Burning Barbershop D.S. & Durga 2008

Bottle Design:
Kavi Moltz

See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

See Prices

7.7 / 10 203 Ratings

A popular perfume by D.S. & Durga for men, released in 2008. The scent is smoky-spicy. It is still in production.

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Smoky

Spicy

Woody

Fougère

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Hemlock fir Lime

Lime

Spearmint

Heart Notes

Lavender absolute

Tuberose

Turkish rose

Base Notes

Burnt oil

Hay

Vanilla

Perfumers

Kavi Moltz, David Seth Moltz

Videos

Watch video

Ratings

Scent

7.7203 Ratings

Longevity

7.7162 Ratings

Sillage

7.2165 Ratings

Bottle

7.4144 Ratings

Value for money

7.068 Ratings

Submitted by Feylamia, last update on 06/16/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Beach Klub

Par Amour pour Lui

Hyde

The Smell of Weather Turning Perfume

Search

Burning Ben

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/05/2024

7
Pricing 7
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

JewishJesus
65 Reviews

JewishJesus

2

If Sweeney Todd was an Arsonist...

Better than other houses, D.S. & Durga manages to create the environment and mood described with sometimes startling accuracy to the point where the story accompanying the perfume tends to encapsulate its aroma better than the notes. Burning Barbershop smells just like a classic barber: citrus, mint, and floral notes over a woody, musty base. Well, except you should imagine you're getting that haircut in a barbershop that never shut down for repairs after a fire. There's a strong, smoky note, especially for the first couple hours of this fragrance. The fresh notes subside relatively quickly, letting the woody and resinous qualities of the other notes shine a bit more. I have a hard time picking out florals in particular, but the floral character is apparent. Similarly, except for one time where I caught a whiff and immediately thought vanilla, I generally don't smell the vanilla as much as the warmth and sweetness it provides to balance the other dimensions. After 6+ hours, I do notice the vanilla more strongly as a note amongst the remaining dusty and smoky qualities.

While I think this fragrance would be best suited to cooler weather, I am enjoying it in summer too. The longevity is surprisingly good, lasting at least 5-6 hours in warm weather with just 2-3 sprays before gradually becoming more of a skin scent. The sillage seems to be moderate. Strong enough to smell up in reasonable proximity, but not so strong that they'll smell you had a fresh haircut before they see you had one.

Overall, a very nuanced and intriguing fragrance with an interesting evolution over its moderate life cycle. For someone interested in barbershop smells or who wants a unique, smoky aroma, I'd certainly recommend this very highly. If you don't like the classic barbershop smell, I'd recommend against this perfume, even if it is well-crafted, as it is strongly in that vein.

02/26/2023

9
Pricing 10
Bottle 9
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

NosyCat
10 Reviews

NosyCat

2

Burning oil lamp and turpentine

My aunt is a painter. When I used to visit her as a child I always liked spending time in her atelier. It was quite a small room, but there were paintings and brushes and colours in tubes, in little jars, on paletts, and even on the cupboard. It was an almost sacred space. And what I recall very vividly, what I always associate with my childhood and those visits, is the smell. The smell of oil paints and varnish; of wood and turpentine. It is comforting and familiar, yet at the same time intriguing - like something one shouldn’t be smelling too much of, but it’s addictive and you just can’t stop.
This was my initial reaction to ‘Burning Barbershop’ by the American brand D.S. & Durga. At first I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly it got me hooked - but when the memories began to resurface, it all made sense.

Immediately the fragrance is balsamic, resinous. To me that’s the smell of turpentine - the liquid solvent painters use to mix with oil-based paints - and not at all in a bad sense: turpentine is derived from distilling tree resin and has this characteristic smell of tree sap. There is a zesty note in the opening - as so often in fougere perfumes - but it’s not dominating, it’s rather supporting and even emphasising the main chord of the fragrance, which is smoke. Now, smoke can have a variety of scents, depending on what material is burning. Here it smells to me like an old oil lamp has been switched on - and it is this oil smoke that gives the fragrance its unique characteristic. There is also spearmint in the opening, however for me it seems more prominent on clothes; less so on my skin.
As the fragrance develops, it turns into something softer and sweeter - lavender and Turkish rose apparently. I can’t really distinguish them in the mix, which isn’t to say they aren’t there. Perhaps it’s more to do with the fact how incredibly well blended this fragrance is - the different components work together so well that somehow a true unity is achieved. What I can distinguish however is the vanilla in the background - but never in a thick ‘gourmand’ way. The smoke becomes more pronounced throughout and creates a spicy, warm base, which yet still manages to keep a subtle grassy freshness.
‘Burning Barbershop’ has a good projection; you will definitely get noticed - and the scent lasts a decent time (about 8 hours for me). I would recommend it as a rather masculine smell and say that it’s best suited for colder time of the year.

The fragrance is multi-layered and complex - and yet it never strays far from the main idea. It manages to stay within that story that begins with its very name and continues developing every time you smell it. For me, once experienced, it is ever-present in my memory - and yet….and yet I keep wanting to smell it over and over to compare the actual fragrance to the way I remember it.

02/14/2025

8
Pricing 8
Bottle 6
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Mscherzer31
9 Reviews

Mscherzer31

2

A young witch searching for her neighbor's lost cat

This is not a safe blind buy, and frankly probably not a safe blind "wear" if you're going to be in an enclosed space. I love this perfume and how distinct each phase seems and the complexity of the scent but it's not for everyone. This is a scent that does not grovel for anyone's approval. The opening is refreshing and strongly green, with the mint and fir coming out strong, almost creating a camphorous cloud around the wearer. It's not quite the "antiseptic" vibe I would expect from something called "barbershop" but it feels herbal and medicinal and fresh. Once the perfume dries down more, the smoky note becomes much more apparent. It's a slightly sweet smoke with hints of hay though I can't seem to find any kind of floral note. The smoke continues to dry down into a woody base with a soft sweetness to it. It smells a lot like incense. It almost skews powdery at times, but as someone who dislikes powdery scents, it's not too noticeable.

