Incense & Cedrat

This is really beautiful. Dark and deep but also sheer; it's an incredibly easy to wear classic style incense. The labdanum is the anchor of this composition on me - rich amber with a hint of leathery rose. Then the other resins float around that warm core. Really good and nicely blended. It reminds me of YSL nu, which was the first fragrance I bought for myself as a teenager. However, it's edges are smoother than nu's. It is very expensive, though, and if you have other good ambery incenses you probably don't need this in addition to those. If you are looking to fill that niche, though, definitely consider trying this (even if you wouldn't normally go for Jo Malones). Back to add: this is especially lovely in cold, winter temperatures. Humidity can make it a little heavy and dense, but cold wintry days bring out a gorgeous, metallic chill in the frankincense that make the scent a little more refined and ascetic. I like it even more in these early days of winter.

While I agree with prior reviews that this is a refined and subtle take on an established genre; I still adore it and find it practical for wear in my very corporate life. I prefer it on my skin to clothing. I've found a too-heavy spray on clothing can lean towards an ammonia smell. However, 1 spray on my neck in the morning and I continually receive wafts of mulled spices and incense throughout my day. I'm never concerned that I'm offending my colleagues while locked in a boardroom. And I receive compliments from the individuals in my life who would have occasion to have their face buried in my neck ;) I find the initial spray is a bit much; almost a cloying rendition of itself. However within a few moments it begins to dry down to smooth out the edges. 8/10 due to price and smell on clothes versus skin.

This fragrance is kind of slept on in the lineup of Jo Malone fragrances. It smells extremely classy and dark, and I'm excited to try it during autumn nights. It will also work in the winter and perhaps at night in the late summer. The sillage is decent, and it can be smelled faintly at an arms length. It's hard for me to judge the longevity because I tend not to notice colognes after a few hours, but others can still smell it after 4-5 hours. Overall, I'd give it an 8/10.

Oud, frankincense, and myrrh are not listed here. Perhaps they are accords rather than individual notes. Even then, the silky, satiny, sheer radiance of the incense notes graces the presence of the wooden core of the structure. I say core, because rather than a pyramid, this one seems to consist of sensual incenses dancing around a wooden center. They soften without losing radiance. Probably the best Jo Malone offering to date imho,

Love this. Works well with my chemistry, unisex in my opinion. A citrusy light incense that fits all seasons in the cool climate in my corner of the world.

Frankincense with a zesty lemon ;) Definitely on my wish list.

A very decent offering from Jo Malone and a great addition to the Cologne intense range. Speaking of the black bottles, I have to say that despite all being very good in their own right, they don't offer much in the way of unique composition with the exception of Oud & Bergamot which doesn't really smell like either but manages to be the stand out of this line. This kinda suffers with the same thing because it's a fairly straight forward spicy incense fragrance. The opening is a heady refreshing olibanum, bubbling and zesty like a cool gin & tonic. Elemi also has this similar effect so those two are very apparent off the bat. Then the spicing becomes more apparently woody, it's a peppery woods vibe, which is kinda like sandalwood without any of the creamy element to it, rather than cedar. This definitely has a more grimey element to it than avignon or cardinal which I think are more uplifting and frankincense/elemi dominated. I have to say when dried down I get the quality and warm of my favorite resins, balmy labdanum and benzoin remaining close to the skin after being initially quite strong. I think the quick fading down to a skin scent is not always a bad thing especially with scents like this and the fact I'm wearing it in the summer. Performance is okay generally. All in all it's good and props the Jo Malone company for moving into this territory because it suits and enhances the range. I wouldn't buy it but if they did a mini set with all of these in I would definitely get it. Update: Deep into the drydown now and it has vague qualities of Armani myrrhe imperiale or black afgano but not as deep or luxurious. Still nice though, as heavy spicy woods go this delivers. I love labdanum and I definitely feel the vibes in here.

Starts off heady with big incense notes owed to the frankicense (olibanum). Then into the citrus with a blend of the resins, musky and sweet-ish but not too much, earthy, woody and peppery. I think the blend of the citrus with the musky resins works so beautifully, and there's something very airy about it in the middle that gives the top and bottom notes breathing room which I can't quite put my finger on. I've worn mostly in winter, particularly on bitter rainy days when you feel like taking your heater outside with you. There is something friendly about it.

