Myrrhe Ardente

What an addictive fragrance! At first I found my edp too sweet. A strong honey accord made it too cloying for my taste. Then the second time I wore it I began to find it more appealing. On first application, a blast of intoxicating booziness (reminiscent of rum + pepper) makes up for its woodsy dryness, concealing the sharp bitterness of myrrh. Then it begins to smell more like smoky, spicy, ambery frankincense than like myrrh. As it develops for some more minutes, I get a less tangy (but intense) ashy-woody accord, a sort of smoky bittersweet woodsiness, almost chocolatey in its dark sweetness (as Missk pointed out in her great review). Sillage is moderate, but lasting power is incredible: more than 12 hours on my skin, and more than a week on fabrics. I wish other AG scents lasted half as much! MA is not exactly a mood enhancer like other fragrances in my wardrobe, but it certainly has an effect on my spirits. Even if it doesn’t exactly smell like myrrh during most of its development, it still has some of this resin’s soothing properties. On evenings of very stressful days I spritz some on my wrists and the result is instant serenity. I find its honeyed woodsiness very relaxing, but maybe it's just my memory that makes me perceive it that way, for the scent reminds me of my granny's cozy beeswax candles, under the spell of which I felt so blissfully at ease and untroubled as a child (yes, Kasozo, isn't it wonderful how some scents can transport us to childhood? I can even visualise my granny's house!). MA also takes you back to primitive liturgies of healing from the time when medicine, religion and perfume were closely linked. Indeed, this scent seems to evoke a mystique, not to speak of the religious association with the Magi from the Bible in the Les Orientalistes collection. This ritualistic vibe combines with its sensuality to make the fragrance even more enticing. About the Orientalistes series paying homage to paintings depicting “beauty rituals in harems”, I don't like the idea that I'm wearing a fragrance with any possible link with sexual slavery, remote as it might be. The times of poor odalisques and concubines seen only as exotic, lascivious beauty myths must end at once! MA is incandescence in a bottle, another scent brimming with passion (or with the mystique of passion) that can be related to gems like Opium (also including incense and myrrh, by the way. And wasn't Saint Laurent a true "orientalist" himself?). I’d love to smell this masterpiece on a man, but sadly most of the men I know are more into aromatic fragrances.

Where is the myrrh, and why does this smell like root beer?! That was my first reaction. But I have to admit, I like this creamy root beer scent. It smells like somebody singed some dried herbs, made root beer with them, and then added some vanilla ice cream. I have always loved root beer floats. I used to buy a particular brand of root beer that tasted especially dark and herbal, and this reminds me of it. Again, I ask: Where is the myrrh? Upon close inspection and numerous attempts to scrutinize, I do detect it. Myrrhe Ardente features the most common myrrh, the kind burned in a Catholic church, the sacred C. myrrha, which has a dry, slightly bitter, astringent woody scent. I think they blended it with sweet myrrh, also called opoponax (C. guidotti), which is sweeter and more balsamic. It's as though the perfumer wanted to take the resins and play up some other things that compliment its scent (i.e. herbs and spices) in lieu of building a myrrh "soliflore". In Myrrh Ardente, myrrh seems like the keystone, not the bridge. Root beer is a mix of many different herbs and spices. I have scoured the internet, and I can't find one single note pyramid for this fragrance that includes herbs, spices, nor root beer. Regardless I detect nutmeg, licorice, star anise and fennel at the very least. One component of root beer is honey, and it's easy to detect creamy beeswax in the base. I also thought Myrrh Ardente was as much an immortelle fragrance as it is a myrrh fragrance because of its sweet, syrupy, herbal profile. Perhaps it was discontinued because it doesn't connect with its audience. We expected myrrh, but we got root beer instead. Either this is a myrrh masterpiece, or it's just an oddball that is rightfully discontinued. In any case, I absolutely love Myrrhe Ardente. It's warm without being stuffy. It's creamy and comforting like a root beer float on summer evening. I have never smelled anything even remotely similar to it. It works well in either warm or cold weather. Sillage is average to low, and it lasts several hours. It's an absolute keeper. I feel lucky I found a bottle. (My bottle is from 2008)

