Holy Cross

Sampling Pineward Perfumes Holy Cross, a 2025 release that has a sharp, woody, fresh blend. To me, it’s reminiscent somewhat of Yves Saint Lauren M7 Fresh, but with more woody sharpness and density, fittingly less watery. I can see some connections to Tom Ford Oud Wood or Lalique Encre Noire, but it’s not as dark or dense as either of those two. Its note listing is a curious ensemble of accords that I’m not really familiar with, including watercress, blue yarrow, mountain bluebell, and bearded lichen, but there are some slightly more familiar elements, like juniper, pine, ambrette, musk, and a concept of “wet stone” that is familiar, and in that vein, it does sort of belong to a category of “dirty freshwater” scents that seem natural and evocative, including the abovementioned YSL M7 Fresh but also Imaginary Authors Mosaic and D.S. & Durga Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake, all unfortunately discontinued but special in their own ways. All to say that Holy Cross is also splendid and nuanced, and one I might have to pick up. Holy Cross is EDT concentration and as such as more modest pricing than their extraits, with the standard EDT pricing currently being $250/150/95 for 100/52/32ml, sold in the US mainly via the house website, though some other boutiques carry them. 8 out of 10

Edit: Imagine a soft woody aromatic similar to Honest Amish beard balm. Slightly barbershop clean musk but way lighter, and brighter. Smooth floral overlay that isn't too much like a flower. Idk, a favorite definitely worth trying. Light. Crisp. Sweet. Peppery in a floral way. Agree on the ones below that say "sweet in a pollen way" and "wet incense". I get the idea though, and agree.. a fresh clean incense completely soaked.. crumbled and soaked. The smokiness is a grounded earthy one. Not a crispy harsh one. Smelling an un-lit incense on a damp crispy morning. I try not to describe things as 'wet' or 'airy', because those are more invoked feelings than a distinguishable smell. This is indeed a soft modest floral and perfectly unisex. A FAVORITE! This and Akero are lovely for the Spring and Pineward has become a favorite of mine. I hope wherever their successes take them that they remain a humble and down to earth passionate, modest, generous company. I can feel the love for their costumers and passion to provide unique and meaningful fragrances. They rock!

It’s light and fresh and a little peppery. When I first received the sample with my Apple Tabac order, the only notes listed online were Bluebell, watercress and lichen and I kept sniffing it trying to figure out what else was in there because while yes, those were present, it was way more complex. It doesn’t really smell floral in the way you’d expect it to. The florals are more like you’re walking through a forest after some rain on a spring day and there happens to be some florals underfoot, as opposed to cut flowers. It really does smell like rain in an interesting way to me. To me it is a wholly unisex scent and absolutely perfect for spring. I usually gravitate toward heavier, smoky scents so my love for this is pleasantly surprising. It’s very wearable and light.

Foggy, Grey, crisp, Snappy, ever so slightly smokey. Absolutely beautiful fragrance. a masterpiece. A lightly smokey musk with a botanical backbone to ground it. Blended expertly. Ghostlike, Sheer, Waking up on a foggy spring morning after camping on a mountainside. The only thing you hear is the wind, the birds, and the water in the creek bed. Dry's down to something akin to juniper and cedarwood. Comparable to L'Orpheline by Lutens and Wash Me in the Water by 4160 Tuesday. Not the same. Both of these are heavy on the Olibanum. Heady like incense. Holy Cross on the other hand is alive. Not the resin from a tree but the tree itself. Unfortunately it only lasts 3-4 hours at most on my skin and its gone. But those fleeting hours are lovely.

My signature & wedding scent! Been wearing since before it was released, I received the sample and the folks at Pineward sent me a dram to wear on my wedding since I liked it so much. It's such a beautiful scent, very crisp and nostalgic. I find it feminine but I can see how it can go either way. It's very airy and cold, so I prefer it in the winter. It really would work well for any season, though!!! Just a beautiful smell.

Reminds me of an evenings walking around Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. Smells like high altitudes & mountains w/ a mystical campfire burning in the distance. Exquisite.

Immediately made me think of a stream running through mountainous wilderness. The damp stone note really comes through on me, balanced by greenery and conifers.

