Book

Commodity is an interesting line of fragrances. It's not like Demeter in that it does not attempt to create a photorealistic imitation of common scents. Instead, it captures the basic essence and air of the item being portrayed. Everyone knows books don't smell like cucumber, vetiver, sandalwood, for example, but this fragrance nonetheless captures the impression of woodsy paper, and the freshness of opening new books. This is a fresh fragrance with no citrus, which is refreshing, as I feel that a lot of fragrances overuse citrus and thus I have been trying to steer away from that genre. Instead, the freshness comes from the blast of cucumber, and the herbal notes likes lavender and eucalyptus. Some people say this smells like pickles. I completely disagree. Pickles have a vinegar smell, whereas this one has very little tanginess, and any tanginess I detect smells nothing like vinegar, only cucumbers. After all, cucumbers are a fruit, and they can be sour tasting, especially in the juicy, seedy center. Overall, I love this scent. It makes me feel clean and happy and sophisticated. Cold and fresh, but with enough warming herbs and amber to make you feel at home. It's like a modern library with big windows, and just enough comfortable furniture and Tiffany lamps to make you feel at home.

This is a great office fragrance! It's nice and light and inoffensive. Not only that, but I can't imagine this scent not pairing well with almost ANYTHING in my collection (if by chance I wore something strong the night before). The strength is perfect for an office scent, but don't make the mistake of over spraying. In the first hour, it's strong cucumber freshness, great for after a shower. The second through 4th hours are strong vetiver, dying down as the scent starts to dissipate. Unfortunately the total life of this fragrance for me today was only about 6 hours, but I did go a little light on the trigger. I really love the cucumber in the opening. The dry down really does resemble old books, but without all the allergens :) The vetiver is really quite nice!!! This is like Encre Noire's optimistic brother. Encre Noire is strong, moody, emotional. Not necessarily grumpy, but not in the mood for games. Commodity Book is similar in regards to the vetiver, but much more cheery. What is it about vetiver that smells so confident? There's something about it that makes it perfect for office wear.

God I adore this product! At first whiff the cucumber, sandalwood, and bergamot are what hit you hardest. Many people say it doesn't smell much like books but if you took an old paperback from a hidden shelf and maximized the scents each characteristic, I feel like it would be incredibly close. I bet if this was toned down and mixed with wool it would be spot on. It's fresh, clean, and comforting and warm at it's center. My favorite thing about this scent is that as it dries down throughout the day it becomes sweeter and warmer. The amber becomes more and more apparent as it becomes less peppery. It makes me feel like reading myself to sleep and those last moments before I close my eyes and dream of the story. It's unobtrusive definitely, but still strong enough to wear a good six to eight hours, and by then it's an all new scent completely consisting mostly of cucumber, vevitiveir, and a soft whisper of lavender, eucalyptus, and amber at its end.

I bought the sample pack of Commodity colognes when they ran their Kickstarter campaign. Out of all of their original 10 in the "Black"/masculine line, Book was in my top 3 (Whiskey is still my #1 though). For me, this is very cool upon application. Cucumber is the strongest. It almost teases a sweet aquatic, but then it moves pretty quickly to warm woodsy notes. Balsam/vetiver/etc. There's a slight chemical smell to it. Either way, I find this incredibly versatile, and although it's a little more on the masc side, I find the cucumber really evens it out for a smart unisex scent. It's a rather oblique interpretation of "book" (I would expect heavier binding glue/paper notes), but at the same time I could imagine myself in some type of fresh-smelling magical library out of a fantasy novel. If you check out any three of Commodity (Black), make Book one of them, alongside Whiskey and Gin.

Just picked up a Ten 10ML travel spray when visiting New York. From Sephora. As soon as I got my nose to the sprayer I was extremely intrigued. The Sandalwood I could smell. Which can give off an interesting sweet and milky vibe too it. Almost in the tone of fig. I wore it during my whole trip here in New York. Let me tell you the experience. At first spray. I smelled the cucumber and bergamont. But in the opening in the background I got this sweetness coming in slowly developing. The sweetness reminded me of the same opening of CH Men with the grassy sugary texture but much lighter. I can say this is unique yet inoffensive. And received many compliments at a party that was held at Atlantic Records. Does it remind me of LE LABO santal 33 this is a 90 percent equivalent at a cheaper yet not cheap smelling. Scent : 9/10 Longevitiy 7/10 Sillage : 8/10