The "vibe" of this scent feels esoteric, mysterious, and comforting. Almost "dark academia" or "witchy" if you're drawn to that kind of thing. I've been disappointed by the performance of other DS&Durga perfumes but this one stuck around for a solid 5 hours. I wouldn't buy a full bottle because I can't see myself wearing it very often, but I can absolutely appreciate the work here. For me, this holds a similar place as FM's Synthetic Forest- a challenging, bold scent for green enthusiasts- something you don't need compliments on because you like it for what it is.

08/10/2020

8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Chizza
299 Reviews

Translated Show original

Chizza

Top Review 37

To the barber of the burning beard

Burning Barbershop...I didn't want to like it at all, I had firmly resolved to purchase "only" two durgas for reasons of cost. But it turned out differently: the fresh, well-groomed barbershop element paired with the smoke aromas of the burn results in a strange melange at first glance, at second glance it fits together only too well. Portable smoke, not for everyone, but also no slash-and-burn. And don't worry: the beards stay on.
According to this credo the prelude seems a bit bizarre at first. Ethereal, yet strangely fresh and...smoke? In addition, diverse other impressions are mixed up. Indeed, we have fresh mint, which primarily offers this minty-spicy, slightly sweet-aromatic impact. This already decreases after about 30 minutes. By then it changes the scent of the fir so much that it is not immediately noticeable. This is quite something, because the hemlock fir is known for its smoking element, which is both balsamic and smoky and therefore captivates. The slightly tangy and fresh impact is due to the lime, which makes the fragrance appear a little sour. This certainly fits the theme perfectly and is also good for the fragrance.
Where there's barbershop, lavender is a must. Now I'm not the biggest friend of lavender perfumes, but I confess that this ingredient makes perfect sense here. For me, Lavender Burning Barbershop complements barbershop in the right places, takes the idea further and makes sure that this creation doesn't lose its tension.
As the mint disappears, it becomes more herbaceous and ethereal; the woody tone adds new nuances to the fir, perfecting the balsamic properties of the fragrance.
The further the fragrance progresses, the more the scenery tapers towards the base. Mind you, not with the latest formulation. Here it remains constantly intense and the base is successively exposed but never quite. Actually, I like the newer version here better. In any case, the burned oil seems to me to be fir oil or something similar, because the slight olfactory change suggests this. This oil is completed by vanilla, which often disfigures smoky scents by making them too sweet or castrated. Here, however, the vanilla acts so much in the background that the ethereal, woody, smoky element remains dominant, but gains in format through the new facet.
Sometimes the burning element in this case reminds me of tar fragrances in the style of a Black Tar by Parfumerie Particuliere, which has also been made wearable. The latter is much more intense in this respect, which I mention purely for the sake of classification.
All in all, a wonderfully realized perfume, which probably only a few niche artists created about twelve years ago.
I think that Burning Barbershop is also something for all those who do not like similar creations because of the smoke and could also be interesting for those who really have a penchant for pure barbershop fragrances. This one combines various scent genres. Where I found the old version at Bowmakers to be more intense, this point is diametrically opposed at Burning Barbershop. Really an excellent scent!

11/08/2021

8
Pricing 10
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

DeVitoHH
15 Reviews

Translated Show original

DeVitoHH

7

The slightly different hairdresser's visit?!

Who doesn't know it... you look at your wish list(s) and it itches in your fingers to place a new order with new samples soon. As in my case. This time I was again on ALZD "rumbutschern". The shopping cart was already quite well filled, but suddenly this one fragrance with the "funny" name comes to my face.

BURNING BARBERSHOP???

Surely this is some weird "fragrance artistry" again to have created something fancy!!!!

However, I have just tried my first barbershop or fougére scents.

Including, among other things, THE masterpiece Invasion Barbare as well as the price-performance cracker Beau de Jour Eau de Parfum.

In contrast, this sample will certainly "go up in smoke"...

Well, suitable for the weekend so my package arrives and as it happens, I take me so the random / spontaneously purchased sample as the first and am curious what awaits me.

The Opening:

The fragrance starts very fresh and tangy, especially by the lime and green mint. Through the hemlock joins a minimal green note to it, but really only very subtle.

The middle of the fragrance pyramid:

Unfortunately, I take the lavender was not quite as strong again bspw. in one of the above barbershop fragrances, but at least this is present. The rose I must honestly confess, emerges with me in no way, is mMn but anything but tragic.

The base notes and the drydown:

Quite classically, one could now claim / note that now only a smoky note joins the previous components dazugesellt. That is in itself also correct, since I would not necessarily claim to smell burnt oil, hay or a certain sweetness by the vanilla. It is just a smoky note, which gives the whole a completely different "twist".

Conclusion:

For me, this fragrance is one of the most exciting and at the same time most exciting fragrances in my collection. How do you please come up with the idea to combine the fresh and green notes from the top note with a classic note like lavender in the middle to round this off again with a smoky note and thus the complete opposite in the base?!?!!?!

This fragrance is an absolute masterpiece and deserves much more attention in my opinion. I have not smelled this composition so yet and is just extremely extraordinary.

I would recommend this fragrance almost as an everyday signature scent. The only drawback could be for the people and environment at most the smoky note in the base, which of course does not bother me personally at all

More reviews