Hinoki & Cedarwood

Short story and conclusion: Layered this with Myrrh & Tonka, and I found myself a perfect scent. ---------------- God damn long story: I own a bottle of Wood Sage & Sea Salt that was gifted to me over 10 years ago when I was still in college. I used to love it but now it gives me headaches. I don't know if it is because the bottle is getting too old, or if it is just me aging and wanting something darker, smoother, and more toned down. That was my only history and experience with JM, which left me with this stereotypical impression that JM is light, bright, fresh, and airy young. So I have been steering away from this house ever since. I have been on the hunt for new fragrances ever since I got tired of L'artisan Parfumeur, Diptyque, and Le Labo, as I have been swimming in their scented water for quite a few years. They are nice, niche, but on the lighthearted side and fairy easygoing. And you won't break your bank owning a few bottles. I tried the entire Botanique collection, Venenum 32 being my favorite, but somehow I now want something simpler, linear, and straight to the point. No more mystical concepts and fancy naming, no more hyped-up illustrations and special edition bottle designs. It's Milan Beauty Week, and there is a pop-up exhibition sort of thing going on in La Rinascente. After visiting Martin Margiela, which is so synthetic in everything they do for their Replica line (I will try Soul of the Forest after its official relaunch in Milan), I came across JM again. I thought Hang on, JM might just be that simplicity that I need right now. And I see their Cologne Intense line up, and I asked the sales lady, saying that I like woody, herbal, smoky scents. I am drawn to pine, cedar, moss, oak, tonka beans, incense... I tried Cypress & Grapevine first (it is very nice but fairy predictable as a nice masculine-leaning clean scent), but she gave me this new Hinoki & Cederwood. It opens quite bitter, herbal, and fresh. A little too cold and distant for my liking, sort of reminding me of Timbuktu in that same exotic spicy herbal assaulting sense. Then it mellowed down and became a lot smoother, tame, and gentle. Warmth returned somehow with that incense smokiness remaining. I put this aside and tried several other bottles: Oud & Bergamot (nope, I can only handle Oud Rosewood level of Oud), Velvet Rose & Oud (rose too strong and jammy), and Dark Amber & Ginger Lily (a little too flowery and bright for me). And then I came across Myrrh & Tonka. I fell in love despite the fact the fact that I don't like vanilla. It is only slightly sweet, balancing out dark smokiness—the perfect mix of warm and cold. I told the sales lady that I love Hinoki & Cedarwood because it holds emotional connection for my background in Japan, but I found it a bit too bitter, even sour. And that I love Myrrh & Tonka but wish the vanilla gets toned down further. Then the lady told me to layer these two together, because obviously JMs are created to be layered, and these two are supposed to be a perfect match. I did and got perfection. It doubled the complexity yet kept the simplicity, rounded the sour bitterness, and cooled down the vanilla milky sweetness. I walked away with two 100-ml bottles and couldn't be happier. I know you can get better deals online, but the sales lady has been uttermost patient and helpful, and I wanted to honor her time and kindness :)

The smell of a luxurious old wooden sauna/spa. As soon as you spray this on you get this wonderful assortment of green aromatics (coriander being the most noticeable to my nose) and sweet lavender that come together to form a soap accord reminiscent of the homemade wax bars of soap one might find at a farmers market. Then, as it begins to dry down, the aromatic, herbal soapiness begins to intermingle with this zesty, green, and intensely woody hinoki with the classic Jo Malone smooth cedarwood note found in many of their woody fragrances filling out the edges. I am so happy they finally decided to add this to the database so I could yap about how much I have loved this fragrance since I've gotten it. This is one of the most grounding, therapeutic, and best "dumb reaches" I have in my collection, all the while being entirely unlike anything I've ever smelled before, it quite literally smells like you just got out of the spa. If you haven't smelled hinoki before, the best analog I could give is a woodier, slightly less sharp and green cypress. That all being said however, this is by far my favorite from the current Jo Malone lineup, and I have already worn a good 15-20% of my bottle as of writing this review. I could yap more about this, but I highly suggest trying it out if you can anytime soon, it's worth a sniff especially if you like their other woody fragrances. I can very much see this becoming my signature/most worn scent this year. Easily the best performing Jo Malone on me, as I get a good 8-10 hours wear out of this with strong 6 foot projection for the first 3-4 hours, then sinking to arms length for the next 2-3 before becoming a skin scent. 10/10. Signature scent worthy. Song vibe - I Get Around by 2Pac TLDR - An extremely clean, grounding, and woody fragrance that can be worn in just about any situation and time, number of sprays permitting. Easily one of, if not the current best from Jo Malone, and a must check out for fans of the brands current woody fragrances line up or other clean woody analogs. If you wanna bring the clean, cool, and collected spa vibe with you, this is a must have. Side note - Surprisingly, for how simple of a profile, this has been one of my most complimented perfumes that I've worn pretty consistently recently, and I've put about 3 of my friends onto it who fell in love when I was just walking around the house

