personal- ones last just as long. Cut through the novelty and just look at each scent as its own entity, and then go with the notes that sound pleasing to you, like you would any other brand.

I am intrigued by the premise of Commodity. Each scent comes in three different versions that vary depending on sillage - personal (intimate projection, denoted by a minus sign), expressive (balanced but noticeable for others, no symbol) and bold (powerful, denoted by a plus sign). My discovery set includes six different scents, with only one projection value for each, which is a shame, as I would like to compare Book- with Book+ for example. The smell of a book (or of paper itself) is frequently cited as a favourite scent. It is also notoriously difficult to capture in perfume form. Typically, a combination of woody, musky, amber and vanilla notes are used, to varying degrees of success. As a lover of books (not to mention their scent), I was curious to see how Book- fares. Book- is primarily a woody scent, bearing a strong resemblance to Santal 33. It primarily smells like javanol, a sandalwood-like molecule that smells quite synthetic to my nose, instead of smooth, high-quality sandalwood. There is an unexpected camphorous undertone here, adding a fresh green undertone. This is perhaps attributed to the tea note, but it is more like muted eucalyptus. It becomes increasingly musky as it develops, cosy, clean and warm, but feels sterile, likely due to its reliance on synthetic amber-y molecules. Sillage is intimate (after the initial woody blast) and longevity is moderate. It is a unisex, year-round daytime scent. It is reasonably pleasant but underwhelming, and is not my thing personally, but it might work well as a cheaper, quieter alternative to Santal 33 for some people. More Escentric Molecules than old books. 2.5/5.

I love the black tea note in this one, which is why it’s become my favourite of the Book scent space variants. After that initial burst, Book- is primarily a woody scent. There is also an underlying hint of eucalyptus which I really enjoy, adding a clean, camphorous, almost “green” undertone. As it develops the musk becomes more predominant, which adds a cosy edge to an otherwise fresh and crisp fragrance. I would say projection and longevity are both moderate. I’ve had several compliments on this one so other people can definitely smell it, but it’s by no means overpowering. To me this is a unisex, year-round daytime fragrance, perfect for when you want to be a little understated.

Santal 33’s quiet little sister. Book (-) is pretty much purely sandalwood warmed by some musks. I don’t really pick up on any black tea note. Very creamy and soft fragrance - has a tendency to have the pickle thing that these types of fragrances often do. I do like this quite a lot and it’s very tranquil - kinda like reading a book in a hushed library. Not my absolute favorite sandalwood though - that spot belongs to Parle Moi Milky Musk. Either way, if you’re looking for a soft and cozy sandalwood, this will do the trick. 7.5/10

This scent smells like a less potent version of Book expressive but the eucalyptus note is not as strong in this one. It does give me more of a woody tea vibe instead of a fresh cut tree. It is more like the leaves of the tree rather than the bark. Like Book expressive it has a strong woody sandalwood forward smell that is softened by musk. The tea note does come through and this one smells quite calm and peaceful. It is really a beautiful nature smell that I think is perfect as an intimate scent of you want something calming.

Very very musky. It's a light fluffy fragrance for sure, and settles in as a skin scent nicely. Very unassuming and polite. I have a hard time picking up the tea but it's there faintly - I wish it was more noticable, I love love tea scents. Definitely safe for office wear, almost feels like I'm not wearing a fragrance, it's a very nice and warm skin scent. Quiet, soft, warm, with a little bit of tea, like maybe the steam of a cup of tea. Not interesting enough to be something I'd wear, so I won't be upgrading my sample.

As a sandalwood heavy fragrance, I still get that pickle smell on the test strip, but I like Book - a lot on my wrist. It’s quiet, woodsy - but there’s also a slight sweetness with the tea and musk in this version. The notes combined make it a lot safer of a choice to wear anywhere (in my opinion). Truly a skin scent.

Book - has the cedar and sandalwood that my friend picks up as 'dill pickle', but there's no pepper, just the dryness of the woods. there's some greenness from the tea note, and softness from the musk. could be a nice library scent. it's a cozy and softer version of santal 33. sits close to the skin.

It's woody, spicy, bitter, with a hint of sweetness. Even though it is supposed to be a fresh woody scent, it is more on the spicy side. More suitable to wear in neutral or cooler weather.

Soft, close cucumber scent. Mild. Soft woods. I don't get a tea note out of this. Completely office-safe and non-offensive.