Definitely a unisex fragrance. My favorite out of the inoffensive American perfumes category. An Arabian nose palette is different from an American one and this I've come to account for. Americans love clean scents. I love my scents woodsy and animalistic with hints of sweetness. But you can't get away with wearing those sort of scents in a temperate zone in America. Everyone freaks. And almost everything is "too cloying." You'd think it's a nation of undiagnosed allergy sufferers but they gave you pecan pie, carrot cakes, and Melissa Mcarthy so you shut up about it. Oh, yes! This fragrance is wonderfully clean with a hint of nerditude and nostalgia.

Aquatic incense--like dill pickles, spiced, with a bit of wood in the base that makes this smell great and not strange. Leans masculine, but totally wearable if you're a woman who loves scents like Stash SJP. Fresh, soothing scent, very aromatic. Has somewhat of a menthol quality in the top notes, smells a bit like lavender or eucalyptus. Don't get this if you want something that smells exactly like an old book, though. It smells more woodsy, earthy, and as someone else said, outdoorsy. It evokes the 'feel' of old books and libraries and not necessarily the smell.

First whif is like a musty attick, not entirey unpesant, but more nostalgic. I dont really get much cucumber but a sweet eucalypt medicinal herbal comes in imediatly. This quickly setteles into a very subtle warm damp ceder wood, like being in a sauna. I have the Commodity 15 sample story book and I rate this one in the middle because the top and base notes are very different and I dont quite get it I guess. Also too subtle.. Yet I am intrigued by it. I like Begamot, Orris and Tea the most from the Commodity line, and Gold, Mimosa and Magnolia the least. ⛤⛤⛤

This is an incredible Cologne. I use it when I am in the office and both Women and Men have commented on it. I read about it in GQ magazine and bought a sample pack. To me it smells like the fresh clean pages of a new book with kind of a resinous warm amber base. One of the Guys in my office said I smelled like a cool cedar forest when I walked in the room. One of the admins told me I smelled like Delicious. Any way this has become my new favorite scent. It is made out of high quality ingredients and has more impact then you realize. LOVE IT!!!!

What a wonderful scent! In my mind I was hoping it would smell more like a book, but it didn't. That's okay though because it smells great. On first application I do get plenty of cucumber and the bergamont but both seem to fade but never disappear. I also get alot of spices, especially something peppery. I get the scent of CDG Black but a light fresh version. I also get something in here that reminds me of fahrenheit. The woods in here make a beautiful symphony, I honestly can't stop smelling my wrist. A full bottle is on order. 9/10

This is marketed as a man's fragrance but it's definitely unisex. Upon first application I get a blast of cucumber (smells like the cucumber vodka I adore). As it dries down, there are more musky and woody notes that come into play and the cucumber takes a seat in the back. It really does remind me of being in a large, old, antique library. It has a warmness to it but I think this scent is good for any season. It's homey and comfortable, and something I can see myself wearing very frequently.

Compared to Santal 33, this is much damper and more sour (though not unpleasant), possibly because it doesn't have the violet or iris to lift it up. Longevity is really weak--this lasts an hour, maybe an hour and a half on me, even if I douse myself in it. It lasts much longer on clothes, though. Edit: I will say, on clothes it smells really really similar to Santal 33, you get the same effect. Most people don't notice.

This is Santal 33. I had a lady walk past me the other day wearing Santal and Book immediately crossed my thoughts. I don't wear this, but my husband loves it. The cucumber is what makes this so different from everything else.

Just to add, I've found a matching body wash for this. It's made by Dove. It's the new mens care line, the scent is called clay and charcoal. Perfect match for this fragrance.

