Encens Suave

EDP v Extrait Comparison: The Encens Suave EDP has been my cold weather signature. So, obviously, I love it. I reviewed it about a year ago and won't repeat what I and so many others have said about how it smells. But with the Extrait version out, I had compare the two. So, for the last two days, I've worn both, and I hope I can help anyone curious about which. to get with a one-to-one comparison. In my opinion, if you have one you don't need the other. If you have the EDP, just do an extra spritz and you're getting somewhat close to the same place as the Extrait. And after two/three hours, the differences diminish between the two. But there are differences: Not surprisingly, the Extrait goes on deeper and richer. It's more resinous and fuller. The frankincense is much more prominent. If the EDP is like walking by a Catholic church and smelling incense in the air, the Extrait is like sitting in a pew and having a censer swung right near you. In my review of the EDP I wrote, "Despite what others often say, I don’t find it that 'church-like,' perhaps because to me 'church-like' would be darker, heavier, more somber. This almost feels sunny...." The Extrait, by comparison, is closer to being what I would call "church-like" -- it is darker, heavier, thicker. The EDP is perhaps thinner but also lighter and sunnier. The EDP dry down is where it shines - the incense remains but the vanilla and coffee notes come through. The Extrait remains much more incense forward. All-in-all, I like the EDP as more versatile and what I'd be more comfortable wearing it day-in and day-out. Or to put it another way: it's a more fun and less somber. Having said that, (1) I'd emphasize that the comparison between the two is somewhat small, and (2) I'm still going to get the Extrait. Perhaps with some more time I may get acclimated to its deeper qualities. But also because I think it could work well as an evening out scent. And because I love the basic DNA of each. I hope I've provided some comparative help... Five months later: I did get the Extrait and after trying it for a few winter months, sold it. Not as well balanced as the EDP - which I continue to love - and the Extrait is darker and more somber. Heavier. The Extrait also doesn’t (on me at least) have half the longevity of the EDP, which is 12 hours or more on me. (Which just goes to show how personal that is since others here clearly are different.) I find the EDP to be one of my very top scents, the Extrait wasn’t worth keeping.

I struggle a little with churchy incense fragrances as I find the note can sometimes be over-dominant and on its own I do not find it especially attractive. My everlasting soul has been irredeemably gone for years and there is no saving it. But the reason Encens Suave is so good is that the churchy vibe is still there but has been rounded off with ambery textures and especially a really contemporary coffee note. I first got my nose on this one about eighteen months ago and was very impressed at how nice it was, given that I am not always the biggest incense fan. It isn't complex or challenging and is unsurprisingly quite linear but all the more charming for it, I think. For a house with four or five genuine, honest-to-God masterpieces from the wonderful Aurelien Guichard, this is absolutely up there with the best of them. The incense note here is, characteristically of the house, omnipresent across the head, heart and base of this, but it never feels evocative of billowing lamps and confessional guilt. The labdanum and buttery vanillic accords smooth this over to a glassy finish and the espresso coffee accord is genuinely spectacular, in how it smells but also how it adds this dusky bitterness that takes away the cloying sweetness of the incense. It is still smoky and powerful but in a nice way. The benzoin layer is akin to a cleansing, reaffirming "God loves you and forgives you your sins, my child" from a priest. It is funny, because you spray this one and it takes a minute or so to calm down and sit properly and it feels like you are waiting for the smoke to clear and your thoughts to settle down. When it does, it is one of the best unisex incense fragrances ever made in my opinion and is quite incredibly wearable. I'd say it leans feminine but a more open-minded gentleman could rock this in a more formal setting. Three Word Summary: Intensely Wearable Incense Laying Suggestion: Bois Corse by Diptyque as a base layer. Or as a *one spray only* top layer for a Nouveau Monde by Louis Vuitton base. It is one of those layering combos where I cannot explain why it works but it does. Outfit: this is not a warm weather fragrance really, so I'm thinking smart jeans, thick cashmere sweater, Breitling, clean Chelsea boots and a long Aquascutum overcoat. Scent - 9/10 Drydown - 7/10 Sillage - 9/10 Bottle/Packaging - 8/10 Performance - 9/10 44/50

