Hinoki Meditation

Hinoki Meditation by d’Annam is less a perfume and more a whispered memory. The first time I smelled it, I was transported—straight into a quiet Kyoto forest, where the air is damp with moss and the wood of the temple walls breathes out centuries of incense. It carries the same spiritual hush I get from Eucalyptus 20 by Le Labo, but here it’s softer, more inward, like meditation in stillness rather than ritual in grandeur. If Eucalyptus 20 is a bright morning at the shrine, Hinoki Meditation is the moment just before dusk, when shadows stretch long and everything feels suspended. There’s a sacred warmth here—woody, smoky, resinous—but wrapped in something gentle and green, like fresh cypress needles underfoot. It reminds me of the colonial churches in Antigua Guatemala, too, the old stones and incense that linger in the air long after the last candle’s burned out. Completely genderless, deeply atmospheric, and achingly nostalgic. It doesn’t shout; it hums. It lingers close to the skin, but what it gives you is not performance—it’s presence.

Hinoki Meditation is a genuine surprise! It opens slightly challenging with a leathery and sulfuric facet, alongside "wood-chips". The smoke here though caught me by surprise, it is not a conventionally meditative temple incense smoke. Instead, it is a "fourth of July" type accord in an abstract sense: gunpowder, charred woods, celebratory fire. The hinoki emerges alongside green characteristics that lend to a fougere olfactory experience with a very masc presentation. It is absolutely unique. It accomplishes being easy to wear even through the smoke which is a feat in itself. Quite great woodsy scent! Score: 7/10 Wearability: 7/10 Projection: Moderate Longevity: Moderate

A stunning marriage of warm spices and fresh pine. So bright and sticky that the resins lean citrusy. ALSO there is something sweaty here (No its not just me). Irresistible. Like chopping wood under the sun all day. Pink skin dripping wet, blistered hands dirty and sap-stuck to the axe. Oh my god its incredible. This is the kind of direction I'd hoped the greens and freshies had taken in Enchanting Vietnam. This is distinct! This is the wilderness! This is human and evocative and complex! So beautiful.

I had high hopes for this fragrance. It does have a bit of the d'Annam complexity, namely in the opening as the spices of unburnt incense guide you through the fragrance. However, as soon as those spices cease its almost a clone of Hwyl. I will say the dry down of cypress is far better than the screechy end of Hwyl. Excellent performance, and out of the "exploring a forest" scents (CdG Hinoki, Big Sur Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus 20, Hinoki in Hinoki, and Hwyl) this is the most complex.

a deep-in-the-rainforest-temple scent, but surprisingly very polite and sexy. it could lean more on the masculine side but honestly does it really matter at this day and age. it really is one of the house's most longlasting scents where the drydown (at least to my untrained nose) isn't too harsh, but the hinoki notes sure are STRONG (which i absolutely adore). I could smell this on a man who's got his shit together, actually has a skincare routine, and very calm.

Very woody and spicy, which I personally love. I've never been to Japan so I can't relate to the experience of being inside a wooden temple, but I have been inside a tiny wooden Polish church that this reminds me of. Cypress note is definitely very strong, and there's a subtle sweetness that I can't place. I do kind of feel like this would make me feel itchy if I wore it for too long, but nevertheless I like.

This is so calming yet sexy. It opens with a blast of wood, spices and incense. It dries down to a musky classic men’s fougere. It’s very masculine. I do get Hwyl vibes from this. I imagine myself being a stoic Taoist monk in the forest. Performs pretty well, about 6 hours then sat close to the skin for a couple more. My favorite of the line, I think my next one will be Moonlight Samurai. 9/10

Wow. 6 hrs later it’s still going strong and hasn’t changed much. A really nice dry hinoki accord with just a bit of spice and frankincense. The hinoki is strong but still pleasant—-without the obtrusive, burning cinnamon edge found in Jo Malone Hinoki and Cedarwood. I can still smell it on my skin almost 24 hrs later. Impressive!

A meditative and spa like wood scent with warmly sweet spices and wispy incense. Very Hinoki forward, with the opening being predominately Hinoki woods paired with warm and balmy spices. The incense comes out as the scent develops in a very warmly smoky and subtle way. A beautifully tranquil take on woods

I really like this one! I wasn't very impressed at first but my second time trying my sample I fell in love. It smells like wood and burning incense but in a sexy way somehow. It reminds me of maybe a sharper version of Relique D'Armour and I love both!

Woody leather scent, uber masculine with some crushed leaves—and I would love to roll around on the forest floor with it. Very, very sexy. I love Hinoki Meditation but I am a little too femme to wear it, and unfortunately I can’t get my guy to wear it.

Smells delicious like a lovely and hardworking man who did something for you with his bare hands, less meditative that I was expecting, like Le Labo Eucalyptus20 but somehow less of a temple or church, less catholic guilt, but still in that realm.

Whaoooo.... Im absolutely in love with this as a winter scent. It's very Hinoki/cypress forward with spicy smoky incense in the background and a touch of sweetness. Idk it's hard to describe why I like it so much but it's beautiful ❤️

You are a tall dark and handsome man in a Japanese bathhouse. This is so kino i love it. Unisex but leans masculine. Makes me want to f*ck myself. I'm a woman and hopefully will be attracting many chicks with this fragrance.

D'annam really nailed the "historical wooden temple" smell here - for me, this very much evokes specific memories of visiting a big historical temple in Japan on a cold day with incense wafting.

didn't like the opening, it had a Vicks vaper rub smell to it but my god the dry down earthy, woody, spicy give me a sitting by the window in a cabin on a rainy day vibes 10/10 love it.

Beautiful grounding and very versatile. Smells like a spa in the best way

Reminds me of Okinawan temples. Love it

Definitely a standout in my Japan discovery set. I tend to love meditative fragrances and this one definitely suited my fancy. It will however be divisive, someone commented about it smelling kind of "pissy" which I'm guessing is the hinoki's slightly musky wood. Do be aware some might not like it. As for me, this is my jam, I will wear this straight after a bath with essential oils. It transports me into a spa. Usually, I find those type of "spa" fragrances chemical and synthetic but here I feel llike I entered a sauna in a forest. It's a very woody, slightly camphorous, kind of eucalyptus-like type of smell. It's supported by spices and smoke, of which I certainly get incense coming in not long after the opening. It reminds me of a more green, less sweet version of Zoologist's Macaque, which I adore. As such, I think if you own that it would be redundant but it's still a fantastic fragrance in its own right. You'll get good longevity from this thanks to its woody nature but it doesn't seem to push out much, it's a "heavy" type of fragrance, clinging to skin so if you're looking for nuclear projection, it's not that. On skin, it sticks a good 10 hours on me and I get whiffs of it now and then. Lovely stuff from a brand that hardly seems to do much wrong.

Smooth and harsh both at the same time. It is kind of in your face but at the same time, its a bit passive. Personally i dont like this profile, but the more i smell it the more i like it. When i think of someone who would wanna wear this, i think of a Tall bearded man with a red and black patterned jacket, who loves cutting down trees, with his axe whcih he always carries with him. He seems like the guy who can wrestle a bear, for fun.