Hinoki Sesame

I was most eager to try Palo Santo from Dilo’s discovery set... ...but Hinoki Sesame ended up being the one I fell in love with (and I don’t usually go for “fresh” fragrances). Hinoki Sesame smells like...I’m in a sauna... with herb-infused steam curling off the hot stones...way out in some remote forest or desert oasis where the air is brisk and clear. This fragrance is definitely fresh. I’m getting very bright citrus top notes—they’re almost camphorous, but they’re NOT medicinal. It’s more like the sensation I get from eucalyptus—very spa-like and brisk. If I’m getting any sesame at all, it’s not very noticeable. It’s mostly playing a supporting roll to the unapologetically woodiness of it all. I’m getting real cedar (no pencil shavings). Piney woods. Cozy cypress. This isn’t a projection beast; it’s more of a skin scent. It’s subtle—yet addictive—and very office safe. Plus it’s pretty affordable so I don’t mind over spraying it.

Woah, this is so nice! And it has better performance than perfumes more than twice the price. Starts out lemony and peppery with cedar notes reminiscent of pencil shavings. The opening reminds me a little bit of Dirty Hinoki by Heretic, but Hinoki Sesame dries down to a lovely skin-scent musk and has twice the longevity. Seriously amazing value.

This is my favorite one out of the rest. It's a very soft, and woody fragrance. The only problem is that it doesn't last long at all. You spray this on, and it's gone in five seconds. Great for room spray though.

Woodsy and has a weird plastic note. I think it's the artificial lemon? No sesame which is a bummer. And this hinoki doesn't smell like any other hinoki I have encountered before. Kind of sour/bitter. Pass.

Mostly I smell a very cedar-forward Hinoki with a slight un-toasted sesame nuttiness and ton of linalyl acetate. It has resemblance to Le Labo's Hinoki self-care products (not Eucalyptus 20) but only upon initial spray. Becomes a skin scent within a few minutes. It is elegant, but unfortunately has no projection. Fairly safe to overspray. Overall, a really elegant scent for the price point.

If I spray Gypsy Water on one arm and this on the other, they smell almost identical in the dry down

This sounds incredible!! Beautiful notes and structure. I cannot wait to hear about this one.