After years of searching, I think I may have finally found a fragrance I can't get enough of. A little story about how I ended up with Encens Suave. It all started when I discovered Holy Metal by Tamburins — one of the most intoxicating scents I've ever smelled. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, which sent me down a rabbit hole looking for something that could scratch the same itch. Spoiler: I've never found anything truly similar. But what I did find was Encens Suave! Along the way, I sampled pretty much everything people recommended. I worked through the entire Comme des Garçons incense series, including Comme des Garçons 2. To my nose, they were all surprisingly rank and unpleasant. I made a trip to a fragrance boutique specifically to try Portrait of a Lady and Diptyque Orphéon, but while I was there, the Matière Première display caught my eye. The bottles looked beautiful, so I started testing a few from the range. I left with three blotters: Portrait of a Lady (which, in my opinion, is wildly overhyped), Orphéon, and Encens Suave. For the next two weeks, those tester strips sat on a table at home. Every day I'd walk past and catch a whiff of something absolutely addictive. Rich, sweet, comforting, impossible to ignore. It was the Encens Suave blotter, going strong. As for the scent itself, I barely get any coffee. The opening reminds me faintly of growing up around a Catholic church; incense, warmth, something nostalgic and almost spiritual. What really captivates me is how sweet it becomes as it develops. The dry down is gorgeous. More than anything, this fragrance has been a bit of a journey in self-discovery. It's helped me understand what I actually enjoy wearing. I genuinely think it's a masterpiece. I haven't received a single compliment while wearing it and honestly, that's fine. I wear it because I love it. That's all that really matters. It leans slightly feminine to my nose, but I can absolutely imagine a stylish guy pulling it off effortlessly. Which brings me to something I've never really understood about fragrance discussions: why are we so concerned about what strangers think? Fragrance is subjective. Wear what makes you happy. Every time I wear this, it puts me in a better mental headspace and honestly, that's worth far more to me.

There seems to be disagreement about the coffee note. I'm an avid coffee drinker. Grind my own beans, pour-over/scale/timer, coffee nerd. I don't get coffee in this. It is sweet. So I don't know if it's people interpreting the vanilla, which can be a note in coffee, or coffee with sugar in it, but it doesn't smell like coffee beans, ground coffee, or black coffee, or nothing that I can't attribute to the vanilla note. The vanilla is moderately sweet and prominent, and so is the incense. Both are beautiful and smooth. I'm not a fan of sweet scents, and I'm still enamored by this one. The incense, while some people call it "churchy," I would say is "church-light." None of the notes are aggressive. Compared to any other incense frag I own, this is really tame and wearable. The problem: on me, this becomes a skin scent in less than 2 hours. It is extremely weak with very minimal projection. I spray conservatively, and yesterday I started with 6 sprays, compared to my usual 2-3 (neck, wrists, chest, back), gone in two hours. Sprayed again at lunch. Gone in two hours. Tried again at night, still gone before the day was done. I can smell it on my skin, but only with my nose against it. Super disappointing. I bought a bottle, but I regret not trying the extrait version first. I also hate brands that release flanker extrait versions when they could just do it right the first time. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 2/10 Projection:2/10 Full bottle? If you're ok with skin scents, definitely. If you care more about performance and projection, try the extrait.

