Wood & Spice

EDIT: After about a year on the shelf, a lot of the components have blended together more fully, and it's lost some of the sharp edges it had here and there. It now smells smoother, woodier, and more expensive. It has actually moved from a "like" to a "love". I find myself sniffing my wrist often when wearing it now. A comforting, enjoyable, and inoffensive fragrance that delivers exactly what it says on the tin. Woody notes mixed with a spicy accord, mostly cumin and a hint of cinnamon. Smells completely synthetic I think, but not in a "screechy" or sharp way; it's gentle on the nose and safe for the headache-prone (like myself). While it doesn't exactly smell niche quality per se, I see what people are getting at: it avoids all of the canned deodorant-like notes and accords that are found in many mainstream fashion house "crowd pleasers". That it delivers this at half the price of even a cheap fashion house fragrance is incredible. I will note that, when I first got it, there was a slightly odd annoying note in the dry down I couldn't put my finger on, but this seems to have settled over time as I don't smell it anymore. Overall, great safe reach fragrance, ridiculously good value for money, great for workplace use. Longevity of 4–5 hours, moderate projection for the first 2–3 hours, but sitting closer to the skin after that. Woody, spicy, comforting, very likely safe for headache-y individuals. Similar in scent profile (though not necessarily quality) to a niche fragrance. It's not quite interesting enough to be a "love", but I really, really like it, and for the price I can't not recommend it.

finally i have this cologne. proraso is an italian traditional house for barbers, the products from this house combine great quality with cheap prices. a year ago they release the "single blade" line, more professional, great quality with a huge range of products. the "wood and spice" is a part of this new line, u can also buy the shaving cream(fantastic), the a/s balm and so on.. regarding the eau de cologne, it's REALLY woody and spicy and is, of course, a tipical barbeshop scent. in the opening, wet woods like sandalwood and cedar are strong, with a balsamic taste. then violet, cumin and some spicies are more prominent,and after that there's a soft vanilla, not gourmandy but still woody. it has something in common with rive gauche, maybe for the guaiac wood. it's really a good cologne but don't expect a great performance, it's just decent in longevity and sillage. what this cologne reminds me? a well-groomed hipster, a young barber with vintage furniture, so i think it's good for a young hipster or someone over 25, not good for the tipical invictus-guy. if somebody cares, in this cologne there are no parabens or artificial colors, and many people use this edc as an after-shave. a solid barbeshop scent, i paid 18 euros and happy with that. ben fatto proraso! scent-8 long-7 sillage-7 uniqueness-8,5 bottle-6 versatility-8,5 compliment factor-7 my vote-8 in one word- hipster

A woody spicy revelation! Proraso Wood and Spice really gives you something that is vaguely familiar but shockingly different. I sprayed this for the first time after shaving with their products and I was completely blown away. This is a bold cedar and sandalwood combo that takes a really cool turn towards something floral and spicy. Upon the first spray, we are greeted with a heavy blast of sandalwood and cedar and a bit of spice (I get cumin and a hint of clove). As the scent evolves the saffron, cumin, vanilla and violet leaves (according to the bottle) bring about this floral freshness. Lastly the rose opens up giving this fragrance a slightly jammy finish. All these notes truly harmonize to create something clean yet slightly earthy and spicy at the same time. I fully recommend this fragrance. Wood and Spice ticks all the boxes and really performs well during a wearing (expect six solid hours with the first two offering the most projection). Wood and Spice seems to come off like a classic Italian cologne that has mixed with a woody oriental (you almost get a slight oud accord) and it is BRILLIANT! Think fall/winter/spring for this one and it can be worn in or out of the office. Give Wood and Spice a few sprays under a sweater when the first signs of fall arrive and you want to feel as warm as those last remaining rays of sunlight on a cool fall day.

There's a lot of sweet cumin in the opening, almost immediately followed by a hit of sandalwood, fresh resin and vanilla. The combination makes it slightly boozy with a hint of leather and spices like Bentley Intense but fresher in the base notes (mind that the top notes are nothing like Bentley Intense at all). The strong oud references in the other comments are confusing, oud smells different to me. It's a clean woody barber scent that will work in any season, it has great performance and the quality you're getting at this price point is exceptional. Safe for the office, good for informal events, but I would not buy this for a teen though. A true gem even if obviously synthetic. Love it.

