Bois Mystérieux / Songe d'un Bois d'Été by Guerlain

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Bois Mystérieux
Songe d'un Bois d'Été
Guerlain 2012

8.0 / 10 491 Ratings

A popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Leathery

Oriental

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Laurel

Neroli

Heart Notes

Cedar

Patchouli

Saffron

Jasmine

Base Notes

Leather

Myrrh

Perfumer

Thierry Wasser

Ratings

Scent

8.0491 Ratings

Longevity

8.5411 Ratings

Sillage

8.0405 Ratings

Bottle

8.3393 Ratings

Value for money

7.6151 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 09/27/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was initially part of the collection "Les Déserts d'Orient". In 2019, it was re-released as "Bois Mystérieux" as part of the collection "Les Absolus d'Orient".

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Leather Oud

La Tsarine

Anubis

Qaa'ed

Oud Essentiel

Bois d'Oud

Reviews

14 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/26/2016

8
Bottle 8
Longevity 9
Scent

JackHunter33
90 Reviews

JackHunter33

Very helpful Review 4

A Sensual Fragrance For The Romantic Lothario

Well who would have thought that Guerlain would come out in this day and age with a dirty leathery spicy fragrance done for a gentleman. On first application I get the cumin body odor fragrance mixed in with a leathery woody oud and saffron. The jasmine is used wonderfully to tame the beast so it puurrss and does not growl on your skin.lol

I get the associations with Dior Leather Oud, but this has been created in a more classy way. The scent is very sensual and intimate, the balance between the dark notes is offset well with the floral jasmine.

As time goes by and the spicy cumin note settles down and this scent just gets better and better. It goes into full seduction mode, the oud, leather and floral touched myrrh does smell like you could don suit and become a Lothario for the night.

I would say this fragrance is for the gentleman who wants to attract the ladies. Very well done!

03/11/2021

6
Pricing 8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 7
Scent

HugoMontez
81 Reviews

HugoMontez

5

UltraMega Ok

This Les Absolu D'Orient line is very mediocre to me. There's a lot of love around this line and, although i think is decent, i find it very pretencious and unconvincing.
The only one that grab my atention and that i have full bottle is the discontinued (but actually great) Ambre Eternel.

I'm a huge fan of Guerlain classics. If there's such a thing called niche, Guerlain should have been considered one. Starting with Jicky, Mouchoir de Monsieur or Mitsouko, passing through Shalimar and Habit Rouge or even Vetiver and Heritage, they all have uniqueness and high quality compositions.
But this line and the recent mainstream L'Homme Ideal, aren't that unique or great. Perhaps the Cologne it might be considered good, but nothing stands out or might be remembered for years.

This one has a good to top note, which makes me think that it might be great. But as it dries down, it became more traditional, more common, more uninteresting. Patchouli-leather-myrrh thing going on for a good 8h. The top note has laurel which brings something quite alluring and interesting. Very aromatic and along with the sweet resinous myrrh, creates an ellegant and sophisticated aura around.

After 1-2h, it changes into a patchouli resinous thing and the hole composition turns irrelevant.

I personally don't love it. Its decent and actually great in the opening but after that, i don't find nothing great to mention.

Try Ambre Eternel if you can. For a different amber and without the woody-amber syndrome.
3/5

02/14/2015

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

Insense
25 Reviews

Insense

Helpful Review 6

A master class from Guerlain

Exclusive in Guerlain boutiques or at Harrods in London, I ordered a small sample of an American site.
This perfume is part of the collection "Deserts d'Orient". I tried and re-tested all 3: Encens Mythique is sweet, reminiscent of the smell of the upper class women that surrounded my childhood; Rose Nacrée is for those who like oud with rose, arguably the most feminine of 3, and very well done; and finally this little secret that only we men should wear: Songe d'un Bois d'Été.
Distinguished, develops along the hours with nuances that only the mastery of a house as Guerlain could reach. Cardamom, the oud (not the medicinal one, but the smoothy one) and a cedar-patchouli base combine in a woody with great involvement. Mesmerizing and very very classy!
In the evening I will test the Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Parfumeur Leather Oud to compare. I'm torn between the two.
Niche houses, learn from these sacred monsters. Guerlain and Dior, no one definitely exceed those in the world of perfumery!

06/23/2024

5
Pricing 9
Sillage 9
Longevity 3
Scent

Smirky
483 Reviews

Smirky

3

Too much cedar

Reviewed from a sample. Well crafted perfume with super longevity and very good sillage. After a spicy opening the dry down revealed a stronger and stronger cedar scent. At first, the cedar scent seemed sour which eventually mellowed out. I did not get any leather and the spiciness dropped into the background. Just had a strong cedar scent for most of its life that reminded me of clean hamster bedding. I'd also rate this as a masculine scent, not unisex. Didn't like it. I'll pass.

12/18/2012

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 2.5
Longevity 4
Scent

Drseid
821 Reviews

Drseid

4

Oh No, It's The Dreaded BO...

Songe d'un Bois d'Ete opens with a blast of saffron, soon coupling with a very strong cumin and cardamom combination that unfortunately reminds me more than a bit of the "BO" note I experienced with Declaration by Cartier. The cumin and cardamom combo remains in full force through the heart notes, combining with cedar support and just the faintest whiff of jasmine to sweeten the scent only just a hair. The cumin and cardamom finally begin to fade late into the scent's heart, revealing a fine leather note in the base that finishes off the scent, combining with traces of the remaining saffron spice, cedar and a bit of real oud. Projection is average, with below average longevity.

Songe d'un Bois d'Ete was a bit of a disappointment. The cumin and cardamom that reveal themselves after the first few seconds of development are extremely strong and overpowering. They obscure much of what the scent has to offer and are quite unpleasant smelling. When you finally get past the "BO" accord, there really is a nice dry woody leather and oud combo to be found in the dry-down. That said, it is way too little, too late, and the scent fades to nothing shortly afterwards with its relatively short longevity. At approximately $300 for 75ml of Songe d'un Bois d'Ete one should expect so much more than this... indeed one should expect so much more at a quarter of the price. I give this weak composition a below average 2 out of 5 stars.

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