Osmanthe Kodoshan

For those disappointed by the subtle performance of Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan, Osmanthe Kodoshan might be more to your taste. There's a marked difference with the addition of a robust basso patchouli, what my nose seems to be interpreting as an almost truffled, mushroomy, petrichor-y presence - but overall, it's a very similar, refined osmanthus-apricot tea, with an emphasis on the earthy qualities of good black tea, and a delicious one at that! The osmanthus is more leathered in quality than sweet, which adds to the overall earthy effect - good black dirt, deep green leaves, and the shimmering golden suede of ripe apricot skin. While Osmanthe Yunnan was a refined cup in a sunwarmed, laquered wood teahouse - this tea ceremony has been taken into the humid greenery of the jungle outside after a good downpour, set upon deliciously damp river-stones. It's just as meditative and lovely, totally unisex and more-ish in the best way. Ordinarily - I hate patchouli. Hate it. With a burning passion. Osmanthe Kodoshan singlehandedly changed my mind about the use of patchouli in fragrance. It helps that the tea and osmanthus are given equal emphasis - no singular note overpowers the other, making for a very harmonious composition. Just beautiful.

One of the most seductive Osmanthus fragrances in the market, it's not a leather-apricot mix up btw true naturalistic osmanthus flower here (the lucky ones among us, who had the opportunity to smell the true osmanthus flower in botanical gardens would appreciate the difference) and the solid fundament of base notes truely send me to the clouds , I mean what a woman like me, who is obsessed with 80s classics, would wish more than these quartet Patchouli-Amber-Labdanum and gourmand hawana tobacco. Alone these 4 ingredients would have suffized that I bought the full bottle of this jewel, but the mind blowing osmanthus on top, framed so well with liquorish annis and framed so wonderfully with the sichuan pepper, I mean who would have thought to combine a heady candied flower like osmanthus with hot sichuan pepper, the result is absolutely fantastic. It's my first choice for sunday afternoon events in spring and summer. M It's got a marvelous longeivity with a very strong sillage. Bravoo

Immediately after first spray, the entire smoky Osmanthus world that this perfume inhibits hit me at one, but immediately turned into an Osmanthus - Star Anise hybrid. Obviously fragrances behave differently on people’s skin because of their skin chemistry but on my skin this is a pleasant Apricot faceted Osmanthus fragrance with the warmth of amber like Citsus, backed by Black Tea. It’s giving me the images of tea pickers and rice fields, where the workers are wearing their straw hats in the blissful coolness of the early morning. It’s comforting and transportive.

I got this as part of a sample set and didn't expect it to be a favourite as I don't love anise on me. But I really, really like this: it's original, harmonious and subtle. In fact, it's a bit TOO subtle. I can barely smell it on my skin only an hour or so, even after dousing myself in it. (It's not just my nose, others can't smell it on me either). I wish there was a way to sign up to updates from this brand so that if they ever reissued it as a stronger formulation I could be first in line to buy!

Two things seem striking to me. My impression of the Osmanthus note in this is that it is a very fatty scent similar to a natural Gardenia. Perhaps because I've been wearing very heavy smoky ouds recently, the Osmanthus in this dances for hours as the main note. It is beautiful and bright. As a man, I enjoy this on myself, but I probably would reserve it for my days off at home. I get a spa type relaxed vibe from it.

Citrus soft osmanthus. I tested out a 1.5 ml sample from the brands sample set. I really enjoyed it. I cannot speak much on longevity at the moment but I would buy a full bottle.

I appriciate quiet perfumes. And Osmanthus by Maison Crivelli is charming. Makes a great impression without being too pompous. The opening is a bit sharp and sour: quite unpleasant. But after a few seconds, it is a perfectly balanced fragrance. Although the opening reveals the anise, it is subtle and only adds spicy, warm greetings. Osmanthus is very naturalistic and has delightful apricot juicines. The perfume doesn't stay too flowery long, patchouli and tea determine the character. It becomes nobly dry. I was surprised how differently acts black tea with tobacco on skin: much more smoky, dark and seductive. On the paper the aroma is lighter and sweeter. The base stays long and finishes this unique scent. Ends in leathery, woody chord which makes the perfume meaningful. Without further ado, it convinced me. Sillage intimate-moderate, longevity cca 4 hours.