I'm a pretty big fan of Proraso beacuse of their amazing shaving soap (the on with eucalyptus is amazing), in my opinion they make high quality products with a reasonable price tag. Fragrance: The cologne is very clean with a strong woody note throughout, quite addicting. Didn't come by as synthetic in any way, this is actually a pretty good representation of how dried wood smells like, the saffron and cummin is very blended with the wood notes and not as noticeable. It does have the vanilla vibrancy to it. Summary: Cheap, straightforward and awesome. Would love to explore their other scents.

A lovely well made interesting barbershop frag from my favorite shaving brand. I smell anise, licorice, sandelwood, vanilla, cummin and a smal bit of neroli and bitter lemon. Indeed this beauty has some Black Afgano vibe in it. Less dark and certainly not that overwhelmingly strong. I am lately into barbershop fragrances. And this is one of the best. Good to combine with the excellent Proraso aftershave line. Also this frag develops in the bottle as time passes in a very positive manner. Great affordable treat!

A gem at $49 AUD. The opening is almost marzipan like, a sweet vanilla almond laced with spice. On me this lasts about 10 minutes before the vanilla sweetness fades into what many people are comparing to an oud-esque woody heart that projects really well for a cologne. Cedar and sandalwood combine to carry home a triumph of woods,spices and vanilla. Bravo Proraso.

i have the shaving cream and it's fantastic! superconfort, great lathering, and the fragrance is superb. the title, wood and spice, fits good for this line. spicies and sandalwood notes, i's elegant but not for old men. proraso will rock the next years for sure, the single blade line is fantastic and im looking for the cologne. grande proraso, continuate così!!

Wood? Definitely. I can't describe it perfectly but how I interpret it: quality/genuine, pleasant, humble. In the cold weather I am experiencing the sillage is moderate and the longevity is long lasting, getting me well through a working day. There is no hype or bullsh#t, it is exactly what it is.

I have smelt this on someones beard and to me it smells gourmandy, edible and very nice! He said he mixes some products but mainly uses this beard oil so there might be something alls that adds to the gourmandy vibe I am getting, but it is a delicious sexy scent

It is a gem ! To my nose is very close to nassamato black afgano and gucci intense oud. It is not a perfect clone but have same vibe. To my skin I can smell it after 6 hours and the projection is ok in first two hours.

Beautiful fragrance, soft creamy spices and sandalwood, also super natural smelling. Smells just the way I want it to. A well groomed, sophisticated gentleman. 8/10 Edit: It got me a surprising amount of compliments

Beautiful soft creamy sandalwood. Very comforting and cosy, but still quite classy and smells much more expensive than it is. Lasts whole day on my skin and much longer on clothes.

It's a steal! I don't think that for the price there's a fragrance that can "beat" this one. It's manly / fresh and serious at the same time!

If you live in a world free from mind programming and branding- You will know this Fragrance has conquered everything silently.

All the pleasant part of Oud Afghano without the death fuck opening. For the price it’s insane.

