Accord No. 02: Cade + Frankincense

A perfume that stains the test strip as it is sprayed is always a good sign of a quality product. The tell-tale browning of the pristine white of the paper points to this fragrance's biological origins. As the AER website states: "We only use plant ingredients in our perfumes – no synthetics, no chemicals, no preservatives. " In Accord No O2 we have a total immersion in the purity of the perfumer's art, forrest fragrances dancing together without any artificial spicy notes to distract from the natural oils. Subtle hints of vanilla and rose deepen the pleasure of the dry down and the cade oil (presumably acting as fixative) leaves a tarry residue which you will either love or hate. I love the sweet incense of Cardinal and LAVS, but the incense here is sour and very dry: it has escaped the cathedral and returned to the woods from which it came. With a nice touch of synchronicity, I came to sample this fragrance fresh from trimming the base of our Christmas tree, carrying the fragrance of fir balsam on my finger tips as I opened up my sample. There was an unbroken sequence of freshly-shaved balsam in the air, reinforcing feelings of excitement and anticipation, as Christmas drew near. Be prepared for some confusion if you proceed with this fragrance, however. I received a sample in a phial marked Accord No. 02:Cade, but as of December, 2003 AER's Accord No.02 is actually Cade +Frankincense, with a rose note thrown into the mix. It took me several email exchanges with AER to establish this and switch this review to its proper place on the Fragrantica website. I suppose it is a mark of an independent house, producing work from varied raw materials without a guaranteed supply that the formation (and the titles) of the fragrances may change from time to time ... just double-check which batch you are actually investing in before you buy.

Utterly smoky cade (juniper) with some incense in the background. I indeed get some similarities (in the concept) with NG Bois d'Ascese, but none at all with Heeley's incense fragrances. Much too smoky. Nice art, but unwearable.

Stupendo. Ricorda molto Bois d'ascese ma sembra più graffiante e ruvido.