I was cleaning out a box of junk about a month ago when I found an old 2ml tester of Book dated from 2013 (empty). I looked it up and learned that it had been reformulated and wanted to remember what the old version smelled like. I tried my best but after many futile attempts at huffing the dusty fumes of a12 year old sample, I could not detect the faintest of scent. I did what any logical fraghead would do and tracked down an older bottle, and pulled the trigger on a risky blind buy. I justified the purchase by telling myself I didn't have too many fougere scents in my collection and push comes to shove, it's probably close enough to the new version to use as my clean/fresh go-to. Upon initial spray, I was stunned. I at first agreed with many of the reviews beneath mine that this was much more herbal than the current formulation. The combination of eucalyptus, lavender, and artemisia was extremely astringent, borderline medicinal with no signs of smoothing out. I was very disappointed with my purchase and put my bottle up for sale for someone that could love it. After a few weeks there hadn't been much traction on it so I decided to test it again and see if I could make it work in my collection. I'm SO glad I did. I get much more of the cozy, soft and semi-sweet woods that I had hoped for. As to where the newer Book leans more towards the greener/pickle-y (to some, not me) side, the addition of guaiac wood and Haitian vetiver in the base notes in the OG warms up on the skin and adds a clean sweetness that evens out the heavy herbaceous opening. I can only hope that the longevity will improve with time; that is my only complaint. I have layered this with Vanilla 28/Milk/Espiritu and the combination of sweet, smoky, fresh woods is just what I have been looking for.

Very smooth, rather cool, but nicely-finished synth sandalwood. Very near indeed to a weaker, more restrained Santal 33 but even closer yet to Zara Tiveden, right down to the unexpected swerves into the cucumber patch. The vetiver, lime and eucalyptus definitely throw it onto the more herbal, cold-water, outdoorsy facet of sandalwood, not the rich warm indoor spicy kind. Wearable, unisex, inoffensive, good for layering ... yet not complex or rich enough to be a real winner on its own IMHO. One to try for the sandalwood completists. Despite being synthy it does have very recognisable notes of forest and woods.

This is an interesting unisex fragrance that leans masculine. It's very woodsy. It's not oriental to me because I don't smell any spice in this. The note pyramid looks pretty accurate, except, like many reviewers, I'm not smelling the lavender either. Sillage is moderate. Longevity is long. I could smell this at arms' length for 3-5 hours. It lasted on my fragrance-eating skin for 10 hours. The closest relation that I can find between this fragrance and its name is that it kind of resembles a freshly-washed, just-in-from-the-mountain-air hipster opening up some new books and magazines in a bookstore.

Fab! Fab! Fab! No one in their right mind could hate this. Is it a book? No. This is no book I have smelled in my entire life. This does not smell of paper, or glue, or sweet decay. Snappy cucumber, oak moss, and sandalwood make .... Scotch? Is it really you, Glenfidditch? You and your friend, cucumber martini? I've been trying to be good, and I missed you. I'm so happy to have you back in my life without the threat of a killer hangover. I can wear the best bar in the world on my person, smelling fresh to death, instead of just dead.

this is an odd one for me; it switches between a green almost herbal and woodsy blend then morphs to a warm woolly aroma. I get primarily a celery/cucumber and musky/amber out of it. It's not bad but to me, this doesn't quite fit the name of "Book", I would get it if the name was "garden" or something indicating more greenery and warmth.

Oh, this is nice! Definitely unisex. A cucumber-woody composition. A very cool fragrance, I get the feeling of sitting in the shadow under a green tree and opening a fresh newprinted book. A very breezy feeling, indeed. Hence, best for spring/summer season. A safe buy for anyone who likes Clean scents.

Cucumber + Sandalwood = Juicy. Not noticing the other notes too much. Pleasant. Does get a papery smell, especially in hair. Smells nerdy, but in a good way.

Santal 33 but with a cucumber opening. I prefer it to Santal on me--a little less rubbery, a bit more crisp.

Nearly identical to Santal 33 down to the overwhelming dill. Even with that being said I sometimes enjoy this, especially the dry down. The pickle fades and creamy sandal woods comes through.

Pickles. Pickles everywhere you can see.

I decided to try this on at the beginning of my day when I went to Sephora. Oh how I regretted that all day long. After I realized my mistake, I asked my daughter to smell it. She said "Eww mom, no!" Hours later at my Chiro appt I asked him to smell my arm and tell me what he thinks. He said "Um yeah, not a fan." I trust his opinion as he always smells so good. And that night at my hair appt I asked my hairstylist what she thought. She visibly recoiled/jumped back! I asked another lady there and she thought it was disgusting too. So that's five people that didn't like it. All I smelled on me all day was pickles! I smelled like I had dumped a jar of pickle juice on me. As for it supposed to smell like books? Heck no!! Not even close. I tried to scrub this so many times throughout the day. Soap, water, paper towels, scrubby face wipes, and then at the hair dressers she gave me two lysol wipes and even that couldn't get rid of it. So I'll give it points for sillage and longevity, that's for sure.