Osmanthus Kodoshan unfurls with a burst of the most wet, pulpy stone fruits ever, intertwined with a ripe osmanthus blossom, evoking dewy blossoms at dawn. Rich in volatile peach esters and delicate floral lactones, this opening soon softens into a drier scent, where the peach, now pressed along with tea-infused leaves, whispers of a refined, aromatic nuance, while retaining just the smallest hint of its original moisture. I'm quite a fan of the prominent ambery undertones present throughout too, anchored by labdanum’s warmth and subtly interlaced with spiced leaves. Both luminous and precise, these notes weave into a super sophisticated tapestry—a masterful interplay of vibrant tropic fruit, delicate tea-like florals, and enduring, resinous amber!

The votes on this feel accurate — you squarely get an even amount of all 3: fruity osmanthus, soft star anise, and tea. The combination of all three remind me of traditional Chinese herb and tea shops where you can purchase ginseng and tea by the pound from giant jars. If you're in LA, think Wing Hop Fung. With that said, I think it's a soft and pretty scent. Anise isn't normally a note I gravitate towards (too sharp and cutting), but it's very fluffy and gauzy here and adds something a bit special. I have to agree though that the longevity & performance is a bit lacking.

This was NOT the love at first sniff. I disliked it on paper. It was linear and slightly "shampoye". Later on decided to give it a skin try. Now, I can't stop reaching for it in the morning. This is delicate slightly flowery tea scent. On my skin it smells like having a perfect cup of morning green tea in a garden. It's fleeting, light and airy. Scent lingers close to your skin. It is a "hug" scent - when people hug you - you will almost always get "hmm, you smell good". I pair it with Tea Tonique if I want it to give it a zesty oomph. Lovely scent for tea lovers.

This has a milky, honey-apricot, candy-flowery aroma, but none of these notes are particularly projecting. They are close to the body and intimate, as if you had just showered in an osmanthus tea body wash. If I didn't know the notes by reading Fragrantica (osmanthus, tea, cloves, pepper, patchouli and amber) I would classify this as a somewhat more feminine scent, but young and healthy, like a beautiful college age woman with soft brown hair in a shaggy Angora sweater meeting you for coffee in winter snow near her dorm.

I think the combination of spice with florals here makes this fragrance really unique. I loved the use of anise here, it makes this sort of unique and undefinable. It smells refined but classy, cozy, homey. Probably leaning a little feminine but definitely could be worn as a unisex scent. However, this was the worst performer I've tried from this brand--there was almost no projection and I could only smell it if I had my nose to my wrists, and it only lasted about 6 hours on me.

hmmmm...could've sworn I reviewed this. Anyhow, yeah....it's a treat. Really nice, cooling, naturalistic, dry, lightly peachy osmanthus, at the heart of a gentle, subtle, modern feeling composition. More loveliness from this house (yes I'm allowing these to be considered a house and not just because of their self proclamation) Osmanthus is a really fascinating floral aroma and they've captured it perfectly. It' not the most present or 'big' perfume statement but it's very nice.

Dusty, spicy floral. On the drydown the sichuan pepper with osmanthus really shines and lingers on the skin. Very pleasant sichuan pepper woody companion through the day. More of a day scent and subtle for work. More comments on the drydown really lingers and projects. This is where this fragrance shines. A clean woody sichuan pepper and osmanthus projection that lasts. Must be patient with this fragrance. Wow, love it.

