Silky Woods Elixir

Silky Woods Elixir was launched in 2023, the same year the brand had already launched Island Lush. However, Silky Woods Elixir came as the first flanker within the Exclusive Collection called Botanical Series. Its fragrance offers a deeper, denser, and more mysterious reinterpretation of Silky Woods, elevating the woody signature of the original composition to an even more opulent and captivating territory. Inspired by the ancestral Daintree Rainforest, the fragrance explores the richness of Australian agarwood, one of the rarest and most revered raw materials in perfumery, revealing an exuberant and multifaceted aromatic profile. It was created by perfumers Olivier Cresp and Hamid Merati Kashani and reveals accords created by notes of fig, saffron, lily, guaiac wood, vanilla, Oud Assafi, Australian Oud, as well as balsams and cypriol. Before commenting on the fragrance, it is worth exploring the theme of elixirs in the global market. In the perfume industry, many people expect to find a pure perfume, a magic potion, when they read the term "Elixir" on the packaging. However, the industry doesn't work that way, partly due to tax issues. Generally, flankers in Elixir versions are created to sell the idea of a more concentrated or intense version of a fragrance, where some improvement in raw materials is expected, such as greater purity, for example. In practice, the elixir version doesn't always deliver better performance than its original version. Sometimes, the elixir even falls short of the Intense or Parfum versions of a particular line. That said, I can affirm that here the promise is fulfilled, and Silky Woods Elixir manages to deliver even better performance than its original version. The opening presents a fascinating contrast between the green freshness and succulence of the fig, sprinkled with the spicy warmth of saffron. This beginning combines an aromatic explosion and brings nuances reminiscent of the bitterness of cocoa, creating a sophisticated and mysterious opening. At its heart, the fragrance reveals a creamy and enveloping facet. There is a very present earthy floral note, which brings a powdery and refined touch, while the balsams bring a more oriental effect and introduce subtle smoky nuances, coming from guaiac wood. As it evolves on the skin, the perfume plunges into a very sensual base. Vanilla softens the woody edges, creating a sweet effect, while resinous notes and the intensity of Oud reinforce the feeling of comfort and luxury. The result is a dense, elegant, and hypnotic trail, where sweetness, smoke, and wood intertwine with masterful balance. Silky Woods Elixir has excellent longevity and projection, developing slowly and maintaining its presence for many hours. Darker, more textured, and intense than its original version, this fragrance prioritizes depth and sensory richness, offering an immersive and sophisticated olfactory experience. Without a doubt, it's a fragrance that retains the DNA of the original version, but is less creamy and more opulent. I dare say it has brought an Arabic approach and seems to be a response to the market trend regarding Middle Eastern ingredients. Can you imagine a very wealthy Australian executive expanding his business in Dubai? This is his perfume.

Silky Woods Elixir is the most recent release from Goldfield & Banks from late 2023 and a spiritual successor to the original Silky Woods that was released in 2021. My experience of it is dominated by a smoky vanilla accord, vaguely related to the boozy vanilla accord of the original Silky Woods, but darker, less acerbic, and more pronounced overall, with a robust fig note that pairs nicely with the vanilla. It has various resins involved as well, which give it a range of powdery, standardly resinous, smoky, and even a touch animalic bits to it, a lot of complexity and nuance overall, with plenty to be discovered. Performance-wise, it’s certainly denser and richer than the original Silky Woods, and is probably the strongest-performing fragrance in the entire catalogue. Fittingly, it’s at a higher price point than any other perfume in the Goldfield & Banks catalogue currently, at $295/58 for 100/10ml, a notch higher than the higher-end Botanical Series (that includes the original Silky Woods) and quite a bit higher than the main collection (that includes Pacific Rock Moss, Bohemian Lime, etc.). Still, $3 / ml is not absurd and I love the option of the 10ml travel size for more liberal testing, even if the travel size pricing is $6 / ml. Certainly better to have the option. Overall, I love it and it has the added benefit of making me appreciate the differences in the original, the more strident, sharp, lighter aspects of the original and the darker, smokier density of the Elixir. 8 out of 10

1st spray: WHOA, brace yourselves! A bomb of saffron, fig and amber that literally punches you in the face. Extremely strong and definitely masculine opening! "Not for me, but I'd love my man to smell like this, it's so rich and unique and wow". 30 minutes later: WTF, this is incredible! Why did I think this was a masculine perfume?!?! I can now smell vanilla, pralines and an extremely pleasant leather smell. All combined into such a unique, unconventional and surprising smell that can definitely become my signature perfume (there is no way this can be mistaken for something else, it's THAT special). 6 hours later: HOW can it still smell so strong and HOW COME it has evolved and developed so much? Now it's even more leather, even sweeter, saffron is still there but pralines overtake it, fig still present but a hint of rose also, WHAT IS GOING ON?? By now most perfumes have only a faint skin scent, while this one is still in beast mode. 12+ hours later: HERE! TAKE MY MONEY! TAKE IT NOW! *** P.S. Definitely NOT a safe blind buy! Definitely not a common scent! Definitely not the usual feminine scent. A dark, sweet, rich, intriguing, mysterious, sexy, alluring potion! *** Later Edit: What is weird though is that the final scent - what remains on the skin (after more than 14 hours) is the exact smell of Shaghaf Oud. Does anyone feel the same way??

When I wear Silky Woods, the original or Elixir, I just CANNOT stop smelling myself. Nose right up against my wrist. I keep going to chew on myself it smells that good. The first thing I notice is the beautiful soft sweet vanilla. Immediately! The wood notes are gorgeous, like having an old book open in your lap. Thin and papery. It works so good with the vanilla, so delicious. And under that I can definitely get the green notes. Just such a pleasant smell. It also lasts SO long!!! One tiny spray and I can still smell it on me the next day. I think it would be awesome to spray it on a cardigan or something, it'd soak the smell right up. If you're going for a kinda librarian vibe I think Silky Woods should be under consideration. I was so surprised to see a lot of people calling this a definite masculine fragrance, because to me it immediately feels feminine. But what is gender, anyways? That being said, if you're looking for something masculine yet soft and sweet, I definitely think you could find that in Silky Woods Elixir.

I haven’t tried the original version, so I can’t compare. But one thing is clear: this fragrance is balmy, creamy, and exceptionally smooth. How they achieved this effect, likely a rich blend of vanilla, fig, suede wood accords, and soft balsams on top of its agarwood and oud core, elevates it into a scent that’s both seductive and comforting. It truly lives up to its name; you are getting silky woods. The woods aren’t harsh or abrasive; they’re warm, embracing, and velvet-like. The fig and saffron in the opening create a textured sweet earthiness before the deeper base of Australian agarwood, guaiac wood, and balsamic notes takes over. What I admire most is that this perfume is sourced from Australia. The brand uses tropical Australian agarwood, giving it an exotic edge and a real sense of place. That connection to nature adds depth to its beauty. The atomizer is stunning, my first perfume from the brand and definitely not my last. A stately, sensual creation that deserves a perfect score: 10/10.