For some reason, opening gives me a strong patchouli scent, and afterwards, gorgeous wet stones appear with beautiful musk. Absolute banger

my friend told me it smells like a church. she is right! 10/10 perfume, cant wait to get a full bottle

This is truly a chameleon scent as everyone seems to smell something different. I enjoy the complexity and this feels experimental in a way. I too have loved Pineward for a long time, so my opinion will be biased as well. To my nose, on my skin, this smells like a smoky desert campfire. Someone is burning incense nearby. There's something mystical about this and strange yet familiar, ozonic, meditative. Evokes a feeling of isolation and contemplation, a bit unsettled. You're camped out in the desert looking for UFOs and watching the stars. I will be testing this more out of curiosity. Been looking for a unique incense scent and this might be it.

Holy Cross can take you to a place and drench you in it. Mine has warm sunshine on big riverside rocks, light breeze and tempting, running water. This is not a pine forward one like Brokilän, Snoqualmie or Ponderosa. I'm wary of florals because so many are big and gushy, but what I perceive as floral here isn't like that, it's herbal and lean. I would consider this a feminine perfume, although a man would be delicious in it. For me there is a slightly smoky something in the background. It has a sweetness like pollen, not like sugar.

This scent is smoky, foggy, piney, and feels like you are walking through your backyard (with a lot of trees) after someone burned a lot of wood/leaves. In my opinion this fragrance is really complex and I love it.

Spicy in like an alcoholic, Florida Water kind of way at first, settling into a herbaceous green, almost like fresh picked dill? Definitely very clean and almost aquatic. Unisex. Not bad, just not my style.

As of sampling this, it starts very incense-heavy, with a touch of natural pine and atmospherics. However, as the top notes fade, the middle notes hit like a truck, and it smells much dirtier/earthier it however fades away decently quick but so does the projection. In conclusion, it's l'orpheline at first with added forest notes and then gets dirtier, at least on my skin or batch. Silage is decently low on my skin while longevity isn't that bad.

someone else commented this smells like carsickness and I agree completely. Immediately makes me nauseous smelling it. Extremely strange floral, moss and musk combo thats overwhelmingly mineralic to my nose.

unfortunately it turns too acid and sour in my skin. I can see the potential, but it doesn't agree with my chemistry

You're on day four of a six day car camping road trip through the PNW. Your friend, whose idea this was, drives a less-than-clean 2006 Subaru Forester with half a dozen of those pine tree air fresheners hanging from the mirror. A few days ago you guys went swimming and your bathing suits never fully dried out, so there's a mildewy stench emanating from the trunk. Someone rips open a bag of cheap beef jerky and the artificial smoke smell explodes throughout the vehicle. You begin to feel carsick and roll a window down. Might be the worst "wearable" frag I've smelled to date. I don't know how this has so many good reviews. 0/10

i feel like gagging every time i smell it and i go back to smell it again thinking that anything will change

Immediately thought I smelt something damp. This is a mystical mermaid church in a cave under a cliff of pines or a magical fairy church on the edge of a pine forest where more flowers, shrubs and magical poionous plants/weeds grow in the most fantastical way. You wouldn't think you could do a churchy fragrance different but you can. I know this does not contain typical church incense notes but this to me smells like a sweeter, wetter and more magical (if that was even possible) version of L'Orpheline which is from memory, considered a church perfume. It could also be the name making me feel like it leans a little churchy but I feel like I can for sure detect the wisps of smoke from a burning incense as well as this 'wet' feeling (like it has rained and is dampening the incense) as well as this light herbal and floral nuance. Goddamn I did not think I needed anything else like L'Oprheline but I think I now need this 😫 I just decluttered similiar smelling fragrances in my collection too 😩 it just goes to show this is a masterpiece and It is 1000% per cent worth getting your nose on.

Note: I’m heavily biased in Pineward’s favor—I own ten of their fragrances. Still, L’Orpheline by Lutens already exists, which makes Holy Cross feel somewhat redundant to me. I suspect it made it through the public selection mainly because Orpheline isn’t very well known in the U.S.; otherwise, the result is difficult to justify. Pineward is my favourite house ever. I expected more. After wearing it for a while, I can say it’s a clean fragrance and generally quite pleasant to others. In the air, it mainly projects a blend of white musk with a subtle incense nuance; however, up close — and with a more attentive nose — many more facets begin to unfold. It’s a rather unusual scent: it evokes mountain herbs, snow, dried wildflowers, steam, warm rock, a faint rubbery note, hints of algae, and a smoky nuance that almost drifts into a slightly “salmon-like” territory. All of this is woven together with the impression of a clean shirt and water.

masc version of serge lutens l'orpheline