Accord No. 04: Cedar

The only AER scent I have sampled so far that escapes from the natural settings of gloomy pine woods and mossy forest floors, to access the sunnier uplands of everyday life. Whereas my favourites from this house are treasured for quiet and solitary contemplation, I could imagine spraying this one after a workout in the gym and mingling with other people. There is a lightness and a sweetness in the opening phase (lavender and bergamot) that recalls some of the classic fougères and even the woodier base notes lift the mood, albeit briefly. Although their quality and authenticity are undoubted, longevity and sillage are not the mark of any of the AER scents, so it's back to the contemplative mode (smelling close to the skin) after a brief foray into wider public exposure.

My first impression is almost like raw cedar. Like a giant took a cedar tree in his hands, twisted it, and out came this raw cedar tree oil. A little later there are, thankfully, more nuances, like these aromatic touches from the bergamott, and the lavender. This holy trinity of cedar, bergamot and lavender works just beautifully together. Simple, but beautiful. Cedar, bergamot, lavender, then a trail of juniper, ginger. That's it. It's super-woody, but the aromatic touches saves it from being a singular cedar. Or does it? I'm not sure. This is dangerously close to being a single note perfume. As previous review already mentioned, it's surprisingly light for being Aer, and therefore very versatile. Neutral. Perfect day-time perfume. For cedar-enthusiasts only.

It starts slightly sour and medicinal, but in a couple of minutes develops into a wonderful tart cedarwood with resinous coniferous smell, a natural wood slab, just beautiful. The scent is linear overall, but if you’re looking for a nicely done, deep coniferous wood and always came across plain synthetics - try this one.