The hinoki in this is sharp but beautiful. Sharp but NOT a synthetic kind of sharp. To my nose it feels more high quality. The hinoki also gives it a sort of spa like feel in my opinion. If you're into woodsy fragrances, this needs to be on your radar. Beautiful, clean, sharp, green, woodsy, not dark, but not light either. Sharp is genuinely the best word for it. The closest comparison I can give you is... you know that feeling when you chew a really strong mint and get that cooling sensation in the back of your throat? That's the vibe here, and I mean that as the highest compliment. It doesn't really smell super peppery or minty, but it gives you that sensation. Does that make sense? I hope it does. It's kinda harsh, but in the best way possible. A harsh that you wanna keep smelling because it is so so good! I picked mine up on Mercari from a trusted seller for around half the retail price (just make sure they have solid reviews and plenty of them before you buy). I wouldn't pay full price, but I do genuinely love it. It's not complex. It doesn't go on a journey. And that's fine. Simple can be amazing, and Jo Malone does simple better than almost anyone. Fresh, aromatic, beautiful, and will be an easy reach all year round for me, but especially this spring! Need to do more testing to fully figure out the sillage and longevity, but both are slightly above average on me so far. Not a crazy beast mode projection, but still really good and the longevity is pretty good too!

This scent is truly addictive and one of the smoothest, luxurious blends I have ever smelled in the wood department. Sweet without cloying, warm and radiant, elegant and understated wood notes with an echo of spices and a balminess that has a clean, almost soapy quality. I absolutely don’t understand the people who say that this has no staying power. I sprayed a paper tester in the store, and when I got home I left it on the couch to see how it would develop. It was very linear so I put it elsewhere. For two days, I kept getting quite strong whiffs of this scent from the spot where it had lain. I have never had such a potent transfer from a dry paper tester that just briefly sat on a surface. Moreover, the test strip smelled for 5+ days, and even a that point it was very linear. This is such a beautiful fragrance, if you give a spritz of this into an atomiser your home will smell like a luxurious boutique hotel in Kyoto. On its own, it’s a beautiful warm skin scent that’s both cosy and sophisticated. Layered with other fragrances, it adds depth and elegance. I love layering this with Chanel Chance eau tendre. Its base notes harmonise so well with this gem from JM. Also gives depth and mystery to white florals without losing points on being feminine. One of the best formulated fragrances I have come across in the last 10-15 years.

This scent is absolutely amazing. It's everything I've been wanting for the season. It's definitely cedar-forward but it has a slightly sweet, warm-spicy aspect to it as well. I'll also add that there is an underlying freshness as with most Jo Malone frags. This won't mean the same thing to everyone, but to me, it smells like Christmas. This has quickly become a go-to for me. Since I bought it, I haven't been able to get enough. It's undoubtedly masculine. It stays on me for the full work day (a little over 8 hours) and maintains an arm length projection for like the first half of that time. I can see how this might become cloying for some, but 4-5 sprays seems to work for me. I wouldn't worry about it being to sweet though. The cedar and spice really cut through that. I would recommend this to a man of any age. If a woman wants to wear this, more power to you (you'll smell awesome), but like I said this is a masculine scent. Definitely more of an Autumn-Winter scent. I think it'd work equally well day or night. I would not try this in warmer months though. Many people will say it smells basic. I disagree. It will be mass-appealing, but I don't really know of any other mainstream fragrance that smells like it. Honestly, this is a 9/10 for me. Maybe I'll tire of it and the rating will come down, but that's where I am right now.