Broken Theories

From the moment I cracked open the sample vial, I knew I'd be buying a bottle of this. Broken Theories is a fragrance I wear with intent -- by this, I mean it is not something I am likely to thoughtlessly spray while on my way out the door when I'm indecisive and only have seconds to choose a scent before rushing off to begin my day. Applying Broken Theories is always a deliberate choice for me, influenced by the weather, my mood, and my desire to indulge in a specific fragrance experience. And what an experience it is! There is something slightly citric and barely sweet about the opening (must be the blood orange, though I don't register it specifically as such), but what little sweetness there is only serves to temper the wood smoke. It tames things... just a tiny bit, but not too much. What follows is a forceful bloom of campfire smoke, just a hint of extremely dry tobacco, and wintry spices which linger throughout the day while somehow managing to smell like spice that has come into contact with the smoldering wood of an actual fire. I adore the smell of a bonfire/campfire/fireplace, so I was stunned to find a fragrance that presented aspects of burning wood and smoke and spice while managing to blend other notes to create a true work of art. That being said, this is definitely a cold-weather fragrance (which makes sense, given the fact that the creator lives in Michigan), and not something I would recommend blind-buying. Temperature affects the way this one develops. If you live in a warm or humid climate, you might not have the same experience I did. Even if you live in a place with four seasons and your fair share of snow, there will be times when you'll have to set this one aside for a few months. (What happens when I wear this in 60-degree weather? It skips the campfire and spices and veers straight into pine sap territory. I have no idea how, as pine is not a listed note, but that was the result of my little experiment. Lesson learned. No matter; I'll simply treasure it when the temperatures take a dive.) On occasion, I get a bit of ash, but that seems to depend on the weather -- the closer it is to 50 degrees Farenheit, the more likely the ash is to make an appearance. I don't notice it in colder weather. However, I don't mind it, as it's consistent with the overall smoldering-embers vibe. Also... the fragrance seems to have improved with age. (Either that, or I've grown to love it even more than I did when I bought it.) I've owned my bottle for several years. Roughly 40% of the juice has been used, and I swear the remaining liquid in the bottle smells better and more nuanced than it did when I first sprayed it!

Kerosene Broken Theories is one of the houses newer releases from 2015, but I'm only finally testing it out today. It's mainly a mix of oud, incense, tobacco, vanilla, and vaguely, spices. I don't at all get the orange, but perhaps it's simply a fainter top note that would've faded for most, anyway. On me, it's a non-issue, and I'm pleased that it's not a distraction, at least. It's not a surprise that it would seem to be more fitting to wear Broken Theories in cold weather than warm weather based on note breakdown alone, but admittedly the vanilla takes the edge off ever so slightly and keeps it from being overwhelmingly heavy and masculine, but it's still cold-weather-leaning and masculine, nonetheless. I hold it in similar regard as I do Copper Skies--a "like" but not quite a "love," though right on the edge. Performance is very good in terms of both projection and especially longevity, so there's good value in the standard $140 for 100ml pricing for this cold weather, masculine EDP. Partly, Broken Theories suffers from reminding me of Blackmail, my favorite fragrance from the house, in their common notes of vanilla and oud. However, whereas Broken Theories then adds on tobacco and incense, Blackmail instead adds berries, amber, and perhaps plum, fostering a sweet delight mixed with oud, and I confess I prefer it. So when I'm wearing Broken Theories, I end up of thinking of Blackmail and want that instead. Plus there's some inherent redundancy with Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, perhaps without the oud, so I feel I've Broken Theories covered via other fragrances that I prefer. Still, a very solid entry in the house that I might've otherwise jumped on in other circumstances. ***EDIT. I've definitely warmed up to this significant and enjoy it as a vanilla/oud alternative to Mancera Aoud Vanille. It's more or less on the list now, as a bottle to buy. 8 out of 10