One of the stronger creations from the post Annick period, belonging to the Les Orientalistes collection. This series represents Goutal, a very traditionally French perfume house, interpreting oriental materials through its own aesthetic language. The four fragrances each focus on a different theme: amber, myrrh, incense, and musk. Here, the central material is myrrh. What makes this fragrance distinctive is its dark, old fashioned sweetness. At first spray, it can evoke herbal soda, black cherry liqueur, or licorice syrup. The sweetness feels shadowed and resinous rather than bright. As the fragrance develops, woods and myrrh gradually pull the sweetness downward into something drier and more restrained. Beeswax becomes increasingly noticeable. It adds warmth close to the skin, creating a soft waxy texture between the myrrh and benzoin without turning syrupy like honey. Guaiac wood contributes a dry wooden nuance. Later on, the skin is left with a warm balsamic glow. It feels especially suited to colder weather. The most impressive aspect is the treatment of the myrrh itself. It is not pushed into an overtly religious direction, nor turned into a dense sugary resin scent. Instead, the composition preserves the difficult aspects of myrrh: the medicinal tone, the bitterness, the herbal quality, and the waxy sweetness. The structure is intricate yet highly layered, allowing the sweet, bitter, waxy, and woody facets to remain distinct. At the same time, it still carries the restrained and refined French sensibility closely associated with Annick’s style.

Beautiful reviews before mine and well deserved for this magic potion. The ingredients and different facets are well described already. Regarding that I will only add that what amazes me the most is the use of beeswax in the beginning of the scent... it is a great complement to the myrrh and I think it's deeply captivating. I got shocked. The "ardente" part is immediately evident... you feel something is burning in front of you... it is truly fascinating and well composed. I may disagree I don't find the beginning sickly sweet but instead buttery, waxy, tremendously compelling and sexy. Myrrh tends to be sweet but at the beginning is somehow dark here, like a ceremony of incense where something important is happening. Think of Avignon to give you an idea. Myrrhe ardente is not an easy scent for everyone. It's more likely to be "respected" than actually "worn" by most people imo. It falls more into the "weird" scents we all like to have from time to time. Unique, forbidden, unexpected for those around. It creates a certain distance, a very refined experience indeed. After several samplings of Les Orientalistes I must say this is the one I prefer for its subtlety and harmonious development. The others have eventually fatigued my nose unfortunately. Very unisex and loooong lasting. My new precious ceremonial scent (this is not to say I won't be wearing it everywhere anyways lol).

So what does Myrrhe Ardente smell like? To my nose it smells a lot like an especially spicy, artisan crafted root beer when first sprayed. In this first blast of scent I clearly smell unlisted notes of black pepper, star anise and cinnamon. As the opening notes fade on my skin, I briefly catch hints of raspy dark woods and tar before the whole composition takes a completely unexpected U turn back toward the familiar root beer accords of the opening. The dry down is more overtly vanillic and the myrhhe of the title finally comes into focus. To summarize my experience: the top notes are dry spicy, the heart notes are bitter tar covered woods, and the dry down is a warm and satisfying, resinous vanilla. Sillage: close to non-existent, this wears close to the skin. Longevity: 5 hours An interesting and nuanced interplay of spicy, bitter and sweet elements. The dry down of this scent could be packaged by Demeter and sold as "Root beer Float" and no one would bat an eyelash. That being said, if you love root beer or are looking for a warm resinous vanilla look no further. Update April 2014: I've gone through two bottles of this and have just repurchased my third.

I love scents of incense, myrrh, etc, and I find this perfume very good. In fact, like all fragrances of Les Orientalistes’ Collection. But this is my favorite. Some people say, in a not flattering manner, the aroma is candle’s Church. And I think it's right, but I like it. Obviously, when the candle wax is of nice quality. It's like watching mass at the São Bento’s Monastery, listening to Gregorian chants. It is not for less, the myrrh and beeswax are the most intense notes. When I smell the perfume directly in bottle, can distinguish the vetiver, but on my skin nothing appears. I have two perfumes with prominently Guaiac Wood (Le Labo and Korres), and I don't smell any of this note in MA. I think the time to feel the individual raw materials has come, as I want to go deeper in the theme of fragrances... After fifteen minutes, vanilla and tonka appear well soft. Overall, it's the smell of myrrh with royal beeswaxl all the time. But also, that's what I want to feel. Projection and sillage of moderate to strong. I use without fear of being happy, even at the office.

I have been at Myrrhe Ardente for about a week now, and I am still perplexed--astounded. How does such a rather simple composition develop so erratically over the course of a not just a single wearing, but multiple ones? Every time I wear it, something different happens, but it is always something good! The first time I wore it, it just smoldered on my flesh. It was the feeling of floating through a ninteenth-century opium den; it was something I could have laid down in and never gotten out of. But then the second time I wore it, it took a bittersweet turn that reminded me of licorice--no, sassafras--no, horehound. Whatever it was, it was a very familiar and comforting scent from my childhood. Since then, MA has produced different faces of smoke and bitter-sweets. I never experience the same thing wearing this beguiling fragrance, and I have noticed this mysterious mutability in several Annick Goutal fragrances. Sheer mastery...

