Through The Forest

Sampling d’Annam Through The Forest, a smoky, woody blend featuring a well-rounded but dark ensemble of incense, tobacco, black pepper, elemi, saffron, and hints of oud and vanilla to provide more of the extremes, but the whole fragrance is smooth, even though it has spicy and sharp aspects. It incorporates a bit of a burning fire with smoke itself, along with some of the more profound elements like incense, all while being quite wearable. It does not veer into the territory of the barbecue / pine resin aspect, territory already well-covered by a handful of other great fragrances, but instead feels midway between the campfire and a bit of a churchy incense aspect. As with the rest of the house’s offerings, Through The Forest is EDP concentration, priced at $120 for 50ml, sold via the house site, and, as with most of the house, also sold via some US boutiques—in this case, via Ministry of Scent. I find the pricing quite reasonable for a niche/indie company in the current market, between $2 and $3 per ml, particularly considering its very good performance. Overall, this is a really outstanding scent, a dark blend, the larger category of which I tend to love, especially as weather gets cooler, making it perhaps my favorite of an already-great line that I’ve tried so far to date, with two further scents to sample, still. 8 out of 10

I don't usually go for woodsy scents but I had to try this and I'm so glad I did. At first spray, it's peppery, woodsy, smoky, resinous, slightly (barely) powdery, and somewhat coniferous. The oud, incense, and elemi all shine immediately, and the saffron is there supporting them with a subtle sweetness. All very cozy and warm. After an hour or two, the elemi and saffron back down and the tobacco emerges some, replacing them with a soft earthiness. Around the three-hour mark, the tobacco and incense push more so to the forefront making the scent smokier. From here, it remains smoky and subtly sweet, resinous and aromatic for most of the remainder of the wear. The vanilla comes out near the end and helps to round out the fragrance. Overall, this is a wonderful scent, perfect for the fall and winter months. The longevity is also amazing, lasting on me for over ten hours.

Oh boy what a treat! I was worried this would be another vague green disappointment. Glad I tested it before reading the notes because it was a wonderful surprise! Whatever synthetic aroma-chemical is responsible for the sweet damp smoke is instantly recognizable in other fragrances I own but I welcome it. The intensity of the opening is a forest fire stamped out before it takes down acres. The rest is the hazy orange atmosphere hanging all around the dense woods as you walk home. Flakes of ash drift in a windless space and catch on weeping resins like wax trees melting against the heat. Green new growth and pine notes swimming in the smog. I am obsessed with this. Always gonna be a sucker for resins, amber accords, and sappy burnt incense. So fucking good.

This was a surprise! Like catcel, I'm glad I got the discovery set because I'd otherwise overlook this thinking it's just a regular woodsy scent. Through the Forest is a soft blend of smoke and wood at the right strength for me, stronger than other D'Annam works but not too heavy or obnoxious at all. It's perfect in an unexpected way and satisfies a want I didn't know I have. It's comfortable to wear and also quite beautiful as an everyday scent especially if you live in a gloomy climate, as it's cozy without being too warm and jarring with the surroundings. The profile is definitely more nighttime, but thanks to the softness I think it's perfectly fine to wear in the day too. The first spritz is masculine but it quickly settles to something unisex.

This might be one of the best men’s perfumes I’ve ever smelled. There’s something incredibly addictive about it. I’m surprised it doesn’t have any green foresty notes because it really smells like a fresh pine forest to me. This reminds me of ”By the Fireplace” by Maison Margiela, but more bitter and foresty. I wish this was slightly more unisex, I feel a little wierd about wearing it since it smells very manly. This still is an amazing fregrance and I love it.

big by the fireplace fan and this may be the one i buy the full bottle of. it’s very unisex in my opinion and i love smelling like incense and smoky woods. i think it’s the vanilla that adds something almost like the sweet smell you get from the forest. the oud is surprisingly light and adds to the spice and wood notes. if you find by the fireplace too linear, this may be your scent but also i am biased. 5/5

I agree that this smells like a better version of By The Fireplace, which is a bit too "perfumey" and strong for me. Through the Forest is so woodsy and smokey and comforting, it's the perfect fall/ winter scent. It is unisex, but personally I think it's a bit too masculine leaning for my taste. I would LOVE to smell this on my husband though.