Unbelievable. Funny story. A while ago I ordered a Kerosene sample pack and tried two scents per day (because I could never decide on just one..). So, one day I realized it would be the last two to try and that'd be it. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the house, although I really liked their frags. I just didn't really have any that made me go crazy. So, a few weeks later I realized there are 18 samples but I only reviewed 16! I found this one and another one and haven't even tried them. I got VERY excited. This is a wonderful fall scent. It's the craziest and best wood I ever got to smell. It reminds me of leaves on the ground, campfires, burning leaves in backyards and just in general forests, dry wood and fire. I love all of this. Now, it starts off a little stingy, spicy and strong but after a while it settes a little and turns a little bit sweet with all the wood notes still present. I get some tobacco and vanilla out of this too - two notes I absolutely hate with a passion. However, with this one I actually seriously love them for the first time ever! It's incredible. Every time I get a whiff of this, it reminds me of a good ol' campfire with friends. Just sitting around, talking about random stuff and having a beer. Wonderful! I don't like fall as a season but I love the associations I have with it - and this scent is one of them. It might be one of my favorites, if not THE favorite from this house. I want to order a bottle immediately because it's just sooo good. A true masterpiece! Oh and longevity.. it lasts forever. I know, sometimes your skin "Eats" frags but with this one I doubt it's even possible. Amazing, absolutely wonderful! I imagine you'd have to be the kind of person who likes strong woody scents to actually enjoy this. But if you love those scents, this will be heaven for you!

Kerosene is becoming one of my favorite houses, good bottles, reasonable prices, and great smells! This opens with a really spicy, smokey, woody campfire with a dark dry orange in the back. The incense is blended and mixed with the spices to my nose, it’s not an “incense-y” fragrance to me. After an hour or so the orange and spices shine through a lot, a liiittle barbecue-y but as long as you don’t think about it or give people the idea nobody will notice hahaha. Finally ending up on a beautiful smokey vanilla with the woody spicy orange hanging out till the end. Very intense for the first 3-4 hours and calms down after, still plenty noticeable. I could still smell this well on my arm at least 10 hours later. This is my second full bottle from the house, my first being Blackmail (I have a type clearly) and I bought it on the spot when I tested it at the Scent Bar. This is a brand I trust for their quality, their uniqueness, and everything they make is able to put immediate pictures into my head. There are a lot of houses I like, but every scent from this house never fails my imagination. Their fragrances smell “expensive” to me as well if that’s a factor for you personally hahaha. To me personally this could be used year round, maybe not in an office in June but you get my point. 9/10

Broken Theories.... When I first put my nose on this, I had broken theories running through my head..."What does this smell like?" It was smokey, woody, sweet and spicy initially. I let this soak into my skin and sniffed again... This brought me back to a time when I was 15, I would ride my bicycle past this house that had a very pleasantly heavy cigar smell coming out of it. I would ride back and forth and it was delightful. This! This reminds me of sugar sweet cigar smoke with a touch of amber and vanilla to give it an extra sweet bite. But this is also VERY dark! After the dry down, major notes of incense and wood pop out that reminds me of fresh cut logs and branches from my fathers land. It even has a slightly wet smell of dew on the trunk of the trees. Overall, Broken Theories is a splendid dark and sweet parfum that keeps you thinking about nostalgic times. Sillage is quite intense for the first 2 hours, with a 4 or 5 foot radias. So put this on lightly. Performance is EXTREME!!! This fragrance is absolute BEAST Mode!! I sprayed a sweater and hung it up in my closet. It still smells like Broken Theories. On skin, this lasts about 10 hours for me. Hope you enjoyed my review.

I want to make a very clear point here.. Its not about love or hate.. Some might really dig it others it might be too much.. But one thing is a fact.. The people who are saying this fragrance is weak and doesn't last are basically lying. Why would they lie? I have no idea. Either they got a watered down juice from someone, are trolling or noses are completely broken. This is one of the most longest lasting powerful scents I ever had. This isn't a subjective thing... This is some potent and powerful stuff.. Sometimes people say a fragrance is beast in the designer game and you get it and it really isn't all that strong.. no.. this is like vintage lidge, Amen territory longevity.. This is vintage Joop territory. The projection might not choke people out... but this is a dense and very strong/long lasting scent. I stand behind my word on this as fact.. The rating for this fragrance is completely ass.. Here is a factual rating Scent- Subjective.. can be a 5/5 or a 1/5 depending on your taste. Longevity - 5plus out of five Projection- 4 to 5 out of five Unless kerosene has radically different batch variations of this scent.. You can take my rating to the bank.

This scent isn't for wimps. If you are looking for something daring, dark and complex, this is a good one. A very unique scent that is one of the darkest scents I ever tried. It starts off the first few seconds with the blood orange note but that surely gets taken over by the smoke element. It feels like your at a camp fire, smelling the smoldering woods and it changes and morphs as you wear it. You get a lot of dark smoke, and sometimes even a smell of burning tobacco and ash.. and it melds itself with a very light sweetness. As it dries down the smoke remains but calms itself into a camp fire that has gone cold with a sweet amber kind of smell that ties everything all in. The incense and tobacco to me are the stars which create that dark smoke feel but that feel is encompassed and smoothed out by the other notes and the vanilla. The vanilla rounds out the edges to keep it smooth. The performance is beast. 24 hours plus and I still smell it on my arm. Its a very unique and artistic fragrance that is a polarizing scent. Fans of copper skies should try this one out..