Beautiful warm, toasty myrrh. This is like curls of myrrh incense smoke as opposed to basic myrrh resin, it must be thanks to the addition of beeswax, benzoin and sweet tonka bean. This is a simple yet beautiful perfume, it feels natural, very unisex, slightly smoky (like woodsmoke). The smokiness is definitely thanks in part to vetiver, paired with wood resins and beeswax the effect is gentle woodsmoke I'm off to Dawick botanic gardens today which is on an old estate famous for its huge ancient trees. The leaves will be turning russet and gold, Myrrhe Ardente will be just perfect with my dark brown wooly dress (it's getting slightly more chilly here in Scotland) I've been wearing dabs from a sample, sprayed it's probably stronger, but the sillage seems good - moderate, and longevity 4 hours plus, probably more if more generously sprayed, or on clothes. Would be gorgeous indeed on a wool scarf! (Thanks to @yohji for sample :) )

First of all..i am a huge fan of Les Orientalistes line and i will surely get them all. This was the first niche fragrance i ever bough and the one i liked most from that line (now my taste is moving thowards Ambre fetiche lately..). I remember i entered the store and i said "I want a perfume that Cleopatra would wear..an incense that smells like something ancient, rich, exotic and mithological" and this is it! It smells like an ancient egyptian or babilonic temple in the middle of the coronation of the new queen: The herbal purifying mystical scent of the myrrhe and the deep luxurious ambers mixed with a hint of smoke, and then a sweet delicate touch of somehting like liquorice or anise. At the draydown the smoke trace fades and it makes the fragrance sweeter and warmer, really conforting in winter when i constantly reach for this perfume as my daily chosen one. Superwarm, rich, dark, alluring, diferent and..ancient..LOVE IT!

After finally getting my nose on a little spray decant of this, my first experience was disappointing. It just didn't seem to be present at all. I had to sniff RIGHT next to my skin to get anything. Second try, it's quite different! This is a gorgeous warm, dry scent that I feel is great year-round. It's a bit on the sweet side, but that is the nature of myrrhe. It lasts well, but the projection is minimal. Of course, I'm only testing from one spray on the back of my hand, and a couple of strategic sprays for a proper wearing would likely help the projection. Overall, it's gorgeous and addictive. I would love a scent like this, but I'm being very selective as to what goes on my want list right now until I get the list down to a manageable size. Not sure why my two testings were so different.

My favourite among Annick Goutal's Les Orientaistes collection. First of all, while equally well-crafted Ambre Fetiche reminds yet of so many, Myrrhe Ardente is the One That Haunting. It's one of most unique skilful and natural myrrhs I came across, which borders with sweetness of beeswax. The smell that hits me at first is not as musty as you would expect from your typical myrrh, its smell of smoky and smoldering woodiness of guiac with weird, but pleasant dosage of mildew, its a smoky-medicinal-sweet fragrance in few words. The base is relaxing and dry, different type of smokiness, this time from vetiver, but it always remains sweet, soft and sensual.

A wonderful atmospheric scent. I can smell everything listed. It makes me think of autumn days of mellow fruitfulness and bonfires. Its a warm Myrhh that is easy to wear. The wax, benzoin, Tonka make it very accessible to all as they soften and round the myrhh. Id say bang on unisex. It doesn't take you to a Roman Catholic church with one sniff like Unum Lavs. The Tonka adds just the right amount of sweetness. If you love Myrhh then this is worth hunting down. A tragedy that it was discontinued. I get moderate longevity and less than moderate sillage. The perfect scent to wear when it's getting chilly.

Today its minus 23 degrees celcius. I reach for this seldom worn fragrance in my shelf. I get a sharp incency smell the first few minutes, then I forget about it. Then a few hours later as my body is warmer i get a wonderful sweet vanilla, tonka bean and myrrh scent. It does't develop any further but who cares! Its comforting and brings me peace. Lives om throughout the day. On the wrist it's boring but om warmer more intimate parts its bewitching!

Interesting interplay between myrrh and benzoin, made sweet with a touch of vanilla, dry with barely-discernable vetiver, and spumoni-like with its note of anise floating above. The smoky beeswax sends it home! Beautifully-balanced and unique, and, though I know Camille had a hand in this, it is very Doyenaise. I would have to be very desperate to ever think of parting with it from my collection.

From the Collection Les Orientaistes I find Myrrhe Ardente to be the most interesting. It's ingredients smell real as it takes me to a place where I feel grounded and peaceful. It surrounds me with the aroma of sweet, woody incense burning from a buddhist temple. Lovely and relaxing.

This makes me feel safe. Honey reminds of childhood and grandma's house. I wear it driving my car and I am completely out of this world. Sweet, cosy and still sexy.

