Bois de Sauge

Four years have passed since the house Yves Rocher had released Cuir Vetiver, created by Sonia Constant, and the same perfumer was chosen once more for this new cologne Bois de Sauge. As many of you will know, Yves Rocher's perfumes are inspired by the most famous brands as regards the olfactory accords, however using organic ingredients of natural origin wherever possible. Besides, it is not a mystery that one of the preferred notes by Sonia Constant is the ambroxan. "It's a synthetic ingredient, and it excites me a lot: it's like a black-and-white photograph, very modern, and it has no date or age," and Bois de Sauge is a blaze of amber woody notes. One of the reasons I like spring so much is because it is the only time of year when nature's green scents take precedence. Just before the flowers bloom and the fruit and vegetables ripen, the world smells green for a while. And one of the perfume ingredients that captures the best for me is the clary sage. The note made of slightly spicy herbs is what my morning runs in the nature smell like. When a new perfume shows up with it, I am interested as I was with Yves Rocher Bois de Sauge. The sage is undoubtedly there, as in the Dove Men antiperspirant made with the essence of minerals and sage. The moment I spray Bois de Sauge on my skin, I get a blast of the citrus fruit peel, very reminiscent of bittersweet orange, blended with the aromatic clary sage and a hardy dose of amber wood directly from the base. The perfumer uses the sage to full effect at high concentration, making the fragrance more fluid, more watery, in a long-lasting freshness. There is a sharp green herbiness. I'm sure there's some citrus note in the opening even if not listed, it might also be the ordinary omnipresent bergamot, but that isn't the main focus here if there is one. Fresh, woody, and slightly herbal, alas, the brighter opening soon evaporates, leaving a more subdued but still delightful warm-weather scent. There is a soupçon of floral and earth too. If you are out like me walking in these mid days of spring, this is what I smell most mornings right when I start. The middle sees the rosy geranium rounded out by guaiac wood and a bit of the shrill and watery violet leaf. The fresh geranium leaf kicks in during the mid supporting the other main notes, without standing out or being that strong. The guaiac wood is more vibrant and gives more verticality to the fragrance. The dry down is more amber, with some patchouli facets. However, tonka and amberwood are what I get most, a woodier version of the ambroxan more velvety, and tonka adds the right sweetness. The clean woodiness of guaiac wood picks up on the sage, adding the woods to the mix. The final ingredient is patchouli, which amplifies that earthy undercurrent in the sage, still it's moderate and more modern, not the dirty patchouli of the '70s colognes. Albeit Sonia Constant created many jewels such as Ombré Leather by Tom Ford, Sport for Men by Burberry, 1881 Essentiel Cerruti, Éclat d'Arpège pour Homme by Lanvin, and Cuir Vétiver by Yves Rocher, all so different one another, I do think she took some inspiration from Givenchy Gentleman and YSL Y Eau de Parfum for putting together Bois de Sauge. It is another easy to wear scent mostly for daily wear, great as an office scent. If you want a spring or early fall perfume that captures the moment of rebirth Bois de Sauge shows that sage springs eternal. It is fresh and aromatic, and it stays clean all the time. Projection is quite good for the first 3 hours, also moderate sillage. Comfortable to wear and most appealing it is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, and surely YR and Sonia Constant did not reinvent the wheel. However, in the whole scheme of things, this can be considered a primary type of fragrance. I find it very versatile, fresh, and dewy, even herbal in some way.

Bois de Sauge Yves Rocher Got this for about 22Usd. Bought it because wanted to try another Sonia's creation. This a simple woody aromatic composition. You'll get the sage, the slightly spicy woodiness and kinda weak patchouli. Projectivity not there, sits closely on skin, need to overspray on repeated spot to get decent longevity of some hours. It's an Edt but I felt it performing like a cologne category. Good for short errants and runs, stays on skin softly after an hour or two but can still smell it lightly around 4-5 hours. Safe scent can overspray. Scent wise not close to any but perhaps smells kinda blue, with vibes from BDC and Sauvage or plrc hence the comparisons. Nothing impressive nothing bad about this.

Very good release with good longevity and can be compared to Dior Sauvage. I think I like this one even better as smells more natural and simple in positive way. Bottle has a beautiful color, which suits this fragrance. If you like Sauvage, you will probably like it as well.

“It’s somehow reminds me of a garden full of lantana camara in the cool morning air — crisp, green, and quietly woody, with a confident masculine edge. Like walking through wild hedges in the early sun, the scent is fresh, grounded, and effortlessly strong.”

Even though it doesn’t really last that much, I think this might be the PERFECT spring fragrance. It is a more woodier and masculine take on the Invictus DNA. Only if it lasted longer, it would’ve been awesome.