The salesperson at Sephora touted this as a unisex fragrance and gave me a sample. It's very clean and fresh and it doesn't smell like books to me, but it totally DOES smell like the pages of a glossy magazine. After I read the reviews likening this scent to pickles, all I can smell is pickles and magazines! I like androgynous scents, but I find Book to be too masculine for me. Maybe I'd like this better on a man though.

I wanted to love this as well, however I cannot get that cucumber to burn off. Cucumber is one of my least favorite smells in the world. On my skin, it doesn't flatter those warm dry woods very well. However, it has a very nice projection, and it lasts over six hours on my skin. Santal 33 is just nicer to me.

What the fuck is up, cucumber?! This scent does not smell like a book nor is it reminiscent of a book and therefore I am peeved. This is too peppery for me, and a bit more herbal than I prefer. I could imagine this working for someone else, but I am not a fan of this on my skin.

I hate to admit it, but my primary impression / first thought after spraying was "sushi restaurant". Realized I was associating the cucumber, which unfortunately drowns out everything else in this fragrance for me, even through the dry-down.

I hate this scent. HATE IT and it is entirely because of the cucumber. I wanted to love it as an alternative to Santal 33 or something similar since I've been into that lately but this wasn't for me.

This is how I picture my stack of student loans smell. I don’t like it. Literally just like a new book first opened. Not terrible but not for me.

It smells like old paper. Herbal and moldy.

I was 100% positive I’d hate this fragrance when it arrived in my Sephora package yesterday. When I opened the box, which contained four fragrance samples, I immediately smelled a dirty scent, putrid and mushroomy. I thought it might be the Tom Ford Black Orchid, but I put it on right away because I was curious, and nope, not that one. Later, I sniffed each sample and realized it was coming from Book. I thought it was so bad I’d throw it away rather than give it away as I usually do with samples I don’t like; -a scent that bad must be rancid. But today, brave soul that I am, I tried it on the skin. That’s the only way to tell, right? And to my great surprise, I found it quite charming! The opening is cucumber and woods, with a sweeter scent that may be bergamot. Quite surprising. As it dries down, I get a resin scent, a cedar and eucalyptus maybe, mixed with an herbal earthy ness, but also still that touch of sweet. Like many, I’m a book lover and also a paper lover. This doesn’t remind me of books or paper, it’s too outdoorsy a scent, not that musty old book smell. But it’s lively and interesting. Because I was so scared of it, I put on one tiny spray on one wrist only, and yet hours later I am still smelling it. Now that I’m less afraid, I’ll go full force and see what happens. I’m not running out to buy it yet and it’s not whispering stories in my ear, but it’s a lovely surprise and who knows? I still don’t know why the box was so rancid and nasty and filling my room with cucumbers gone bad on the outside but throwing it away has helped. I’m glad the juice itself was different.

There’s clearly a new cucumber molecule in town as I’ve smelled it pop up in about a million new compositions as of late (Land of Warriors by Vagabond Prince was the last sighting). That’s what’s in this, along with some dusty galaxolide balsamic notes. Having smelled a number of book-themed perfumes (and as somebody whose line of work involves reading many, many books), I’d say that the opening of “Book" is one of the more authentic takes on the “book” theme that I’ve come across. It’s a hyperbolic impression — every aspect of the book from the paper to mustiness to the binding is amplified into something that resembles more of an autonomous perfume. It smells vegetal, crisp, grassy, and slightly herbal, yet it’s all a tad too chemical smelling to really survive on its own. Having worked my way through the entire Commodity collection, I’d say that this is one of the more impressive in both its verisimilitude and its creativity, but I’m not entirely convinced that it’s an appealing scent unto itself as it’s quite weird. Much of what makes it stand out drops away fast and the result is a little more nebulous than I would like. But given that this line has widespread release through Sephora, it’s worth checking out if you cross paths with it.

