Mortel

This is like a catholic mass: In the opening, I get a blast of pepper and spices, with some frankincense in the background. At that stage, it reminded me of Armani Bois d'Encens - that is the beginning of the mass, when the priest enter the church, and the incense burner passes nearby the audience. Then, in the heart the black pepper totally disappear to fully leave the stage for the beautiful nearly pure frankincense note, and at that stage, it reminded me of several church incense fragrances (Goutal Encens Flamboyant, Heeley Cardinal, Jovoy La Liturgie des Heures, Unum Lavs...) - that is during the mass, when the incense burner is still smoking, but the smoke is "atmsopheric". In the base, it totally changes, as the frankincense disappears to let a green spicy labdanum song, supported by a hint of myrrh and woods, (remotely) reminding me of ELdO Attaquer Le Soleil (but less sweet and more austere) - that is after the mass is over, that leftover smell mixed with the woods of the benches. At the end of the day, it results in being a finely tuned "best-of" incense fragrances, and may result redundant for collectors who already own different incense fragrances. Furthermore, performance is a serious issue here - especially at that price point - but that seems to be a general weakness of this house. (I needed to stick my nose on the skin to do this review). That said longevity (as a skin scent) is good. I love this one, even if the poor projection is a real issue. That said, should you not care about the poor performance, and be looking for a high-end fragrance featuring most of the various incenses/resins facets in a single bottle, to add to a small but well-curated collection, don't look further! Cold to mild days, 25+

I'm usually not a huge fan of incense fragrances, partly because incense-dominant fragrances are often too literal, like someone swung a thurible right into my face. Mortel, while definitely church-like, is not one of those fragrances. Mortel smells like the wood of an old church--like pews and wooden beams blackened and infused with frankincense and myrrh, smoothed and shiny from years of constant use. It took me back to when I came upon a small chapel in Honfleur many winters ago, while trying to escape the snow. The fragrance is pretty linear on my skin, maintaining this beautiful balance of amber, wood and incense. Benzoin and Nutmeg really work to round out the incense facets into vanillic amber territory with just the slightest gourmand quality, in a comparable way to Tauer's L'air du Desert Marocain, with the latter being much sweeter. As it dries down, it becomes more woody-marine-amber with a lingering incense. Projection was average for me and it has some longevity as a skin scent, but I'm quite happy with how it wears on skin. Not domineering but reflective. Modest but not quiet. I'm not sure if I would wear this regularly, mostly because of my strong church associations, but it's so beautifully meditative and wearable that I might get a smaller size just to have it on hand.

Absolutely amazing. I came upon a Trudon section in the Charles de Gaulle airport duty free shop on the way home from Paris. I ended up buying a 100 of Medie and a 15 of Mortel. Mortel is exactly what a resinous fragrance should be. It's slightly citric, deep, also airy. I have a frankincense oil made by NOW essential oils that I put in my beard. The scent lasts for a few minutes. This smells so much like that, but has nice performance. If you've ever smelled TFs Oud Minerale, this feels like a second cousin in the best way. It's the inside of a church, but not overpowering. Just a beautiful piney resinous citric mystical vapor. Not smokey. Not insencesy. To me this is what Hwyl should have been. I hate pimento. I know its listed but i dont detect it, or maybe its blended in a more subtle way. Next time im in a European airport if i see this i will be buying the 100. Peace to u fragnuts.

Kick in the throat pimento and black pepper crack open the most distant sinuses. Dry heat and spice for the top notes, good evocation of fire and warmth. Very strong woods/resins and quite consistent throughout. A trickster too, with different parts of your body smelling like strangers. Good way to declare your presence. I’ve been chased 50+ metres down the street, had my arm grabbed at bars by strangers, friends at parties, and close at least five cab drivers, all to asking me what I’m wearing. Up to you whether or not you tell them... Would I buy it again? Probably not. It’s fantastic, just not interesting, I got bored quickly.

Mortel's incense trades austerity for warmth—an altar of red cedar, hushed light, stone walls, and that sanctified sort of timbre. Perfumer Yann Vasnier massaged human nature into olibanum resinoid, rendering it snug and kind, as if willing to cook you a hot meal and offer a soft bed. The Givaudan captive Mystikal is used here, described as an exalting material in the vein of Aldehyde C-12 MNA, and I can't claim to parse it out. I must say this is a good thing . In fact, nothing in Mortel is sharp or spiky. Its warmhearted tenderness makes it an incense fragrance that may appeal to even the most staunch skeptic.