Absolutely sublime, beautiful, rich scent but, nooooo.....! DISCONTINUED as of 2013. The best Annick Goutal perfume gone forever :(

I love wearing this. I do love Myrrhe however. So comforting and interesting. Delicious!

Nice perfume,I feel a lot of cut woods,covered by black pepper, so hot,so fantastic!

MissK and johngreenink wrote some great reviews here, along with a few others that added something provactive and thoughtful. The actual composition/scent pyramid is as follows: Top: Myrrh essence, tonka bean and benzoin converge to create a signature honeyed accord. A heart of myrrh resin, gaiac wood and vetiver increase the intensity, while a dry down of beeswax absolute rounds off the fragrance in a surprising, yet enchanting way. I get a lot of "vanilla" with a touch of beeswax on top showing through - which comes from a blast of sweet benzoin and tonka bean to create the vanillic note. In reference to what others perceive as a "root beer" accord...borrowing from mimifroufrou: "Natural myrrh (Myrrh Essence) has a coldness and freshness about it and here the sensations have been reinforced with mentholated nuances. It also evokes wormwood and the drink derived from it, Absinthe (an anise note is an undertone). It is an interesting even captivating contrasted composition offering an unexpected soft green, slightly misty and medicinal character." Mind you, this stage of development is actually all coming from the actual myrrh essence itself in the top! The Tonka Bean and Benzoin created the honeyed, vanillic accord - but this really develops from the moment it hits your skin. The clean, woody Vetiver in the heart, in conjunction with the Gaiac Wood and beeswax that seems to faintly show throughout the top and heart and grow stronger in the base, add to the depth of this rather mind-bending scent. It is definitely one you must wear several times to get used to...but, the beauty is most definitely there! So, know that this is not for the faint of heart. I am not overloaded with any single note as things are balancing out - but a nice touch of wood at this stage is definitely very noticeable and well-integrated. This, to me, is very quality fragrance and I love AG's work - truly niche and you must be into perfume to appreciate. I have several other bottlings and will revew Amber Fetiche next. Encens is waiting for me - it is only a matter of time. Warming up, I am getting a honeyed concoction that smells so unique - this will not remind you of anything, unless you are a beekeeper perhaps. :-) Not sure this is fragrance or an olfatory science experiment, but it is absolutely enthralling. Not incense-laden - the myrrh resin isn't heavy or even that noticeable at first...alfarom is correct (again). Instead, it is the myrhh essence that opens this unique composition. I like it, though I can't say I love it. I am immediately thinking about layering with something that has more darker notes and less sweet amber, benzoin and honey. Amber Fetiche...? Encens? Comme des Garcons Man 2? What to do? I think, from an artful perspective, it is a line of wet, translucent honey-colored paint dripping off an earth-toned canvas...onto a hardwood floor. I cannot rate this - only say that I admire it, very much so. Update - 90 minutes or so in...the "smoky myrrh" (which is the Myrrh Resin) makes an appearance. Strange, johngreenink and I, somehow ended up getting virtually identical notes out of this fragrance but in exactly opposite chronology! The walnut and cedar (that hardwood floor that just started to show a while ago) is now freshly sanded...this actually has great wood! Tonka Bean is still very prominent along with the benzoin - but secondary notes have emerged gloriously. I am now rethinking layering as this, like all Goutal's creations, require patience. This is now in harmony...rich, deep, yet totally sweet. Very, very, very tasteful - almost a gourmand vibe. My wife likes it - a lot! So much so, she wants to wear it on her olive skin - I agree. This is truly unisex and I cannot imagine how this could not smell almost edible on her! People who don't know perfume, please take note - this is an acquired taste...and those that have taste will acquire it. I will still refrain from quantifying a rating for this as a fraction will not represent the true taste and composition of Annick Goutal's work. Go elsewhere and let mass-marketed fragrance get stars and points. This is olfactory pleasure - any season or time of day...Cheers. ;-) Update (a little extra): Just for fun, I burned some very high-end incense this evening - a blend of Myrrh/Vanilla/Tulsi stick that is incredible. It offered a lot of similar notes and deepened the smokiness and incense (naturally) of the Myrrhe Ardente. I found the deeper notes came out more on my skin as what was in the air (the sweetness does remain with the vanilla). I smelled my shirt just now (about 4-5+ hours since application) - the myrrh, amber, benzoin, beeswax, & vanilla are still there. A recommendation - spray a couple shots on clothes and the top notes of this fragrance stay almost the same for a long time. On the skin, a different evolution happens...which is rather remarkable! It was an interesting twist (with the incense) to add to a memorable day with a unique creation by Annick Goutal. **Update** - A full spray to my forearm today really showed impressively, while I was in a full wearing of Ambre Fetiche. While I about "gave up" on Myrrhe Ardente for myself and let my wife adorn it (simply magical on her!), I wanted to wear it once more. I edited my review above, which explains a lot about the 'root beer' accord some get in this fragrance. I also dabbed (from vial) just two small dabs of Comme des Garcons Man 2 onto the Myrrhe Ardente wearing about 4 hours in...as it lasts a long time! The white incense, smokiness, aldehydes wood and vetiver had a wonderful effect with Ambre Fetiche, but less so here. While it changed the wearing while CdG Man 2 was present and was interesting to take a dozen or so sniffs over time - I felt it tried to make this something it is not. Once the CdG Man 2 faded away in a few hours, it returned back to form. Not a scent that necessarily should be made something it is not...