I picked-up a bottle of Broken Theories a couple weeks ago and love it - simply love it. This is my 5th Kerosene fragrance and, dare I say, it may very well be my favorite: smooth-tobacco wrapped in a blanket of resinous-incense, warm-spices, dark-woods and that brooding Kerosene blood-orange accord that is difficult to explain, yet you'll know it when you smell it. Performance is a excellent although not beastly; I get about 12 or more hours of longevity and projection is above-average and radiates off my skin for a solid 5-6 hours before transitioning to a kinder, gentler skin-scent. Although I enjoy all stages of this fragrances, I most enjoy the deep-drydown when waking-up smelling it on my skin. I don't recall detecting any vanilla, but I've only worn it three times, so far, so I'll gladly test it some more and update my review, if necessary. To me, Broken Theories is simply one of Kerosene's finest. However, the one caveat is that Kerosene blood-orange/citrus accord that some may not enjoy. I love it, but your mileage may vary so always try before you buy.

Bonfire amber. Broken theories, ideas ablaze. The thick smoke of a wet wood campfire whirls through the trees of a balmy conifer forest. The smoke is opaque with grays and blacks, tarry, piney, sticky and a touch sweet. There is a bit of oud in here but it’s not fecal, animalic, hay like, leathery, or medicinal, it’s straight woody, which actually does a lot of behind-the-scenes work to give the smoke accord plenty of body. The smoke strings down to touch the base, but by the time the dry down arrives it has mostly broken up into pungent and earthy cured tobacco and spices nestled on a bed of very light balsams and vanilla. I get compliments every time I wear it; people tell me it smells amazing, but that curiously doesn’t coincide with many wanting to actually wear it. I think the outsized and outlandish smokiness is probably a lot more challenging for wearers than the occasional passers-by. If you’re looking for a wood smoke amber that is unabashedly so, look no further.

Broken Theories is one of Kerosene's standout creations. At its core, it's a smoky tobacco fragrance, but there's much more going on beneath the surface. Rich tobacco and oud take center stage, creating a dark, atmospheric character that feels both rugged and refined. Supporting notes of vanilla and sandalwood smooth out the composition, preventing the smoke and woods from becoming overwhelming. A touch of spice adds texture and complexity, giving the fragrance an evolving quality throughout the wear. Performance is excellent, with impressive longevity and strong projection. This is not a fragrance that sits quietly in the background. It commands attention without becoming overbearing. More than anything, Broken Theories feels regal. It's the kind of scent that transports you somewhere else, wrapping you in an aura of confidence, mystery, and sophistication. For lovers of smoky tobacco fragrances, this is one well worth experiencing.

Ok, so I should preface this by explaining that my skin, for whatever reason, really amplifies sweet and foodie notes like crazy. So, it’s perhaps not surprising that what I get from this is a beautiful fruity smoke in the distance kind of thing with what smells like a nice Cambodian oud. It’s transparent, ethereal and atmospheric. I’m really not getting blood orange specifically or even citrus, just a vague sweet fruitiness like there’s a fruit leather factory burning on the other side of town. Right away I loved it even though I was really hoping for all the Armageddon type of stuff everyone else is talking about. Like many of his other sweet scents, this has a completely different texture than anything else out there. It’s light and sheer enough that cloying is inconceivable. This is how to make a sweet fragrance for people like myself who hate sweet fragrances. This line deserves so much more attention than it gets.

This is my fourth tester from Kerosene. (I immediately bought Winter of 99 before giving any of the others day long tests.) I tried this on paper first and immediately wrote “no”. It was all campfire smoke and stayed that way. Today, I decided that I was going to try this on my skin. I can safely say that no one should rely on a paper test of Kerosene fragrances. For me, it’s an initial blast of hyper-realistic campfire smoke. Then it transforms into beautiful incense. On dry down, I’m left with a softly sweet (maybe from the vanilla and blood orange - but I definitely don’t detect a discernible citrus), spicy incense. It’s gorgeous. So far, I have loved every fragrance that I’ve tested from Kerosene. These fragrances are all powerhouses on the skin and last absolutely forever on fabric. This is another love for me.

