Bois Impérial Essential Parfums 2020 Eau de Parfum

I don’t know why I immediately bought Bois Imperial as a blind buy, and then also as a whole bottle. Somehow this mystery intrigued me so much, I couldn’t help it. As a staunch gourmand supporter and freshie opponent, I just wanted to take a chance on the unknown. Why Gourmand OR Freshie, when it can be something completely surreal? Bois Imperial is the answer. I think. Is it the answer? Depends on what the question is.

And here it is now - Packaged like 100g of buckwheat groats from an environmentally conscious organic store, I tear it out of 500 layers of cardboard as if I were a vegan King Arthur.

"Bois Imperial!" I exclaim, holding the average-looking bauble. 50% of the common folk scream in fear, the other 50% are astonished. Bois Imperial. Elegantly, I decapitate the bottle that fits perfectly into the collection of a Berlin street model, so minimalist yet beautiful, and I sniff the sprayer for the first impression.. Wow. It smells somehow so.. Soft? Fresh? I don’t know what I’m smelling here, but it just smells like washed, like "clean".

Sprayed on my arm, and I got scared. What is this? Up close, this scent is definitely not a winner for me. Anyone who has dealt with "death" will understand what I mean. Not rotten, absolutely not, but every crime scene cleaner will be afraid of you, as this piercing sweetness exists on your arm. It’s exactly this sweetness. The creepy sweetness. I’ve read about it somewhere in the reviews, and I can understand it 100%. If the elderly gentleman in the apartment below you hasn’t shown his face for a week, if you’ve been in exactly this situation, you know the smell. Initially questionable and not bad, the smell, but once the door is broken down, you know what I mean. Then you connect the context. I don’t perceive any disinfectant at all, not at all. Hospital? Depends, has someone died there recently? Then yes.

I want to note - This is a scent that leans more towards the niche of "Molecule" fragrances. It is the in-between world of Molecule and actual fragrance notes. Your skin decides what happens with this scent, the scent does not decide that.

It.. polarizes. More than 10cm away from the spot wearing this scent, it smells incredibly indefinably good. I absolutely cannot explain it to you, it’s hard to put into words, and truly an ABSOLUTE niche fragrance. You have to be able to handle it, either you cut yourself with this blade directly, or you learn to deal with it. Some love fish, some tolerate fish, some HATE fish above all else. This scent doesn’t smell like fish, but it is fish. Not a crowd-pleaser / designer, but still more crowd-pleaser than designer. Almost EVERYONE will love your sillage, just don’t let them come too close. Please never wear this scent on a date, it’s too risky. Wear this scent if you want others in the pedestrian zone to remember you positively and wonder what a beautiful, wonderful scent it is, because it simply radiates calm and peace.

It opens with "soapy," but not bitter soapy, and an intensely synthetic-sweet freshness, but not the freshness you usually know. Up close, it’s pure horror. Yet immediately a scent spreads in the air, it’s just hard to explain - Clean, fresh, airy and loose, one thinks this is how clouds smell on a summer evening when walking through the garden, surrounded by clotheslines with freshly washed laundry that is almost dry but still gives off the last bit of moisture. You hear soft lo-fi hip hop, without lyrics, a pure instrumental, a warm bass in the background, with a soft melody. And in this regard, it remains quite linear, but strikingly noticeable. You are permanently surrounded by this cloud of "clean". This scent embodies fabric softener scent in a way that is respectable and simply cannot be explained until you test it yourself. But if you’re into wild developments, you’re in the wrong place. Not much changes from here.

After an hour, this creepy sweetness settles on the skin, it becomes drier, pepper pokes through, but for me, it’s not Szechuan (I have a kilo of authentic Szechuan here, I eat it when I feel like drooling for no reason), Szechuan pepper is more reminiscent of citrus mixed with.. cannabis, no joke, this is more like regular spicy pepper. Dry, noble, grapefruit not present, maybe part of the sillage, but up close, it’s more the pepper. Woody, so light, yes, dry wood. Creamy, the Ambrofix is permanently there, signaling to your nose that something is just clean. It becomes more floral on the skin, the sweetness thankfully disappears quite a bit as it develops further.

1 1/2 hours later - Slowly I feel like I’ve washed my hair. First shampoo, then conditioner, then leave-in conditioner. There’s something incredibly clean and creamy in the air, I’m going crazy. Up close, it almost reminds me of Terre de Hermes, just not nearly as masculine, resinous, and dry. However, the sillage is completely different. The sillage becomes softer, gentler, thoroughly washed laundry. I love it, and yet somehow I’m afraid of it. But I love it more.

And so it remains, becoming quieter and quieter.

What an adventure, that blind buy was really worth it. If you’re tired of always buying normal designers and really want something REALLY out there in an acceptable price range, you’re exactly right here. Would I recommend it as a blind buy? Maybe. You have to be open to a strange experience, you have to be open to a scent that stays away from any fragrances you’re used to. That doesn’t make it bad, quite the opposite, I find it somehow really cool.

One thing I can still say - Never test this scent on a test strip. Never ever. Generally, it’s a mortal sin, unless you just want to perceive the strong top notes. But I don’t judge cola because I don’t like the color of the logo. You have to try them. This scent MUST be tested on the skin, otherwise, a completely false opinion will form. Your skin decides what this scent will convey.