This, alongside Proraso Red, are the best of the best

Magnificent Hidden Gem (2017) Scentrack: Hindi Zahra – Un Jour From the beginnings of the fragrance community there is a persistent tendency for starting a hype train. Several YouTube reviewers were known for (un)successful hype train creations. Successful hype trains are usually like an atomic fission chain reaction, and soon the whole community is overwhelmed with reviews of the same fragrance. Unfortunately, hype trains are often unjustified and just a tool for gaining some kind of prestige within the community. Personally, I consider hype trains as a childish attempt to present a fragrance as a universal “lady killer”, “panty dropper”, “compliment getter” etc. In my humble opinion, love for a certain fragrance is strictly a personal act. A manifestation of my personality or a current state within the fragrant molecules. What is the reason of this prologue? Maybe a possible try to start my own hype train, the first and last, after I sniffed and bought Proraso Wood and Spice. Not to create my own energetic pendulum as Vadim Zeland claims, just to pinpoint that one could find a beautiful fragrance creation on totally unexpected place. Mysterious are the ways of perfumery. Finally, how does it smell? Wood and Spice are the beautiful hybrid of classic Italian colonia genre and contemporary Oriental tendencies in perfumery. For an Eau de Cologne, this creation is rather strong and long lasting. The main player is the saffron note, combined with gentle, yet dirty cumin note. This cumin note gives a typical Oriental dissonance, off putting to some. The spicy part of the fragrance is combined with woody part, made of cedar and very polite darker oud accord or a touch of Guaiac wood. Beneath all, one could sense some gentle amber-like bottom, which is somehow muted with the oud or maybe the source of this oud mirage. Interesting is the very faint green violet leaf which combined with this amber reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez for Him. However, Wood and Spice reminds me more of Lubin Idole or Bentley for Men Intense due to the strong saffron note. Sweet and woodsy part strongly reminds me of Calvin Klein Obsessed Absolute. Additionally, it possesses some distant Oriental echo of Laudano Nero. Spice and Wood is a fairly linear and somehow rough fragrance, but successfully satisfies my need for cliché niche Oriental fragrances like Idole, Laudano Nero or even long gone M7. There are plenty of good news here, but the bad news is that is probably discontinued. Grab it now, and you will thank me later. Rating: 8.5/10

Very fresh and very clean, Proraso's Wood & Spice most smells like a luxury shaving cream to me. Its creamy sandalwood note reminds me of the Proraso Red after shave, only more sharp and with other elements built on top of it. You can detect the wood note, along with a slight bit of saffron but the standout, in regard to the spices, is cumin. The cumin is what gives it the sharpness but it's also used in such a way as to make the overall fragrance feel cleaner and more fresh, as opposed to some fragrances that use a cumin note to give it a body odor type of smell - specifically Amouage Opus VII. This fragrance has very strong projection and longevity. If you wear it to the office, more than one spray is pushing it, unless you plan to overwhelm those around you. Three sprays of it is immense. In regard to longevity, I get a minimum of 8 hours out of it and more like 10. Anyone who likes fresh, clean and barbershop types of fragrances would likely find it quite appealing. I'm thinking that fans of Rive Gauche will have a special affinity for this one. * Update * I've really grown to like this. The clean and fresh smell works quite well but if you're in an office or close public setting, 1 spray is more than enough. Additionally, I've bought the Wood & Spice shaving cream for use as a shower soap and it's strong enough on its own to where you could go without added cologne.

First impression from test strip: exactly like the name says. That is: creamy/vanillic woods supported by spices. One can tell it's simple, but well done, and pleasing. I can see the comparison with Black Afghano and Cuirs, but it's very remote, as there's no incense, nor those disgustingly synthetic nitro-musks. I can't say it's the best frag I have ever smelt, but rarely did a fragrance give me such an immediate and simple pleasure. This is the equivalent of Gordon Ramsay's burger: it's only a burger, and has no prentention to compete with a 3 michelin stars food, but it's cheap and when it's well done, it can be equally satisfying. A perfect "comfort fragrance", and hardly anywhere else will $30 give you so much pleasure back. Hats off, Proraso!

This smells a LOT like Nasomatto's Black Afgano to me. It's a little bit less sweet, and maybe not quite as deep and rich, but the overall character and vibe is strikingly similar. I tried this at a perfume store and as I kept sniffing it I told the clerk that it really reminded me a whole lot of something but I couldn't quite figure out what it was, and he said "Black Afgano?" and I was like "YES, that's it!" Considering the absolutely enormous price difference, I'd have to say that this is quite impressive. If you like Black Afgano but don't want to pay 130 euros for 30ml, being able to instead buy 100ml of this for 24 euros is a freaking amazing deal, seeing as how similar they are. Good longevity too.