This was a strong contender for my signature scent, and there is so much to say about this true piece of art. From the very first spray, it is deeply and smotheringly warm. Tobacco is the undeniable star of the show, specifically rich pipe tobacco rather than raunchy cigarettes. It feels refined, cozy, and intentionally nostalgic. Wearing it is like basking in the morning sun on a crisp November morning, seated in a worn leather chair beside a stacked pile of firewood, with the gentle presence of pipe tobacco lingering in the air. As it settles on the skin, the dry down becomes smoother and more intimate. The vanilla emerges as the softest whisper, rounding out the composition and adding a subtle sweetness that enhances the warmth without overpowering it. The result is comforting, elegant, and so so addictive.

this is so good! tobacco is at the background and not the foreground (just as i like) and i feel the blood orange very prominently - though it's well blended with the rest. the other notes I can't distinguish as well but they have a very nice spicy, woody profile - with a clear incense wrap. Very amouage-esque. Maybe a bit like Journey, but more tangy (due to the citrus) and less peppery. after reading the other reviews: i don't get so much charred/burned essence from this (but maybe it's because i encountered what charred stuff actually smell like with Beaufort etc.) but a very mellow and pleasant incense. It's also not too sweet. just enough, imho. ## UPDATE: the performance of this is insane. it lasts 12 hours easily.

lmao @ 3 hours on my skin.. I am starting to believe that kerosene is dealing with some major trolls.. All of his fragrances are unjustly given terrible ratings on here and many of the negative comments and feedback is utter bullshit. I can understand someone not liking a fragrance, but I have seen a lot of down right nasty trolling comments like no other and complete bullshit feedback from some people when it comes to this house. I am starting to believe it's the snobs from basenotes and here who who are pissed off and jealous that a youtube reviewer started his own fragrance house. The guy is making quality fragrances and doesn't deserve the trolling remarks and bullshit reviews that are completely inaccurate.

I don’t love citrus in perfumery because of the harshness to my nose, but I don’t detect the blood orange as classically citrusy here. What I do know and what I love best about fragrance is how it makes me feel. Keep in mind every experience is different but for me when I first put it on, I felt strong and confident and as the day went, it mellowed into what I can only describe as the smell of comfort. Of things I know maybe because I grew up in homes with wood burning natives for heat in the winter. I can’t totally put my finger on it, but I’m obsessed. It just feels like home, like feeling known. Excellent longevity, strong projection with 4 sprays, moderate with 2.

I love this! Leans masc, but ultimately unisex. Smells old timey, smokey, kind of dirty/natural, also get a lot of fall/winter vibes/Christmas and holidays. It's a camp fire, it's hiking, it's chain smoking, but it's also spicy, sweet and smooth. I wish it was more incense-y but it really doesn't give me that, more straight forward fire/smoke. Was making a 'inspiration for' video and browsing pics to use, saw a pic of Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders and it just clicked -this is what he smells like. Love it, I have things like it and I've smelled things in this genre, but I think this has been my favorite kind of smoky frag. 8/10

8/10 This is my "fuck-it" signature scent. For when you wake up after a party night, check the bags under your eyes in the bathroom mirror and scrape the skin of your hand when running it on your grating unshaven cheeks, before putting on a wrinkled t-shirt, a hoodie and sunglasses (cause Christ the sun is bright) and heading out for a big cup of black coffee with two extra shots of expresso. Heavy on smoke and very realistic tobacco, blood orange adding a nice drop of wet gourmand to keep the whole not too dry. This is a scent that is gonna have people ask, that smells good, what are you smoking?

Broken Theories is good, much better than some of the reviews here would suggest. It starts off as a smokey incense and then eases down into a lovely vanilla-tobacco which stays a little smokey that stops it becoming too sweet. I guess the nearest comparison, which others have made, is Tauer's Lonestar Memories, but where LM is more on the rough / outdoors side, BT is polite and very much more indoors in the same way that CdG's Incense series is, and stays very close to the skin. This is a really well crafted combination and one of my favourite tobacco fragrances.

This gem has some similarities with Copper Skies. I guess due to the tobacco. It is longlasting and has a lot of sillage on my skin. I love it but am doubting whether to buy a full bottle. I wouldn't doubt if i didn't have Copper Skies already though. As i normally hate tobacco (or maybe my nose just does) i love this. As do i love Slumberhouse Kiste and Kerosene Copper Skies. Slumberhouses are real bombs but Kerosene doesn't stay far behind. And i think this is great both on women and men. Certainly a must try!