Ahhhhh. My crown jewel. Truthfully this perfumes position as my #1 may be influenced by my memories, there is a semi-famous traditional festival in the south of the UK called the “burning barrels” this perfume whilst not the same, reminds me greatly of the sweet smell of burning liquid paraffin from the time I attended. On my skin this is pure incense and benzoin, vanilla is a shadow in the background and I get 0 coffee or labdanum, I am sure they are more so undetectable and help with the beautiful refinery of this fragrance than they are just non existent. The incense is one of most realistic I have ever smelled, on par with catholic funerals (which I have attended a few.) I have a habit of writing lengthy reviews but all I can ask is you try it for yourself as a sample (don’t ever blind buy MP in general) and let yourself be transported to a church in a distorted reality. It’s not for the faint of heart, the “sweetness” is hard describe. It’s certainly not sugar or musk or baked or cool, burnt and sticky in a good way would be a better way to put it, unlike anything I’ve smelled. I like mixing this with vanilla powder for better versatility, I do enjoy this deeply on its own but I do find it’s tougher to find occasions to wear it otherwise due to how realistic the incense is. I really want to mix this with Santal Austral as well. (I will update when I do!) My #1 (until they create a Scarlet Poppy dupe that lasts longer than 45 mins that is.)

EDIT: Excellent, you can smell the elimi gum/resin and frankincense straight away, a combination which gives a nice, fresh top note. This reminds me so much of Tigers Nest by Memo, BUT with added sweetness, ratcheting up that benzoin more to give it a slight gourmand touch. And of course, the Babycat similarities are clearly apparent. This isn't smoky in the same way that something like a Gucci Midnight Stroll is or if you are familiar with Mahiir Black- I don't really get birch or cade oil here. And coffee? I think that's a bit of a stretch, they may have been trying to build a creamy coffee accord from the balsams but I doubt there's any real, actual coffee oil in this..you'll get nothing like Ristretto intense cafe, more like the coffee note in Lattafa flanker of kamarah (I forget that flanker's name, Khwamwa?). Edit* Ok, I can see how someone would say it has a "mocha" note, but not a bitter coffee note at all. Definitely not a burnt incense but rather a balsamic one, frankincense, elemi, labdanum sitting on a creamy benzoin base (not a projection monster). The more it dries down, the more it reminds me of Tigers Nest and I can tell this will be one of those fragrances that quickly becomes a skin scent but lingers on clothes a while and leaves a nice trail. If you like incense I would definitely recommend trying this one. Would argue for unisex, with a slight tilt towards masc. 5/5

This is my third wear of an Encens Suave perfume sample. On the first try I told myself, “Don’t fall in love!” The price point felt like too much. Some people said it smelled like By The Fireplace and I agreed, at first. On subsequent wears, I found it smelled less and less like By The Fireplace. Encens Suave is more complex, smooth, and interesting. Picture yourself eating buttered toast while sitting in the wooden pews of an old church. Take a sip of coffee laced with a smidge of brown sugar and lots of spicy vanilla. As you’re eating toast and sipping coffee, the priest walks by your pew, swinging the thurible of incense. That is Encens Suave to my nose. Against my better judgment, I have fallen in love. I don’t know why I sense the buttered toast note on my skin but I’m glad it’s there. Incense is prominent in the perfume but it blends well with the other notes. Encens Suave makes me smile and snuggle deeper into my sweater, now fragrant with the perfume. Update: The sample is gone. I have purchased a full bottle. Just couldn’t resist.

Where do I start with this one? My goodness, I love it so much. It envelops you with this warm sweet and ambery scent that LASTS! One of the reviews mentioned it’s like a golden aura, and it is 100000% accurate! The coffee in the top note is detectable for me, and it gives it a little bit of earthy dryness, the encense, vanilla and amber shine throughout the wear time with the vanillary and ambery notes intensifying, such a deep a lovely amber and gorgeous natural vanilla, I tend to spray it on my hair and the scent lasts even longer, for a few days! And I discovered that layering this perfume with Matiere Premiere’s French Flower is absolutely HEAVENLY, ADDICTIVE!!!! It adds to the sweetness of the perfume and the tuberose notes bring a beautiful floral playfulness and more feminity to the scent profile and somehow amplifies the ambery notes even more!! HIGHLY recommend this layering, and absolutely love this brand, so grateful it exists with its perfect olfactory creations 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