Sparkling clean wet balsamic oud not barnyard to me at all. earthy Tabac note, touch of forest leaf slightly spicy and smoky very nice all rounder can see a few sprays during warm weather would work well this on me lasts around 8 hours and projects for a while. on clothing it lasts all day long not unique but very nice and well put together

Wow! I am so glad I got the discovery kit because this one didn't initially catch my eye, but I am blown away. Warm spicy but not overly smokey or unwearable. The name is true to the scent. There is something about this that feels like walking through a forest just before the sun rises, with a dense fog. Warm and cozy.

Love this, smells of smoky non barnyard oud with just the right amount of sweetness to balance it out. Reminds me of a amouage creation, and it's one of my favorite as far as scent profiles in the brand. Edit: I have a bottle on the way. Just smoky goodness, I can't get enough of this fragrance.

Sweet oud incense. Love it in a way that it makes me happy when I go to have a wiff. A little bit like a coca cola chabba chop (lollipop). like a sarsaparilla drink with more of a rooty smell. Just yum. A great scent not over powering but just enough so that you will smell it throughout the day.

This has a beautiful sillage. On paper it's quite unpleasant and it reminds me of Falcon Leather by Matiere Premiere. This really shines on skin; its smokiness is more pleasant and blends in very well with the sweetness

Beautiful scent: very warm and calming. This reminds me of old temples in Vietnam. This might become my signature scent.

Sumptuously smoky and spicy without being heavy. I wore this to a jazz club and while galavanting through the streets of Hanoi by myself after midnight. I think the fact that there's something so mysterious about women who wear masculine leaning fragrances emboldened me to do so...I formed transient friendships with 8 or 9 people my age. We chatted, got beer, chatted again, did a shot each, went to a club, and then at 3am I bid them a good night and hopped on a motorbike back to my airbnb. It was a fun fever dream as someone who rarely "goes out". I felt less that I had gone Through the Forest, and more that I was Alice and had gone Through the Looking Glass.

last stretch of the discovery set. i used to love this dna- have fallen out of it lately, as i lean towards fresher and more feminine scents, but will always have a soft spot for a well blended bottle of sweet spices and oud. the undertones of incense and tobacco definitely add some depth and a masculine edge, but this is still clearly unisex. i dislike by the fireplace- i find it nauseatingly perfumey, almost pungent. this is a much better spin on that sweet smokey accent!

i usually don't go for incensey/smoky/woody scents, but something about this one is soooo delicious and sexy. i think i would prefer smelling this on a man and would probably buy this for my future bf as a gift lol but it's def unisex to me, just not something i would wear myself. this scent in a room spray or a candle would be amazing though!

better than by the fireplace for sweet/woody/smokey dna lol. and i'm a replica fan the dry down is good, not as sweet as btf so it's great if you're wanting a fragrance that's more masc leaning

Nothing to do with La Yuqawam, this is more sweet. It's a mix of Herod, Tobacco Vanille and Tobacco Oud.

Nice, unisex, smoky and a bit sweet, non-offensive oud. I am not a huge oud fan, but quiet I like it!

I've always found that saffron fragrances have a certain edge that other warm spiced frags dont. If you like the saffron DNA you'll like this one. On me it wears really balsamic and ambery, but as it warms to the skin the balsamic edge softens a bit, and it becomes a bit more full and smoky. The longer I have it on the more I can sort of see the forest, though it isn't what you'd expect from the name at all. It reminds me of tiger by her side by sana jardin and kayali's invite only amber, or Il Capriccio del Maestro, though the first two of those are wayyy more feminine, and il capriccio is a lot less balsamic. In this the vanilla base is nowhere near as prominent. This is part of the same family tree, but grows on an entirely different branch. Not the most creative fragrance I've ever smelled, but a good take on the saffron family. Edit: I finally placed what it reminds me of, Above us Steorra by Aesop but way less green spice, and as someone who doesn't enjoy saffrony frags wearing it made me weirdly grumpy every time I smelled it??