Worth testing even if you're chasing the real scent of an osmanthus bush, yet can appreciate a unique and elegant spin on the fragrance of osmanthus, this is not a soliflore but a blend. I appreciate that there is nothing shampooey going on here! At least for me. Also: I enjoy that this has a slight savoury nuance

There exists no better way to describe Osmanthe Kodoshan than as the wet version of Frassai’s Tian Di, a beautiful dusty apricot/peach that is, despite being extremely dry, one of my most ‘addictive’ perfumes I can’t stop reaching for, especially for its meditative quality. And now that I have experienced Osmanthe Kodoshan, I understand Frassai’s decision to make Tian Di as dry as it is, which I had until now lamented, as I incline towards ‘wetter’ scents: that scent profile, when wetter and brighter, translates as a shampoo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cheap shampoo, but even as a good quality one, still definitely a shampoo scent. I’m pretty sure I’ve encountered quite a few women whose hair smelled exactly like this — which is fantastic for hair, but not really for a perfume. Osmanthe Kodoshan’s opening is very tempting. The wet osmanthus really does evoke the picture the text paints! Tea seems to be a difficult note to recreate, and though this perfume still fails at a noticeable tea note, if you breathe deeply you can get a whiff of something that could as well be tea. But the opening progresses quickly, and takes on a more floral tone than fruity, akin to freesia. It’s well-blended, subdued, and pretty. But still just like a shampoo. The performance is on the intimate side as well. It lasts about 6 hours, and spends the second half of that duration as a skin scent. I can see this perfume working as a light fragrance for a quiet day, especially in hot weather when almost everything gets overwhelming — I might very well end up adding this to my collection once summer comes and I find myself once again unable not to have a headache from practically everything else. Only six months will tell.

OsMEHnthus... Another pale, pastel, rather puny go from Crivelli; plays to the powdery-dusty rather than sharply zinging fresh-fruity facets of the flower. Sadly the spicing's too meek for my taste and the juice too weak overall to make its pleasant presence felt very far, or for very long. Much less quirky than many others in this range, but of a piece with their overall mild, nearly transparent takes with small, subtle dashes of originality. Not bad at all, but nothing close to the impressive realism of say OJ Osmanthus as a 'smell of a flower' approach, or well-built enough to really convince in a full-ensemble, fully-built scent WITH spice and osmanthus (like PG's much bigger & louder Crime Exotique, which I like a lot more). I get only the most distant, toned-down smudge of apricot here (another pastel blur effect) so don't be afraid if you really dislike the fruit. Leans femme; can project to arm's length for an hour or so, then hangs around on skin for maybe 3-4h more as a gently floral-hazy aura. Amiable enough company, but ...seems a little pointless? One for osmanthus collectors or completists.

Picture a bouquet of Osmanthus and black tea, drenched in the rain, cradled in your embrace. You step into a warm, cozy café as the barista brews a chai for a customer. The scents from inside blend with the fragrance you carry from the outdoors. This is where the rain, akin to the tobacco note, evokes the sensations of wet concrete, smoky air, and the clinging aroma of a cheap leather jacket. As you both inhale the intertwined scents, your own lingering rain-soaked bouquet and the cafe's comforting warmth, the Osmanthus resonates even deeper. It's intriguing to say the least, a scent tailored for a specific group of individuals who can pull it off. It's not offensive unless overapplied, so I'd recommend starting with a sample. An hour later, if you're a fan of the Osmanthus waltzing with anise, then this fragrance is for you! They won't overwhelm you; they're simply twirling around you from a distance, sending their delightful scents your way on the wind. Overall, 6,5/10

Opens with a strong herbal tea scent. It smells very realistic like opening a can of loose leaf tea. It’s bitter and green. This is different from other tea scents I’ve tried because it’s that realistic. I’d even say it’s too realistic. This isn’t a scent I want. I’d like it if there were more balance with other notes. I find it a pretty weak scent. Five sprays later and I can barely smell it. I wore it the day before as well and had to reapply after a couple of hours. Even that reapplication disappeared before I was back home for the night. There's a dry, earthy, leathery (labdanum) thing going on in the drydown. I don't get the anise or Sichuan pepper at all. I've been eating a lot of a chili oil that has these two ingredients, so I believe I would easily identify them. This scent is not worth it. It's the most disappointing I've tried from this brand so far.

Unisex. Low projection, low longevity. This one is hard to review — some singular elements in this scent I can appreciate. The tea, the tobacco are there and smell of comfort. Cozy. Ingredients also seem of quality overall. However, the opening killed this fragrance for me as it starts off as a stone fruit that is starting to turn bad (sour acidic kind of smell of a rotting peach). This one is a no for me from this house. So far I have tested 8 or so by Crivelli and they are either a love or an instant pass, not too much in between. Update: upon second test and right before it disappears in the dry down, it becomes rather pretty. But the first 5hrs of wear still don’t do it.