I rarely think a fragrance is beautiful. But this, to me, just is. I immediately get the delightful incense, and it's a 'Goldilocks' incense; neither too smoky, too ashy, too...anything. It's just so well judged. As this persists throughout the life of the fragrance, it is initially wrapped in a soft, unsweetened coffee/vanilla that over several hours slowly dissolves and melts into a mildly sweet, gooey golden caramel base. But as I said, that perfect incense is still humming away fabulously alongside. Ences Suave is pretty much one of the most rounded, silky smooth feel-good fragrances I now own. It lasts and lasts as a fairly close body scent which frequently releases wisps of warm smoke-touched deliciousness. I put this on before work ( 5 sprays ) today at 6.30am and it's now 3pm and I can still easily feel it's golden aura around me. I truly love this juice! Worth every penny. PS M.M. By the Fireplace WAS a benchmark. This is just another level.

absolutely incredible juice. this is Christmas time at my grandmothers and might just be my dream fragrance. smoky bitter opening that settles into a warm and resinous vanilla coffee scent. this has some insane swooning power. both suave and sensual and I just adore this stuff so much. You throw this on with a fisherman cableknit sweater and you will be the sluttiest man at the holiday party this year. and then wear it every day for the rest of your life because its a perfect signature scent and is that effing good. a love at first sniff. not too sweet. not too smoky. not too warm. a perfect balance and a perfect vanilla fragrance. In my opinion, this blows away some of its counterparts (babycat, absolute aphrodisiac, by the fireplace, world according to arthur, etc etc.) the best smoky vanilla i have had the pleasure of putting my nose on and owning. This house has some special releases and this is no exception.

I have to share my experience with Encens Suave—it’s truly captivating. I wear it to work, especially when I'm in the presence of celebrities, and it never fails to make an impression. It’s the perfect introduction to church-inspired fragrances, striking a balance that isn’t overwhelmingly smoky but still intriguing. What I love most is the gourmand undertone that dances beneath the resinous scent, giving it a magnetic quality. It’s unisex, so anyone can enjoy it, and it blends beautifully with other fragrances if you feel like mixing things up. Encens Suave is a refreshing twist on the typical clean fragrance, inviting those around me to ask what I’m wearing. It’s more than just a scent; it’s become a conversation starter and a signature part of my daily routine. If you’re looking for something unique, I highly recommend giving it a try!

There is this friend I know who loves incense. The first time I smelled Encens Suave - from a 6ml bottle offered with another buy from the house - I fell in love with instantly. I grabbed the phone, call my friend and tell him 'you have to buy this'. He was so convinced that he ordered it right away, blind buy. And he is in love with this spectacular juice ever since. It is one of the perfumes that had to be invented. I didn't know I needed it. Nothing about it is loud or in-your-face but everything is right in its place. Labdanum underlines and mutes in the same time. Coffee is loud but also shy, incense is soft but there to stay, vanilla is cold, not pudding-y. I'd feel a shroud of the finest leather enveloping them all, but again, it may be only the labdanum, playing with us. What a masterpiece!

Black coffee, sugar, subtle church incense, cash money, a New York Times newspaper and a mini Coca-Cola. ADDICTIVE! It’s very unisex, like a gentle kiss from a classy traditional man who takes only black coffee, still carries cash, casually smokes and is a firm believer of God. Also a chic woman who wears expensive antique earrings with a baseball cap, vintage Levi’s with expensive loafers or tennis shoes and a simple cute top during a coffee break after church. (Think of Hailey Bieber looking fabulous during her Lady Di off duty shoot). She still reads magazines and newspapers and prefers black coffee and cream with iced Coca-Cola (try it!) and never cares for pumpkin spiced anything. I’m sorry but that’s all I can imagine when smelling this, I don’t care, I love it.