Edit (2020): This smells like root beer! How did I not catch that originally. I love it. Completely changes the experience for me. Very sweet, creamy, warm. This fragrance is delicious. Way better than I remember it. There is something lacking here, but I can't say what it is. I love love the beeswax. Love the tonka, love the vanilla note. It's delish. 8/10 Original (2017): Nice and smokey. The tonka bean keeps it sweet which is it's saving grace. So light! Unbelievably low projection. Everything about it is quite muted. The beeswax note is kind of unpleasant, waxy and slightly musky but with some pleasant honey undertones. I wish there was more to go on here, it really holds back. The myrrh is light and inoffensive, it resembles the idea of Church resin but without the power or strength conveyed in incense. 6.5/10

Warm, little bit medical, but extremely cozy. I don't find this to be too masculine as all the resins make this a wonderful, smoky and sweet scent that could be worn by any lady. The only thing that's actually disturbing me is the beeswax which is sweet, but wrong kind of sweet. I like myrrh in my perfume, but, because of the beeswax, it somehow does not work on me as well as I hoped it would. But ladies, do no run away from this. If you enjoy smoky, incensy and different perfumes that balance on edge of being almost masculine, give Myrrhe Ardente a try.

My first association is old woods, old furniture even: A dusty salon in another century, or an antique sale in an old barn. After a while I get a bit of beeswax, which makes it slightly fresh (big emphasis on slightly). This scent is so strange, it will take decades to grow on me, which is probably the way it should be. Definitely an acquired taste. Edit 15th feb. 2012 Works well when layered with a Lutens: Feminite du Bois for example. Edit 2nd of july 2012 When layered with Hermès Un Jardin En Mediterranee it is absolutely fabulous..

So sad when beautiful products gets discontinued. This is like myrrhe has been dissected and some of its faces removed (the florals, the aldehidic, and the medicinal) while other are accentuated: the heaarthyness, the dryness, the fungal, and the smokyness. There is a certain confort in wearing it which I guess is due to the beeswax that does not scream animalics, but is just creamy. Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

I like spicy perfumes and wear them often, this one is just too heavy and after the first dry outburst, only a sweet vanilla note remains on the skin. It's very well constructed - as all Goutal's creations are - but it does not convince me totally. It changes too much from the beginning to the end and this does not suit me at all. I am sure many out there will find this fantastic. I wish I could too.

First on, it smells very like Alder wood incense; woody and smokey. Very very nice, very smoky, and with that lovely warm wood note, like a wood fire on a winter’s night. As it dries down, an inexplicable toothpaste note creeps in, jarring the lovely incense feeling. Somehow I really like it anyway. A nice scent and a must for incense lovers.

Myrrhe Ardente is very deep and complex. Initially there's myrrh and tonka bean and as it dries down a beautiful vanilla comes out. It's not a comfortable scent, it's so rich sometimes I can't even literally breath. So sad because I like it and I'd love to wear it more often.

A lovely, warm, subtle fragrance. The Myrrh is just the right strength and there's a definite hint of honey underneath. Unfortunately, on my skin it fades very quickly and just leaves a faint, almost-vanilla sweetness.

softest incense with a little hint of amber and musk; not huge projection, gentle and lovely, a little like a cola smell

I have a couple of sealed bottles to sell in EU. DM if interested. IG @alexolympia6

Once I got a decant of MA. I was patiently waiting for an appropriate day/mood/weather to try it on my skin. Days were passing, no special occasion occured and I didn't want to waste it on everyday errands. So I was only smelling it from the bottle. It seemed very good: well crafted and antique, full of my favourite notes. And then winter came and first snowfall occured.. and I sprayed MA on my wrists... and soon I got a headache and choke. Sad. I don't know what happened. It just reacted so bad with my skin, absolutely different than smell from the bottle. All the beautiful myrrh and resins were ruined with something like moldy wax and old booze from rotten barrel. "Perfervid Myrrh" turned to "perverted myrrh" and I'm so sorry for that. I was afraid to try it again due to headache. But I've read so many beautiful reviews here on fragrantica. I want it to be dark, earthy and dirty, as someone expressed himself. Maybe I should give it a try some other time or other season. Or force myself acquire a taste :D In worse case, i'm continuing to smell it from the bottle or spray on my boyfriend.