Really nice and kinda fresh smell with this combination of lemon and olibanum mixed in a cedar base. The good thing is the olibanum smells sharp but the longevity and projection is extremely weak, like after 1 hr its not even a skin scent and after 2 hrs it has disappeared unless you spay double the amount of any other fragrance. Dont get dissapointed by the strong alcohol smell when you first spray. Honestly if u want to buy it at its original price better go for something else with incense in the notes but its a unique option if you go for it

Incense is not listed as a note? It's one of my favorite notes in fragrances (check my profile pic). For this one, my nose just picks up the incense, which reminds me of Gucci Pour Homme 2003. You can just insert your favorite incense-heavy fragrance and this will probably remind you of that. Unfortunately, the performance is lacking. I like the scent, but for the price, I'm still looking for something that performs better.

Fantastic fragrance that takes my breath away every time. I find it is just a tad too intense to wear on its own, but mixed with ANYTHING else it adds a certain twist to the perfume and makes it infinitely more interesting. I wear this with Jo Malone's other scents, like lime, basil and mandarin or wood sage and sea salt. Today I wore this with Boss Orange - and people stop me to ask me what this is! I am not telling ;)

I detect Vetiver prominently w the incense which kind of gives it the same vibe as Timbuktu, just less interesting, more linear than the L’artisan legend. It also could be compared to Encre Noir or be a cologne version of EN A L’extreme. I like the smell, but compared with these other more complex, better performing, less expensive scents this Jo Malone offering is unnecessary and does not merit a purchase for me.

Just tested it on my skin. Starts with promising incense blast, but that one quickly vanishes and gives way to linear cedar wood smell. Projection close to none, basically a skin scent within an hour. Didn’t do anything to convince me it deserves my money. Search for ultimate, lasting and projecting incense fragrance continues...

It reminds me of a milder version of Laudano Nero (Tiziana Terenzi) and also L'Ame Slave (State of Mind) it smells both incensy (candles) and like freshly cut tree (i guess it's "cedrat" part) Good smell, but a bit too intimate, I'd love a better projection for such a scent profile:)

Agree with @wst ! This is similar to Chembur by Byredo but I prefer Chembur. It’s lemony and brighter and sparkling! Perhaps it’s very dependent on skin chemistry of the wearer. For me? It’s very nice but not full bottle worthy...

Anybody else think that this is close to Tom Fords Fcukin Fabulous? Love the notes loving the brand (new to me) Classy & intimate

tl;dr Jo Malone: if you ever read this...this is really unacceptable performance, at any price, let alone just shy of $200 USD. Review: Well, I don't know what to think. I just bought a bottle from the Jo Malone in South Coast Plaza (L.A. area California) and I love the scent. It's woods and grapefruit and resins. Not terribly complex but it is a beautiful scent that comes on like a freshly seasoned humidor to me, even though there is no cedar note listed, it has a cedar and beechwood vibe I really like. Here's the problem: it lasts an hour on my skin. :0/ I love it and in the store it comes out strong on my skin and stayed pretty potent the whole time I was in there deciding to buy it but at about the 30-45 minute mark it drops off precipitously and at about the two hour mark it's virtually gone. If I had tested this independently first, I would have known this and not purchased it. I've passed on better scents for less money for the same reason. Learn from my mistake. Scent 6.5/10 I personally find it memorable because it recalls something pleasant and specific but it isn't a very complex fragrance, objectively. Projection: 5/10 first ten minutes, then 3/10 after half an hour, then 0/10 at 45-1hr. Sillage: 3/10 right after spraying. 0/10 after the first 15 minutes. Longevity: 2/10 sigh :0/ believe it or not I have lower longevity fragrances...barely...and they are literal discount bin wannabe-designer cheapies from the outlet mall fragrance store. Jo Malone, this is a niche brand. I expect better then this by miles. So disappointed and frankly kind of angry. Would I buy this again? No. I love you Jo Malone but this one seriously...seriously disappointed me. If I didn't know you were capable of greatness (VIA Velvet Rose and Oud) this may have turned me off from the whole house. NOTE: Jo Malone fragrances are designed to be experienced up close, hugging distance or closer (wink wink). This is great and fine and I have a few fragrances exclusively for that sort of thing (I'm not telling which ones), but your "high concentration" line you call "Cologne Intense" needs to be stronger! At $180 USD for a 100ml bottle...at this performance? I feel ripped off. Seriously ripped off. I would have returned this scent to the store and exchanged it for a second bottle of Velvet Rose and Oud if I hadn't been in such a hurry to open it and add it to my collection next to my other Jo Malone bottle. The scent faded right after that and I reapplied immediately on the same spot and it did it again with clockwork predicability.

