Series 3: Incense - Avignon Comme des Garçons 2002

Avignon blablabla.. The big Catholic city blabla and the perfume blabla...

From a marketing perspective, CdG is on the right track: They name the perfume after a city that was a religious center. To evoke associations.

Now, I don't care to chew through the history of the city for the thousandth time, as is the case in every description text from CdG; and also with many users on the internet. It's nice that CdG is interested in history, but it's about the perfume.

Therefore, my comment will not reference any French churches. I have neither been to France nor do I know why those should smell so much different than ours.

Well. Avignon is an incense perfume, or at least it is supposed to be. In Central Europe, it cannot be denied that Christianity is historically very rooted. Many people know incense only from their childhood or from church. That's a shame. When one thinks of incense (here), one automatically has those huge cathedrals in mind, which shine with their typically European impressive architecture. Incense (at least the kind we are talking about here) is, however, an Oriental. Resin that is harvested in the East and has been smoked and otherwise consumed there for thousands of years. To associate incense uncompromisingly with churches (yes, there are also Oriental churches) and Europe would be wrong. One should keep that in mind - and that's why I also find the name of this perfume not so happily chosen. But since it is a concept series, I want to overlook that.

Now, CdG wants to sell us a "European" incense.
Does Avignon smell like incense?
First of all, it should be said: Incense does not always smell the same. There are different qualities and different types. If you burn cheap incense from the esoteric shop for 2 euros a bag, you can be sure that during the burning you will get more scent substances from the combustion. I have noticed this, as I am a poor student and cannot afford high-quality varieties.

Anyway. Since I have long hair, the smoke settles and gets trapped in it. Sometimes when I go outside into the fresh air and am walking around in my own scent cloud, I actually smell nothing. But then suddenly, for a second, a scent rises to my nose that is clearly the incense. And that is the scent of Avignon. This one second flash of the qualitatively inferior incense (that I burned before) - from that the fragrant essence that you really have to search for among all the burning scents. If you take that one second and put it in a bottle, then you have Avignon.

I assume that if you burn good incense, you will get an even more intense comparison because then that good fragrant essence comes out much more.
I specifically paid attention to this because I really wanted to see if Avignon really smells like incense after all the comments. The answer is: yes, but it depends on the incense you compare it with.
Avignon is my favorite perfume and has now become my signature scent. This is mainly due to the lightness that this perfume displays. For example, Cardinal gets on my nerves after a day (due to the aldehydes), but I want to wear Avignon every day. There is simply nothing about it that makes you tired of the scent. It lasts for hours and the chemistry makes it possible that Avignon does not stick to you all the time. Rather, it comes and goes. It wafts into your nose every now and then and then it's gone again.

Does Avignon smell like church incense? Well, as I said, it has a lot to do with association and imprinting on Christianity. The quality of the incense also plays a role. I hardly believe that churches use high-quality incense, so I am somewhat divided in my opinion here.
Avignon can evoke the association of church in one if they have been in one that burned a good quality of incense. Avignon is a perfume and has other ingredients to offer than just an incense essence. So I find it much sweeter than any scent you would find in church. I cannot understand the comments that label Avignon as dry.

I think CdG has created a great perfume that most people like. Some find it too strong. For me, it is balsamic, meditative, and a bit dark (if you know Cardinal by Heeley for comparison, you know what is meant by dark). Avignon is the all-rounder of incense scents that fits any occasion without being mainstream. If I imagine I want to smell like a church, I can do that with Avignon. But if I imagine I just want to smell good and not like something specific, that works too. Avignon is just somehow everything and yet special. Let your associations run free, but then try it without them. You will see that this scent fulfills what it is supposed to in both situations.