This is for the discontinued version released in 2013, not the remake released in 2018. The same name, but a bit different scents. Although this scent is named Book, I do not get the smell of a Book, my nose detects more of a drying pickle scent. It is also a bit herbal to me, maybe due to the cucumber, wood, and moss? The eucalyptus and bergamot combination gives it a fresh essence as well. Oddly, I hate eucalyptus, I mean that I DETEST the smell of it! To the point that I will not let my hair salon put any product in my hair that contains eucalyptus. Yea, that much. I say that to say that the eucalyptus and bergamot make a good combination here and do not trigger my aversion to eucalyptus in this scent. Book is very similar to Le Labo Santal 33. Santal 33 is a bit richer to my nose, but this one was not a bad "inexpensive alternative" when you could find it and it was inexpensive. I get good projection and longevity on my skin. I see this more as a Sports coat scent or maybe a trendy casual scent, but not an ultra-casual scent, so dont wear it on "hang out at the house" days. Bottome line: Grab this, if you can find it.

This is one of those many fragrances that make you say 'I've smelt this before'. As a reviewer below me touched upon, Commodity, unlike Demeter, are in the business of capturing the air of a familiar scent - not the scent itself. This, from the set I've tried, seems to be the exception. A book, in its newest form, smells piney and creamy. The combination of vetiver & sandalwood exude new book smell quite well. Eucalyptus provides a touch of camphoric comfort that combines with lavender and creates a sense of home. Being inside, with a cold, vaporub on your chest and some lavender tea beside you as you delve into your favourite book. Amber also helps with a book smell, but I would've imagined that as more and older book smell. Sandalwood & amber + musk could make a fascinating 'Old Book'. Perhaps with a bit of tobacco. The scent itself is fascinating. Even more so with the cucumber. I don't understand it, but who am I to judge? I wouldn't buy it, but its fantastic. I also have layered this with Gold Pour Femme. It makes it even more book like. Very beautiful.

Very green and vibrant. If you don't like green fragrances you won't like this. Can see the Santal 33 resemblance for sure. It does remind me of a book, or even a fresh magazine.. but at the same time you can definitely pick out the cucumber note. For me its fresh cucumber mixed with other notes. For some people it seems those other notes makes the cucumber sour and they say "pickles". For me personally... It smells like you opened a fresh magazine off the printing press and for some reason it had fresh cut green grass and cucumbers in the middle of it. .. That is the exact smell it gives me. I want you guys who have this fragrance to picture sniffing a fresh magazine, than smell this fragrance on paper. and picture the fresh cucumber slices on top. I would have to say this one probably seems like it will have the best performance out of the ones I have tried.. Don't think its a beast fragrance by any means, but maybe the performance is at least in the average range

Love it, love it & love this juice. Eau De Parfum strength & you know it & feel it when it radiates from your skin. The ingredients smell organic & original. Nothing synthetic to my nose (although there probably is) Commodity have managed to make this super high class (niche type) perfume at the low price of just over $100, for 100ml amzing!!! it is worth every cent. It lasts a good 12 hours and is great for all occasions that requires a more serious attitude. Something that a Judge or Barrister would wear when drinking malt whiskey in the judges chambers. It smells like a judges library with opulence. This fragrance carries authority and the person wearing it will get it. It is not a date or playful scent. It is powerful juice, so go careful with the sprays.

Female reviewer and vetiver lover here! I just received a sample of this so this is first impressions only but this scent is absolutely divine. I'm not getting the sour or the pickles at ALL that some other reviewers have mentioned. Instead, it's clean but a little bit woodsy on me, and that cucumber is absolutely prominent. This smells very expensive and reminds me of very chic bookstores - like the Taschen store in Paris. It is not an old, damp library smell but instead expensive, refined, and absolutely unisex. I agree with other reviewers that say that it smells like the pages of a glossy magazine, perfume combined with fresh glossed paper. Will update with impressions later (I plan to go to the gym and am curious how my sweat reacts with it!)

Huh, after trying/liking all the Books (Pers, Exp, Bold) I bought a 10ml Expressive travel/purse size from ebay for a good price. And I received this older version. Interesting. Not sure I wanted this one since aquatics and cucumber are SO not me. The seller is "noblemart" if anyone is after this older formula. (Photo shows new version, 10+ avail) Well, if I don't exactly care for this first formula, then I feel totally justified buying Book Bold for myself. :P The nozzle sniffed does have that familiar pickle book thing I expected, but I think this is more like Whispers at the Library than the current Book formulas. Disappointed. Yes, I'm disappointed in this formula. I wanted the comfy cedar/sandalwood of current Books.