I really wanted to like this and leave a positive review, especially based on the overall rating score and my love Proraso products but.....not so much with this one. Synthetic, astringent and fleeting. Not a bad scent at all but almost dollar store quality here. My aftershave (red) from Proraso smells better and lasts longer. Proraso missed the mark here, what I can smell of it isn't bad but sooo weak and unnatural smelling. Bottle-5 Smell-5 Price-5 Performance-2 Quality-4 Overall 4.5/10

I like the Proraso brand, their barbershop and old art aesthetic, they're a cool brand. This is nice. It smells warm, powdery and it does indeed feel like spices - light familiar ones. Good for very casual evenings, going to a store. It does also smell clean. For a cologne, it's strong and lasts longer than you expect Got it cheap in a 1+1 deal from a local Proraso importer. Very happy with it for the price. I think it's cuddly and cozy too. Smells like warm chai tea with milk

This smells almost EXACTLY like Cuirs by Carner Barcelona. I have Wood & Spice on my left wrist and Cuirs on my right and I can barely detect any differences. Also, Cuirs bears a 90% resemblance to Gucci Intense Oud (minus the fruity note), so they're all from the same gene. Even the performance between this and Cuirs is super similar. The only difference is the price: this is 20 euros for 100 ml, while Cuirs is about 60 for 50 ml. You decide which one is better for you.

As Arnoldolfactory said, an absolute steal for a fifty - this fragrance punches well above its pricepoint. After getting a cut at the barber recently, he offered to spray some for me and I was pleasantly surprised. Really deep, woody, and rich, whereas I was expecting something along the generic 'barbershop' scent profile. Performance was also much better than expected for an EDC.

This one is a scent that grows on you. For the extremely low price you get a great woody scent that isn't too sweet. Quite linear, and performance isn't great on my skin, but for the price that is completely fine! Works well for both casual use and office use.

Perfect layering base for changing fragrances that you feel "miss something" into a new direction. Too sweet? - add some woody, spicy freshness to balance it out Too light and eery? - add some woods and spices to provide it a more solid base

A woody/vanilla juice. Quite unusual with a good silage. Lasts a while too. Lots of character here folks.....I like this. This juice is unique.

i got the moustache wax version and the smell is gorgeous and last couple of hours on face. quality product, like most of the proraso brand.

This stuff is fantastic! It's warm and spicy without being overpowering. I get a lot of compliments on it. Lasts all day too.

This is beautiful, it's like a light version of Dunhill Icon Absolute, great for office wear.

There's no rose, all it meant was 'Labdanum', the 'rock-rose', come on guys!

I use the beard shampoo version of this and I love it. The smell is amazing. So imagine how surprised and happy I was to find out there’s a cologne version of it. I just bought it right away. LE: Performance is not that good, and for some reason, I don't like it as much as I did before. I gave it away.

I confirm Andy the Frenchy's review. Vanillic does describe it better than barbershop imo. Almost no citruses that I can pick up. As far as performance, I knew it was an eau de cologne, but this is much weaker than a Tommy Bahama edc. I'd pay $15 a bottle.

Amazing scent, but extremely weak. Lasts maybe 2 hours on my skin. Scent - 8/10 Performance - 1/10

Cheap and cheerful - £10 at places but awful performance.

On initial spray I get reminded of Bentley absolute, very woody, almost burnt. The rock rose hovers over that Wood, you get wafts of it as you turn your head and it trails you if that makes sense. For me the saffron and sandal wood come more in the final phases of the cologne. It's nice. For $30/100ml it's decent. Update: My wife asked me what I'm wearing today. Initially I thought great, it's been 4 hours since I put it on and she can smell it from a distance. Yes. And No. She thought I was wearing a women's fragrance. More specifically women's antiperspirant, Secret. She's right. I got her to wear it. WTH!? They make this as a beard oil? Most likely for those bearded hipsters that can even change a tire or use a wrench. Starts off very manly, ends up women's deodorant. Very willing to trade for even axe spray or a cup of coffee. Seriously.

I too love Proraso products and have all three of the single blade line. The Cypress & Vetiver is close to empty, the Azure Lime soon will be but the Wood & Spice's level will stay near the top of the bottle. I just can't get past the baby diaper smell - freshly opened box of Pampers. Once when I thought I would give it another try, my wife walked in the room and quickly said, "oow, I don't like that" (without knowing what it was). Surprisingly, I would rank them in reverse order of popular opinion here with Azure Lime being the best (but admittedly weaker).

#91 in my "Tour de Fragrance" of 250 scents in 250 days, and WOW! I was not expecting this. I love this scent. Woody vanilla, all warm and cuddly. I can wear this every day. A blind buy success, and now I have to order the Azur Lime version just to see if it measures up.

