Mikado Bark

This is my main scent; a simple, woodsy amber, very unisex, very gender affirming to me. Sometimes I also spray it on my bedsheets. I usually hate ambers, and I'm very sensitive to scent, but this doesn't make me feel sick, nor do I get bored of it. Very classic and classy.

Green and earthy, but restrained. You get the hint of a forest without feeling like you’re standing in the middle of one. It’s a little soapy. Think a posh spa in a woodland retreat. Good for work. Light sillage and longevity.

Very nice, soapy and woodsy, such a stunning example of a modern fragrance. I'd have it as a cream or bath soap, maybe not a straight fragrance. It has been a favourite from the discovery set.

It's cool and light, like a breeze in a park. Autumn in a bottle. That's the only way I can think to describe it! I would love this as a room spray too.

I don’t understand the negative reviews in this one- I think it’s really nice! It’s both cozy and fresh, and I find it very unique.

I really wanted to love this based on the perfume house as well as the notes, but alas, this just doesn't work for me. It smells so soapy on my skin, which just takes away from the woody profile I really wanted from this fragrance.

Surprisingly generic and synthetic. A whole lot of sweet amber with a pre-fab woody accord to set the tone. It smells like the men's fragrance shelf in Sephora's at 8 PM. Sadly linear and uninspired.

If you want to smell like powdery bark, I recommend Le Lion. Mikado Bark is, to me, cheap, synthetic and cloying.

On my skin it's straight up chemical toilet/portaloo At least it's a clean one. But it's still gaggingly awful on me. Big nope.

I feel that I have to add to the last review to say that my sample set arrived beautifully packaged and completely intact, perhaps it's because delivery was within the same city? In any case, I've tried 3 so far and find it weird that a common complaint of this house is that it smells synthetic and cheap which is not something I've found to be true. There's subtlety, simplicity and linearity, true, but the compositions are novel and evocative enough to keep me sniffing. There's a nice mix between synthetics and naturals as well. I can smell the cassia (which I'm guessing is what's listed as "Chinese cinnamon bark", it smells like powdered cassia to me) and Sandalwood, which are primarily responsible for the powderiness; together with some star anise in the background and suede. I can't distinguish the Sage, Pepper or Rosemary, just a generalised lemony note. It's very soft and gentle, like an interesting Australian twist on a simple musk blend. I'm not usually a fan of modern perfumery, I prefer heavy vintage concoctions but, surprisingly, I find myself enjoying this house. Mihan Aromatics copy is pretentious but I disagree that this is something you'd find in Sephora; it's an interesting composition and I've smelled much more pedestrian musks than this that are generally praised (looking at you Andrea Maack's Smart).

Mikado Bark is a cozy, comforting scent without any of the typical hallmarks perfumes of coziness and comfort rely on. It's not rich or foody, and I would not say it's overly nostalgic in any particular way. It's a fragrance whose spicy, woody notes are all not exactly ghosts of themselves, but they've all been shushed and hushed, and all together, their muted echoes harmonize with exquisite subtlety. It's a perfume that hovers like a hazy veil, both grounding and uplifting in its gentle presence. It carries the softness of lamplight pooling in shadows at dusk, yet also evokes the fleeting warmth of sunlight piercing gloomy afternoon clouds. The scent invites introspection, smoothing sharp edges and muting bold tones into a delicate accord. It's as if familiar aromatic notes have been reimagined - their essence captured, then softened and warmed. The fragrance conjures the image of a lone verdant remnant amid a sea of faded crimson and rust as October yields to November's chill. Lingering in the air, it embodies the autumnal, contemplative spirit of hobbits, reimagined as a gremlincore playlist steeped in hauntological reverb.

This is overwhelmingly powdery on my skin. A sweet, woodsy powder. On my clothing, this is much more like baby powder. Not at all what I was expecting. I got the discovery set which is packaged beautifully, and the samples are in black glass vials. I read in a review for another one of this company’s perfumes that the person had received the discovery set with a vial leaking. Same thing happened to me. At least one if not two vials leaked based on the damp stains on the insert inside the box. Due to the vials being black glass, I can’t even tell which ones leaked or how much is left in the samples. Just something to keep in mind if you purchase the set... Honestly, I should have enough perfume in the vials to at least get an idea of whether I truly like something. Still a little sad, though.