Book really just smells like a toned down Santal 33 to me. It has this papyrus smell, combined with some woodiness and this balsamic smell that I really enjoy. it's less strong than Santal 33 and it does indeed remind me of a book, which Santal 33 doesn't really do, so there's that. Book was one of the more popular scents in the Commodity lineup and I think the only reason was the fact that it was basically like a replica of Santal 33, just much cheaper. If you find this for a good price, I'm sure it's worth it. But then again, people are really hunting down this one so prices will probably go up like crazy. In this case I think buying Santal 33 is just the better option.

I like this maybe even love this, even though I don't have any other fragrances like it. It's not quite what I was expected from a fragrance called book. I was expecting vanilla, which I got but it was slight. There is also a woodiness, some citrus, and something that reminds me of..not a church but a place. I didn't pick out the cucumber/pickle smell everyone is talking about at first but after smelling for it I get what you guys are talking about. At the same time I like how it is blended with the other notes. I can't put my finger on what it smells like. for some reason I want to say things like library, disney world, exotic far off place, and fantasy novel.

I am not sure how the longevity could be poor on anyone. I only put one spray on each wrist, three days ago, and I can still smell it on things. Not on my skin anymore, obviously, but on my coat and scarf. I was not wearing my coat when I sprayed it, but it spread from my wrists. I almost like this, except that I can't help but associate the combination of cucumbers with the other notes to pickles. I have had that issue with other fragrances that have cucumber notes, which is such a shame because I love the scent of cucumber. That being said, there is still something oddly addictive about it. It mixes well with Mimosa.

Female reviewer, and I think this one is unisex but tilting more masculine. Opens very cool, like entering a forest at night, but then evolves and becomes much more dynamic. At first, it smells like an excellent aftershave, but once the top notes dissipate the warm and more unisex notes arrive. The imagery I see when I smell during the heart notes is a Hoggwarts-esque library, but filled with only beautiful people. This smell is so unique and I really don't understand individual notes when I smell it, rather it evokes a lot of images!

Opens up with cucumber, citrus, and sweet woods. I do get the impression of books here, mostly from the sandalwood and vetiver. The cucumber adds a bit of...cool sourness? Which sounds unappealing, but it's what makes this smell like books to me. Because, all romantic thoughts aside, books do give off a chemical or musty smell, depending on the age. The drydown is sweeter, and by then the cucumber is mostly just lending a bit of cool grassy freshness to the woods. Definitely more wearable in this stage imo.

I spritzed the original Book at Sephora, and loved it. It was a nice woody smell that was really woody -- not a floral woody, not an aquatic woody, but legitimately woody. This reformulated version is not the same. Not even in the same ball park. All I smell is the cucumber. Are there other notes in here? Maybe. But I can't tell over the blaring smell of cucumber. I hate this and I feel like I was duped! Put one tester out and get a different smell. The fragrance reminds me a lot of Hendrick's Gin.

I completely adore this scent. It's hard to describe for me, but there's just something about it I can't get enough of it. I have a scentbird vial of this and it's running out very quickly so I hope to purchase a full size soon. It's a unisex scent so would work well on both a man and a woman. But it is a fairly masculine scent so if you're a woman who tends to gravitate towards fun, floral scents this is not for you. I, on the other hand, find this scent to be perfect for me.

I'm not sure what happened to this brand, but their final stock is being sold and then it's gone for good. I love so many of their scents from Whiskey, Gold, Velvet, and Book. Book was a great and cheaper alternative to Santal 33. Velvet was similar to Replica By The Fireplace. They were much needed in the perfume industry and seemed to have something for everyone and at a better price.

I tried this today. If anyone reading this has smelt The Soft Lawn by Imaginary Authors, very identical scents! Both have this mysterious dill smell (like the herb) however it is not listed in the notes (obviously) so perhaps it is the bergamot playing with the cypress. And enjoyable scent that actually kind of; if you think about it, smells...like a library or a book. Interesting!

Getting mostly the sandalwood on this one, not picking up the cucumber or pickle smell being tossed around. This really is a great substitute for Santal 33 and is surprisingly similar. Longevity not bad at all. Not sure I'd spring for the full bottle price but the 10ml travel spray works. This is really a great scent if you like Santal 33.