It took me a while and a colder weather to finally appreciate this perfume. When I tried it in late August I found it too sweet and cloying. In the middle of January, I finally caved in and bought a full bottle. What seemed cloying seems now smoky sweet and haunting. I don't detect myrrh but I detect a medicinal smell that smells more like anise than beeswax on my skin. That, along with the smoky feeling are what make this vanilic fragrance so exquisite, unique and comforting. I seriously consider buying the body lotion as well, because I want to dive in this fragrance and have it invade my clothes, my skin, my hair. I adore it! It would also help enhance the lasting power which though good, is nothing like Ambre Fetich or Encens. Those two are loud where Myrrh is soft and calming. I found Ambre sexy, Encens spiritualistic/meditating but Myrrh is the one you want to where at the end of the day when you rest curled with a favorite book in front of the fireplace.

I was super excited to try this since I love a good resinous scent. I am also in love with Annick Goutal's branding and have really hoped to find one that will work for me. I had very high hopes Myrrhe Ardente would be it. I purchased my sample from Surrender to Chance. Upon first sniff... rum and root beer, with a slight dryness. Upon application... rum and root beer. Two hours later... rum and root beer. It immediately brought back memories of a summer in my early twenties when we mixed Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and root beer. This smells almost exactly like that! Fun memories aside, this was not the complex, deep, resinous scent I was hoping it to be. I couldn't detect the beeswax note which was very disappointing. What I got was dark syrup sweetness with a high alcohol note. Lots of vanilla, molasses, with the faint hint of spices.

Myrrh seems to be a fickle note for me. In certain compositions, I love it; at other times, it falls flat. Unfortunately this fragrance is one that lands in the latter category. The way that Myrrhe Ardent plays out on my skin is not enjoyable. It starts out very minty and clinical, giving it that “dentist’s office” vibe. As it develops, it becomes more resinous and smoky - in a strange way. The smokiness starts to smell like bacon, and I even get something that reminds me of tomatoes. It’s not that sweet of a scent, but it’s not particularly dry either. I see that another reviewer noted a BBQ-like scent, and I have to say I’m getting something along those lines. Clearly not everyone is getting this sort of effect, so it works for some...but I’ll have to pass.

Ugggghhhhh...almost a scrubber. Whoever categorized this as an Incense Fragrance when packaging a recent sampler of "Incense Fragrances" that I ordered really missed the mark. Perhaps if the anticipated myrrh was center stage, well then...incense perhaps. But OMG...what IS this? Root beer...I wish. Myrrh...none to speak of (not to my nose). Only scents I detect are a sour benzoin and Gaiac wood. On me, this fragrance smells like I am camping in the woods for days (un-bathed) when I finally trip over a huge blob of fallen beeswax that landed on a wood log and I promptly fall face first into the ivy and dirt ground underneath me. Awful. Fortunate for me (and those around me), the fragrance has little longevity and therefore, didn't linger.

I tried the lotion ("body cream") and expected to love it based on the listed note pyramid, but the top note was sharp chemical. Top: sharp chemicals, unpleasant, only lasted a few seconds but it was the strongest scent middle: wintergreen? base: mild fresh perfuminess, reminds me of snow somehow even though snow doesn't actually have a smell, fully dry is almost a whiff of licorice? The middle and base notes were fine but very light and hard to detect. The top note was very strong and I didn't like it.

At the very beginning it's smoky, very smoky, but also green, somehow, it must be the sweetness of the benzoin mellowing the smokiness. In five minutes on my skin it becomes a mix of wood and mint, with a hint of frankincense. Pleasant. Unusual. A dry fragrance, despite the sweetness, if it makes any sense. :)

Myrrh slowly going into vanilla on my skin. Actually, I know more complex fragrances with myrrh. So I can't say that I'm impressed.

I am one of the people on whom this smells like I spilled a bottle of root beer on my clothes, while crunching root beer candy.