I have to disagree with some previous reviews likening this to "Sahara Noir", which is one of the best incense frags ever made, IMO. "Incense & Cedrat" is just another clean, transparent, lemony 'for the office' frankincense, which lacks the bold, evocative resonance of the infinitely smokier, churchier "Sahara Noir" or "Bois d'Encens" by Armani Prive. What becomes clear, as it wears on, is that it's absolutely full of Ambroxan. Normally I'm anosmic to this note, but here it imparts a sharp, cold, vaguely metallic sweetness to the dry down, which feels synthetic and nothing like how olibanum should smell. Overall it's nice; A polite, fresh herbal scent which layers well with others in the line - "Saffron Cologne Intense" seems to give it a darker, more lustrous character. However, it's a steep price to pay for something that doesn't really feel complete on its own and that barely lasts a few hours, so I can't recommend it. "Sahara Noir" this ain't.

A surprisingly competent offering from the largely incompetent Jo Malone line, this is a basic, no frills meditative incense that’s very well done. It merges scents like Avignon, Sahara Noir, and Bois d’Encens, so it won’t take the medal for originality but it’s so effective that it could easily be someone’s go-to incense scent. It’s basically a rich olibanum (a deeper, less astringent frankincense) over the semi oily elemi core that Avignon accomplishes through chamomile. A touch of pepper and a touch of pine set it off, and the base is subtle benzoin-amber. The whole thing is smooth, refined, minimal, and surprisingly effective. But aside from being wholly unoriginal, I do think it’s priced too high for what it is. In typical Jo Malone fashion, the performance is questionable. The line is famous for running their production at a concentration that’s unusually low for the perfume industry (<10%) to cut costs as well as allowing them to push their BS “layering” sales gimmick (buy three bottles to get the equivalent of a single perfume). Incense & Cedrat is no exception to this nonsense, but because the benzoin-amber base is mainly ambroxan, it creates the illusion of durability. The rest of the scent, however, doesn’t stick around that long, and so you’ll find that you're essentially wearing Molecule 02 after an hour or so. At $155 for 100ml (increasing to $170 next month, I’m told), it’s about the same price as Avignon and quite a bit cheaper than Bois d’Encens or Sahara Noir, but the performance isn’t as strong as any of them. Despite this, it’s still holds its own as a softer take that combines the best elements of all three. On the one hand, I’d be inclined to say that it’s the best thing that Jo Malone has done; on the other, if you’ve been around fragrance for a while, you’ll have smelled this style so many times before that it’s pointless to seek this one out specifically—it offers nothing new except a good take on an established style. It's exceptional for Jo Malone and very solid for its genre, but I do wish the company would consider more substantial and durable production, dropping the “don’t buy one, buy three bottles” layering BS. You shouldn’t have to wear three scents to get the substance of one. Despite that, Incense & Cedrat is a good scent from a less-than-good company.

I was lucky enough to get to try this today, and I have to say that it's absolutely amazing. For me, It's a must have (I'm on a no-buy, by the way). It's not coming out until June, but that's my birthday month so I'll be purchasing it. On me, it started out similar to amber and patchouli in the intense line. I wasn't sure I would love it, but it changed within a few minutes. What I am smelling now is similar to a citrus scented gingerale. It's almost fizzy. Sounds odd, but it's addicting. It vaguely reminds me of Burberry Brit Rhythm, but so much better. I would say it's spicy, and delicious. No florals, no berries. Just a spicy, amazing fragrance that is really like nothing they've done so far. I'm going to say that if you like scents in the intense line such as dark amber and ginger lily, you're going to love this one.