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.

What an incredible fragrance! This, to me, is how I would define Paris in an olfactory sense. The composition is of course meant to allude to Catholic churches, but it is fresh and intriguing, so you get the mysticism and ancient spirit without any of the Catholic guilt. Trudon has been the maker of scented candles to French royalty for hundreds of years, and this fragrance fits squarely within that longstanding tradition: alluring, elevated, and historical. I highly recommend this fragrance.

Oh, this is good stuff. Kitmit below posted "there's an inherent sexiness in this perfume. With "Take Me to Church" by Hozier playing in the background ..." Perfectly stated. Slightly sharp/stingy opening, like birch or pine tar, that quickly softens into other notes and becomes something far more complex. Warm, ageless, comforting but with a slight "edge". It's luxurious, intimate, not overpowering but definitely present. Sophisticated, with a touch of something feral. Love it.

A little like falling into an old oak barrel filed with golden honey, in the aftermath of a religious ritual, thick with incense. An unlikely state of affairs, but one that captures Mortel's heady mix of resinous, woody, spicy and floral notes and its mellow, lustrous, luxurious nature. It is the combination of beeswax and olibanum that distinguishes Mortel from other spicy-incensed fragrances on the market and makes it less churchy, more intimate and wholly delightful.

Very clean, strong frankincense, very close to olibanum resinoid. My original sample I got last year was a bit different to the new one I tried in the store recently... whether this was just because my original sample was a bit old, or they updated the formula in the last months - I'm not sure. But it certainly smells even fresher and more pleasant now than the first time I tried it. I would place this on the incense leader board, ahead of Cardinal and Avignon.

I cannot shut up about how much i LOVE this fragrance! I've tried a handful of 'church scented' fragrances and i can say beyond a shadow of a doubt this is the most photorealistic one. It has a beautiful spicy, resinous, almost ancient wood feel to it, very incense forward too. The nutmeg isn't super heavy but gives it almost a kind of Christmas sermon feel to it. I wish more than anything that Trudon eventually drops a Mortel scented candle, id be in heaven.

Beautiful resinous incense scent. It’s perfectly balanced between the dark, smoky incense notes and the sweet, sticky ambery notes. The whole vibe is mysterious and sexy: it makes me think of an Italian femme fatale seducing someone in a church. If you like incense scents you won’t be disappointed. This also performs well on me, with strong projection and longevity. Fairly linear although the smokiness dissipates a bit over time.

I get a woody frankincense with other supporting spicy/piquant notes and a some sweetness in the base from labdanum. Not as churchy or cold as CDG Avignon. Very smooth and refined but longevity wasn't great. Maybe 4 hours. Nothing groundbreaking but a nice, sophisticated, wearable incense, perfect weight for all seasons, really, since its not smokey and is fairly sheer. I'd buy it if they made a smaller size or travel spray.

To zapach kadzidlany i spirytualny, przywołujący na myśl stare cerkwie na Podlasiu — chłodne mury, dym unoszący się po liturgii, ciszę i skupienie. Pieprz dodaje mu suchości, mirra i benzoina wnoszą żywiczną, lekko balsamiczną głębię. Jest w nim subtelna uwodzicielskość, ale bardziej w tonie zagubienia niż pewności siebie. Dla mnie ma w sobie coś bardzo schulzowskiego: sen, mrok i niepokój.

A very polite incense with enough complexity that it will have you sniffing your arm for more and more. The woman selling this perfume remarked that she likes to wear it when she is working out at the gym. And after wearing Mortel for a full day, I can appreciate how that might work. I think of Mortel as a personal scent, and an up-close one at that. Quite lovely, mysterious and refined.

Reminds me of the dry desert. Maybe pinyon pines. Deeply resinous. Usually don’t like cedar (makes me think hamster cage bedding) but here I cant get enough of it. I like how bone-dry this is. Anyway it’s really well done. Would definitely recommend. Because of its arid quality I’d wear this in summer as well even though that doesn't seem to be a popular option.

A lovely incense centered perfume carefully constructed and very evocative. The incense here is blended with myrrh, benzoin and a hint of labdanum and woods. The resulting juice is mystical and takes you straight to an ancient church. Moderate in sillage and projection, the unisex scent has good longevity on skin. A must try for incense lovers. Enjoy!

This whole line from Maison Trudon is so tasteful, so calm, tender and beautiful. I cannot add much more than the other reviewers, other than to second their observations and recommend this house strongly. Rare to see a new launch where each offering is strong and assured and truly represents a "brand" style. Bravo.

An almost hypnotic scent steeped in sacred warmth. Mortel evokes the echo of church bells drifting through incense and polished old wood. It’s divine, like a quiet invitation into something timeless and spiritual. Warm, woody, like a prayer whispered in smoke.

I second the person who mentioned the scent as vampiric and dusty. On first sniff I said to myself, “Wow, vampire dust.” Having said that, I was raised Catholic and I absolutely adore this fragrance.

i have the 15 ml version of this perfume i love it when i wear it i feel like fem fatal its so mysterious, classy and sexy in my opinion it is a wonderful unisex scent