HANOK (한옥)

The other reviews are on the money- it's a woody, smoky fragrance that has a strong slant of Cedar and Incense. Together, it may remind you of being in a church or being in a bathhouse with a saunameister at Vabali Spa in Berlin (which is related to one reviewer's mention of this being a "thoughtful" fragrance). But, it is more than that. The first hit may make you nostalgic but as it settles and sits on the skin, it becomes alluring and refined. I was looking for a scent that would transport me from a church pew in a cathedral to French Lover by Frederic Malle, and this hit it perfectly. In a comparative sense, French Lover will be more dirty and dissipates just as quickly (don't worry, I still love FL by FM). For Elorea, they focus on key Korean ingredients to fit in the perfume and this one's Asian notes are apparent while still pushing for something "clean". As in, sometimes you get a similar scent and it turns powdery/heavy or drastically changed at the end; that does not happen with Hanok. I like that it's more restrained and really allows certain notes to shine while still being greater than the sum of its parts. The other notes (e.g. the Korean papyrus, etc.) are still very much there, but to get into that finer detail, it will be in the eye of the beholder. While strong, the scent sits closer to you unless you spray some on your clothes (but I do not consider this a skin scent). I tested ALL Elorea Fragrances at their store in LA and I liked a lot of it (there are options for clean guy/girls) but this one filled a void in my collection. I believe this collection is the strongest performing of the bunch, and Hanok is my new favorite of 2024-2025.

As a first generation immigrant from Korea, I’ve wanted to like a fragrance from elorea for a while now. While there have been interesting ones like earth/fire/hononi none have stood out and I’ve always found some of the fragrances to not really feel unique despite a list of unique ingredients. Hanok, and possibly Jang, from this new line has finally delivered in my opinion fragrances of a high quality that resonated with what I thought a house like Elorea could bring to the table. Hanok meaning Korean wood, genuinely reminds me of the Korean homes, Korean paper, I grew up with — something like my grandma’s home or kyungbok palace, or incense burning at a grave site surrounded by pine trees . It bottles these comforting, meditative, and nostalgic moments into a fragrance that is sweet and modestly seductive to be worn at a dinner party, a first date, or a family gathering. It’s unique, and if you share these intimate moments with incense and pine trees, then I hope you’ll at least smell this fragrance, and I do hope it evokes those warm and meaningful moments from your childhood as it does mine. The sillage is moderate maybe slightly stronger, and the longevity is neither short nor long at maybe 4-5 hours from my experience. Some of the early sweeter notes fade away leaving mostly the feeling of wood and incense.

I had the opportunity to test all of Elorea's scents in their flagship store in Itaewon and I can say that Hanok is elorea's best scent by a mile, in my opinion. I am hard to sell on woody scents, but this one is great. It's warm and spicy in a way that makes it feel kind of cozy. Unfortunately I lost my bottle but will be buying a new one at some point. I like the way it dries down.

My first fb from the brand after getting this assortment as a discovery test. Feels like functional beauty to me. I get a lot of fresh sweet mint and cool incense, but not smoke. Like unlit incense. Bought this at the end of winter and it felt as right to wear it in the cold dreary weather as it does now in hot humid August. Clean and holy. LOVE.

I agree with the reviewer below me. The cedar and incense note are the main players here, and it does have a slight church feel to it. The cedar really amplifies this vibe. That being said, I still do love it.