Godawful synthetic mess with strong connotations of petrochemicals and ambroxan. Smells very similar to something quite popular but many times stronger, one that caused a group of five I was in to actually leave a restaurant because four of us could not abide the stench. Please remember that although you might not react like that to this recent scourge of aromachemicals yourself, a certain percentage of the populace does. Steer clear.

I can’t say that I regret of purchasing due to the price but it’s definitely my worst blind buy experience. Very boring woody fragrance, smells just ok. I don’t feel nothing but wet wood in here, absolutely horrible

If Swiss Arabian first formulated this scent. The dry down of Proraso wood and spice is a exact clone of Swiss Arabian Mutamayez. When i say exact...I mean to the T. Initial spray of proraso is a little bit to be desired but both wear the exact notes after just a few minutes. Both cost and perform about the same. Mutamayez projects a little more but to be honest i own both and if i am looking for to wear this type of scent i grab which ever is closest to me. This is a great performing cologne. If you want something to wear most of the day. This will get the job done. For me personally, this is not a scent in my top ten but still a very decent smell. Kinda hard to judge by numbers cause we all have a different standard but here is my take. Scent- Not a favorite of mine but still decent. Longevity- Last for most of the day. Sillage- Doesnt take much to project arms distance. Uniqueness- Identical to another designers cologne. Bottle- Very average. Versatility- Can wear this any time, day or occasion. Compliment factor- Oddly ive never been complimented on this scent.

Velvety, softly spicey, with a dominant cedar presence. Smells heavy on the Iso E super. This is the same scent as Proraso's original beard oil. Curiously, when that was released the listed fragrance notes were simply cedar and cistus labdanum, also known as rock rose. I am assuming the rose featured in the fragrance notes above is intended to represent the rock rose. According to the notes listed on the box, violet leaf is also part of the composition. If you like l'occitane's masculine offerings, particularly Eau de Cade, you will probably enjoy this. I absolutely love it. It may be an eau de cologne, but Proraso doesn't make subtle scents, so it perfoms well.

I have all three of the Proraso colognes now and here's what I think. Cypress & Vetiver I place in the middle. Decent scent and longevity with sillage just okay. Wood & Spice is strongest with greater longevity and sillage, my wife likes, but I'm not keen on the scent due to it's inclusion of vanilla. Azur Lime, my favorite, while having lesser longevity and sillage, has a very pleasant "barbershop scent" which is one of my go to types of fragrances. These bottles usually run $36 each at C.O. Bigelow or elsewhere online, and I recently scored one for $30 on eBay. Best wishes!

Really enjoying Proraso's Wood & Spice Colognia, very fresh take on the typically wood and oud frags out there. I was fortunate enough to use the Wood & Spice beard wash together with the beard oil from the same range and immediately fell in love with the clean, woody scent. The cologne does start off a bit strong and spicier/woodier than the rest of the range but the dry down is every bit as warm & amazing as the rest of the range. The longevity and projection of this one is great as well, just 2-3 sprays will last you 4-5 hours. Great value for money at ZAR600 for 100ml.

A very good budget perfume; takes some of the Montale signature warm/woody notes, combines with spice (cumin & saffron), with a little bit of synthetic sheen borrowed from Gucci Intense Oud. I agree it's very close to Jaguar Oud, but removes the "cream soda" syrupy feel from that, and replaces it with a drier, more powdery guaiac vibe. Well done.

The typical niche smell. It lacks refinement, it lacks the touch of a master perfumer. A bit annoying, but in the drydown there are moments that I can (somehow) stand it. Too heavy, but not in a smart way and not a safe blind buy at all. -ΙΩΝ

Stunningly beautiful fragrance I get sweet vanilla cloves vibes the quality of ingredients and blending are truly amazing I've purchased 4 Proraso fragrances looking forward to trying the other 3 after this has impressed me so much.

This is a review for the beard oil. I just get eucalyptus. It is very prominent. I get a bit of cedar but nothing else. Pleasant but I dont really want to smell like vicks vaporub.

Very close to Bon Parfumeur 301 which in itself is niche quality for a low price so the price point on this is excellent.