I like myrhh, I like incense, I like woods, I like honey, I like Oriental category perfumes, so it seemed a logical choice to give the Goutal Les Orientalistes line a spin...The one I most wanted to try, Ambre Fetische, I am having difficulty finding in stock anywhere. So I grabbed the Encens Flamboyant and the Myrrhe Ardente. So far, the score stands at 1 unknown because unobtainable, 1 loved (Encens), and 1 maybe... Myrrhe Ardente is interesting. It's not really incense in the general sense, though I couldn't place it in any other category. As for notes, I do not get much more than a whisper of beeswax and no honey. Yet it is sweet, quite sweet, almost achingly so. The initial spray gives a strong, medicinal scent that I really don't care for. In fact, the first time I tried it on a wrist I ended up washing it off because I needed to go out and it was not a smell I wanted to carry out the door with me. Subsequently I gave it another go on a rainy afternoon at home...Again, the first blast was not pleasant. I persevered, waiting for it to dry down and give up its secrets. Slowly the odd smell that seemed a combination of wet dog and apothecary's shop changed into something more complex and oddly compelling. Myrrh, definitely the main note; but also tonka and benzoin. Still sweet, but an evolved, nuanced sweetness. Sillage is subtle and duration medium. And I swear I can actually smell the "edges" of the scent where it blends into skin that didn't get sprayed directly, and that edge is intriguing as hell. I am wondering if it might not be a very sensual--if slightly unexpected--scent placed more to the center of the body. I'm also planning to give it more use layering it with other scents that I find too linear or too masculine, like my Ambre Extreme. It might not play nicely with others, but if it does, it will bring something intangible to the table. This is not a "go-to" scent, but it's one I am glad I got to experience. Very unusual, meditative, and compelling, as I said before. There will be days when this scent is what I want to wear, quiet thoughtful days at home perhaps.

This is my pick for my Christmas holiday fragrance. I love By The Fireplace for this time of year but this is evocative of the winter time and while not as complex it's just as nice. If you like myrrh and incense based fragrances, Orientals, and ouds, not to mention Middle Eastern themed scents, this is definitely your kind of fragrance. Might I add that it's also a unisex fragrance. In fact it can come off as masculine even with the honey/beeswax sweetness. This is beautiful. I'm getting a very delicious warm booze, honey, smoky incense and wood. Smells like having drunk honey wine and passed out on a rug in a wooden cabin in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm. The opening to this scent is already smoky with myrrh and incense like a warm radiance on your skin. It's dry and does not open with a freshness at all. It's dry and warm, wintery, soulful. The myrrh is repeated twice and it's also woodsy with guaiacum wood and oud. The woods are not of the chypre sort but there to provide the scent with an aromatic quality that only a fragrant perfume of wood can produce. This wood also gives it a clean but nocturnal air. This is an evening fragrance and smells best with coats and leathers like wearing this to a ski resort but not while skiing, while you're drinking a hot coffee in the morning before you go skiing. The honey in the base is quite interesting. I had not encountered honey or beeswax in the base of a fragrance before and this honey provides the scent with unisex aspects, richness, depth and warmth. It also seems to smell like amber or a substitute for amber. This honey is long lasting and gives the scent a very delicious intoxicating quality. This must be smelled to be believed. It's such a memorable scent and can last for hours. Thanks to the Annick Goutal people who made this scent just in time for Christmas.

What people find difficult to like, I usually enjoy, and vice-versa. Myrrhe Ardente, and the whole Les Orientalistes series in general, are extremely well-constructed, beautiful fragrances. I love rich, bold, resinous and smokey scents, so this fragrance is 'right up my alley'. Exotic is indeed what this fragrance is. If you love fragrances like Oud 27 by Le Labo, Chanel Coromandel, Tauer's perfumes and anything woodsy and masculine, Myrrhe Ardente could possibly suit you. Opening rather strongly, Myrrhe Ardente is a combination of dark woods, spicy incense and syrupy honey. I also get the reference being made in a few reviews to that slight booziness, a rum-like note that appears briefly in the heart. Due to this fragrance's subtle sweetness, I find myself desiring this fragrance quite often. It would make a perfect scent for a couple to share, depending upon the fact that his taste is similar to your own. While this fragrance is rough and foreign, it is incredibly sexy and alluring at the same time. Once the drydown has developed, I am often left in a peaceful state, shrouded in a smokey and sweet aroma, a little chocolatey and vanillary in certain moments. The price is a little disheartening, seeing that is nearly twice the price of other Annick Goutal fragrances. However, for this particular beauty I would shell out every, single penny to own even a drop of its exquisite juice.