Lots of tea leaves in the opening. A dusty floral. Rich, resinous, raw tobacco provides some nice warmth, I hate to say it, but in the opening I kept thinking of scented urinal cakes. Not necessarily in a negative way, but the similarity was there. Some nectraine-y tartness fades away, and it all gets much softer in the dry-down. Damp earthiness underneath, which I don't mind. Poor performance. VERDICT: Interesting to sample, but I wouldn't wear. Too soft. Barely there.

This starts out smelling like apricots with something sharp and cedary poking though. The apricoty osmenthus lasts a good while and the base notes give it something of a sexy touch. The combination of apricot, light spice, and tobacco has an effect almost like costus to my nose. This leans more on the feminine side, but you could probably pull it off as unisex if you were so inclined. It's pleasant, but nothing overly exciting.

The fragrance opens up floral fresh, like shower gel. There is some fresh wood and something quietly aromatic like an incense humming in the background. Further on there is the fruitiness of osmanthus on top of some woodiness and maybe fresh tealeaves. Very natural and soft. The scent stays very close to the skin and gives the vibes of a yoga/ wellbeing centre. Good for people who can't wear very intrusive scents.

Pretty but slight. Limited time in skin so unable to review as I used all the sample and it faded in no time. Shame as first sniff was lovely

Wow, this smells pretty awful on me. The first spritz smells exactly like bug spray. That said, I wasn't deterred because I know fragrances can start out a bit acrid or strange, no prob. But as it developed, it settled into a very weird blend of spiced and floral scents that made me think of bathroom cleaning products. Actually Febreze is honestly what it smells like. Whew. Hard pass.

Very floral and creamy on me but there’s something unpleasant I can’t pinpoint. I wish I had the olfactive acumen to describe it properly. Pass.

I’m not familiar with osmanthus and can’t comment about it. The first spray was beautiful but it quickly dries down to what I can only describe as Thai Tom yum soup vibes. I suspect it is the star anise and pepper which makes this quite savoury to my nose, but still melded with the floral aspect. Overall it’s unique and but I don’t think my palate is ready for this combo. After an hour or so I decided I needed to scrub it off.

Osmanthe Kodoshan is an unusual take on an aromatic spicy scent. As its name suggests, it features a prominent osmanthus note, accompanied by a spicy accord, with tea adding a fresh twist. OK opens with the apricot-like osmanthus note, hazily sweet, rounded out by some tart citrus up top. It is followed closely by sweet-spicy anise, forming an unusual accord - sweet and fruity but in the most unexpected way. The tea note follows, giving a fresh, herbal edge - also unusual, but it really works. It is very peppery here too, adding to the aromatic quality of this scent. The dry peachiness of the osmanthus shines through, with the anise remaining very prominent. As it develops, it becomes smoky, thanks to the tobacco note. Patchouli adds earthiness here, and the amber base develops on my skin, musky and leathery, with labdanum quite prominent. It fades to a peachy-leathery skin scent, musky and powdery in texture with the dry smokiness lingering. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is unisex despite its sweet floral-fruity quality, being aromatic. OK is a fruity-spicy-amber scent, but in the most unexpected way. Good quality, interesting and unusual, I really liked this scent. Another creative offering from Maison Crivelli. 3.5/5.

I do enjoy diaphanous scents more than the average enthusiast, and can forgive for what might be perceived as a lack of "performance" if I am moved, even if for an hour or so. Osmanthe Kodoshan opens with the lightest impression of black tea tannins, astringent and tart, and the osmanthus starts to whisper, yet it volume never quite increases to an "under the tree" level. It dries down with an intimacy that while pleasant and pretty, leaves much to be desired. It's all quite cohesive, yet its sparse translucency belies the potential of an osmanthus accord in a fragrance. Even the tobacco in the dry down is too anemic and only suggests what could've done with this concept if the perfumer only pushed out of her comfort zone a bit.