I am going back through my older samples, and I tried this one again today. I don't know which incense is in this, but it is right up my alley. I am a big fan of 'churchy' incense. I did 12 years of Catholic school with 8 in an Eastern Orthodox denomination, and I used to LOVE those incense burners they would swing from a chain, walking down the main aisle. So, yeah..... fragrance triggering memories as always. I love frankincense, myrrh, etc. However, this one is MUCH more churchy than most. I don't know if it's the other notes doing it or not, but this is really amazing. If you like churchy incense, I highly recommend you get your nose on this one. Fantastic. PS I get just a hint of coffee at the top, but after that it's all incense to me.

Imagine a luxurious, oriental-style spa. The walls and benches of the saunas are made of dark, smooth wood. The steam rising from the hot pools makes everything seem hazy, and meditative music plays quietly in the background. All around you wafts a soothing, woody and spicy incense scent that puts your mind at rest. That's what Encens Suave smells like to me. I love this perfume. It’s a perfect combination of dry wood, warm amber and smoky vanilla. The scent is excellently blended, strong but gentle. When I wear this perfume, I feel calm, determined and grown up. I usually don't like smoky scents, but in this perfume the scent of incense is more like moist water vapor from a diffuser than the aroma of a smoking incense stick. Heavenly.

one of my most cherished signatures, I am so grateful that this exists. just the best vibrant sparkling wood-dominant scent for any lover of woods. gives me the impression of sweet sticks of incense before being burnt with a very full-bodied roundness and the most elegant vanilla that makes it radiate from my skin in these sweet clouds. it's crisp and smoky but not cloying, I wouldn't sense coffee in this if you didn't tell me it was there, but I imagine it as a component of the fresh, earthy & crisp quality that it radiates; that could associate it with the smell of fresh coffee grounds. incense perfumes never even seemed like my thing until I found this. perfect 10/10 execution

It reminds me of the scent of luxury hotels built in the late 19th and early 20th century. It smells sweet and creamy from the vanilla notes and also like a church from the incense and resins, there isn't much of a coffee note tho. I personally love this perfume, I find it very comforting and warming (defo a winter scent). During the first 3-5 hours of wearing, it is a bit strong, depending on how much you spray (I recommend 1-2). Later, it becomes a much more intimate scent on the skin, and it almost feels like it is a part of you. 10/10 I would recommend!! P.S. I also like pairing it with Alto Astral by Byredo; it adds a bit of freshness and cuts down the sweetness.

There’s a reason this currently has more reviews than any of the other Matiere Premiere fragrances, it’s an absolute masterpiece!! If you own Kilian Black Phantom prepare to throw it in the bin. This is niche... exotic... rich... warm... smokey... resinous... sweet... refined... breathtaking... perfection. Completely unisex. I’m utterly obsessed. I crave it SO much and it’s the only perfume I’ve ever wanted to (and did) wear to bed and I’ve been wearing perfume for 25 years. Feel free to blind buy it... you won’t be disappointed. P.S : it should NOT be compared to Replica which smells like a walking fireplace... this is the CREAM of the crop!! LOVE!!

An amazing fragrance! If you like incense, this is for you. I don't smell the coffee in the opening as for me the incense is what my nose mainly picks up. Absolutely beast mode, and extremely strong projection. I usually over spray my perfumes, but do not make this mistake with this one as you and whoever is around you will end up with a headache. Around 4 sprays is more than enough for people around you to smell it and 2 sprays is enough for you to smell it all day. Definitely only for cold weather as I believe this extremely strong to wear when it's hot. I love this perfume, but I would not consider it a safe blind buy, definitely try it first.

WOW! Airy, expansive, not sickly or headache inducing at all. 100% worth sampling if you love frankincense and vanilla. They hit the nail, perfectly sweet, perfectly benzoin-y for all demographics, european, middle eastern, western, etc. It’s cozy for relaxing and lounging around, and also perfect for a night out. This will pair NICELY with a formal outfit, think suit and tie. This could've been released by a huge designer house like Dior or Guerlain and it would be a HIT! Smells French and elegant. NEXT DAY longevity, good to moderate projection. 3-season fragrance. Very stable. Clean and cruelty free. Worth every penny. 9/10