Thankfully some discontinued products I won't miss and this is one of them. It has qualities but sadly, along with this similar class of 'ancient resin/orientals' it is dated. A medicinal, menthol opening just won't do in today's competitive market, even in Niche - but it becomes also a thing of prestige and Honour to not have to keep closing production on a particular scent because well, it simply flopped on the big Stage! It's sad because this along with scents like the Maitre Parfumier Gantier amber one develop into the cosy, golden warm scents that almost anyone would enjoy but 30 minutes of medicine/menthol and dampened fumes is far too long to wait to have to get there. I never really valued the concept of '1st impressions' in many walks of life, patience was always a more calculative and reasonable approach - until I enetered into perfumery, and looking at discontinued line, you can tell they really matter for something here! If an ancient house like Creed has the intellectual marketing nuance to snap to the populist masses with the brilliant Aventus, why cannot others? A lesson for others: make your customers happy for 1st spray! Scent: 5/10. Quality: 8/10.

A very "Guerlain"-esque fragrance. Highly evocative of classics like LHB due to it being laden with vanilla, tonka, touch of smoke and balsamic notes. A gilded "flou" surrounds the opening. Must emphasize that it is completely nothing like LHB it in smell (except for the liquorice/anise/tonka/vanilla/incense thread - i.e. completely lacking in the herbs de provence (tarragon), clove, iris, animalic musk and floral elements of LHB). Masterful use of Guaic wood in the heart, a rosy/smoky haze that cloaks the sweet vanilla ice-cream opening in an air of mystery. Feels like walking into a misty fog on a cold summer evening in San Francisco. Begs for an oversized sweater and a spot on a couch with a fantastic novel. Have purchased enough bottles to last me as backups for when the current one ends. Very rich in natural resins - so much so that the spray mechanism can sometimes get gummed up from the resins collecting on it. Evocative, emotional and completely left-field.

Myrrhe Ardente is a creamy rich full bodied myrrh bomb. It's got a double dose of myrrh. There is also benzoin which is another type of myrrh. Warm like a scarf that has been incensed. The beeswax is also very noticeable and it's like a sweet and warm honey. The vetiver gives it a touch of spice. All these notes go very well together. Because it is so warm it smells better and wears better in winter time. I'm going to miss wearing this scent because spring time is almost here and the weather will become warmer so I'll have to kiss warm honey and incense fragrances like this one goodbye and start wearing floral fruity scents. This is a golden and creamy scent of myrrh. Not Oriental at all more like a gourmand myrrh if they're such a thing. Honeyed myrrh. The price is a bit high but worth it.

After enjoying the bodycream for quite a while, at last I was able to buy a used bottle of this gem. The eau de parfum smells the same as the cream. Sweet, slightly medicinal, and quite different from the mainstream perfumes. And it reminds me a lot of a salve we use in the Netherlands in case of cuts, grazes and rash: "purol". A bit of surfing on the web learned me that that used to contain "Peru Balsam", a resinous material also used in perfumes. And I guess it smells a bit like myrrh, which has similar form and uses. Well, I like the smell of purol, and I love Myrhh Ardente (and it is less sticky than salve, lol).

(This review is for Eau de Perfume) MYRRHE ARDENTE has rather interesting combination of beeswax and incense which in my opinion should work. I am actually quite familiar with the gorgeous real beeswax aroma flowing from the church candles when they are quality made. I know it has potential to smell absolutely beautiful combined with the myrrh. However in this fragrance beeswax is rather waxy and boring. The rest of the fragrance is quite pleasant. The myrrh is nice combined with just a hint of vanilla and tonka bean. I wish the beeswax note was better. I think it would make this fragrance truly outstanding.

This is one of those fragrances which I have tried to death and I don't get any joy from whatsoever. I spray it and I get a very timid hay like note which disappears within a matter of minutes. No matter how many sprays, there is just almost no smell whatsoever. I thought I'd decant some and give to my friend just for the sake of trying it out. To my surprise, the juice is dark in colour which surprises me because normally that colour to me means it should be potent! My question, as the reviewer below asks, where is the Myrrh? Forget the Myrrh, where are the other notes?

Bought this as a blind buy because the notes sounded delicious and so they would be if they were actually, in the perfume, the only thing I can smell is the Myrrh and then only for about 30 mins after that absolutely nothing. Surely this is a joke, a perfume this expensive should last longer than 30 mins. I have read that Goutal perfumes don't have that much sillage, but 30 mins, it's wonder their still in business. This will definitely be my last purchase from Goutal, extremely disappointed.

Sweet Myrrh... A balmy, sweet type of Myrrh perfume which I can detect Amber and Benzoin as the main notes. Tonka Bean and Guaiac Wood add to the composition, along with a slight hint of Vetiver. The note which really makes this enjoyable, and which brings the "sweetness" to this fragrance, is the Beeswax. It gives a syrupy, honey like quality and I like it very much. This is a delightful fragrance! Unisex, but would smell gorgeous on a woman in my opinion.