This strikes me as more linear on paper than it is on skin. On skin, at first the freshness of the osmanthus comes out but fades very quickly. Unlike other reviewers I find this is still detectible as a skin scent after 5 hours. What you are left with on the drydown with the amber, black tea, and anise is absolutely gorgeous and cosy, a good scent for the colder autumn weather. Tobacco is overall very faint at all stages. Edit: I’m not sure where the cozy black tea amber drydown was coming from because I can’t replicate that. I don’t really like how musty the osmanthus smells. I prefer it being fresher like in Roger and Gallet’s Fleur d’Osmanthus.

As someone who is not an osmanthus fan I think I'm finally getting which note smells of osmanthus. A soft yellow floral, with a uniquely soapy touch fruity flavour. Lots of green in this one I would have guessed an artemisia, something green and herbal and a touch tart in a citrussy kind of way. I could have also guessed a soft neroli. Not really sweet and I'm not really getting tobacco. Maybe more on the drydown. The tea could easily be a grass note with artemisia or neroli. The soft spicy comes across as more of an herbal here. ** 8 maison crivelli sample set + 200 other niches for swap UK - check my customs, get in touch! 10+ bundles**

I now know I don’t like anise or fruit in large doses (in perfume) and that’s mostly what turns me off here. I bought this more to discover the smell of osmanthus, and I think I’ve got it now but I’m not in love with it. It has an inherent apricot-like aroma, and here it's paired with a complex floral and spice facet that some people might like. Overall I can’t see wearing it and it leans feminine, but it could be good if you like osmanthe and spicy types of fragrances. I’ve read performance is poor and that seems to be the case on my testing strips.

I smell apricots. Lots of them, fresh, ripe, sweet, velvety smooth skin of apricots. Then some tobacco, fruity kind of tobacco. Smooth amber base. I don't really get any patchouli out of this. Overall it's very smooth and well rounded fragrance, almost creamy. I can't pinpoint a specific occasion this would be suitable for - it's not a flirty date scent, it's not a daywear fruity freshie, it may be a bit too sophisticated for office wear. I'm yet to figure out and experiment with it in different settings, but I'm pleasantly intrigued.

The opening smells like blackcurrant tea with cough medicine, actually it smells like a blackcurrant flavoured "soother" lollie for coughs. Then the tobacco and anise stand out and it becomes a medicinal liquorice so gross. The dry down you start to smell the osmanthus, and osmanths is a note that genuinely makes me feel nauseas and gag. No I didn't buy this - it was a free sample, thank god

This scent has a fresh, tangy osmanthus opening with that spicy Crivelli twist. It's an interesting, refreshing spiced tea...until the tabacco takes over (at least on my skin). I thought the opening was quite feminine, and then the dry down smells very masculine on me. It's a bit strange how it flips so dramatically from feminine to masculine. Try it on your skin first.

opens with delicate and complex osamanthus smell in combination to some sort of sweet tea fragrance, before drying down to less sweet and more spicy, tobacco smell. perhaps it's the old sample i've received, but the sillage is very low and i can only smell it from up close.

8:58pm - air smelled like lemon scented cleaning product on initial spray. It dissipated a little leaving behind a green/unripe pomelo note mixed with herbal tea. There’s pepper in the mix. 10:18pm - this seems to be linear. Sent is weaker now but not significantly.

Its eh. Sweet osmanthus, but pretty boring for the niche cost. Doesn't excite the way it should. Its one of those fragrances, I'm sure was done by someone else with a cheaper price tag. Even so, I don't think I'd bother with that one either.

This is beautiful, soft, fresh, with the hint of an edge. Not sure how to describe the gentle floral smell, maybe because I'm not familiar with osmanthus but this is really unique yet approachable and beautiful.

i thought this was really nice. wearable, soft take on tea/spice/tobacco notes. with the floral osmanthus obv too

This smells like scented bathroom or cleaning products to me. Wouldn't recommend unless that's your vibe.

Nice scent, but not worth much of considering, as it doesn't match half of it's price tag.

It has a saliva like smell which I am unable to appreciate unfortunately on my skin

oooooo a hidden gem. ambery spicy. got the tobacco but not the apricot