L'Art & La Matière

Bois d'Arménie 2006

Bois d'Arménie by Guerlain
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8.3 / 10 785 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men, released in 2006. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Sweet
Oriental
Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
FrankincenseFrankincense IrisIris Pink pepperPink pepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Gaiac woodGaiac wood BenzoinBenzoin CorianderCoriander
Base Notes Base Notes
Copaiba balsamCopaiba balsam PatchouliPatchouli White muskWhite musk

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.3785 Ratings
Longevity
7.8629 Ratings
Sillage
6.8629 Ratings
Bottle
8.7580 Ratings
Value for money
6.3215 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 07/10/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance was part of the collection "L'Art & La Matière".

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Paris-Saint Honoré
Benjoin Bohème by Diptyque
Benjoin Bohème
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Cuir Béluga Eau de Parfum
Danza Armena by Michele Bianchi
Danza Armena
Material by Amouage
Material
Jade Parfum Nektar (Extrait) by soOud
Jade Parfum Nektar Extrait

Reviews

21 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7.5
Bottle
2.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Apicius

224 Reviews
Apicius
Apicius
Helpful Review 3  
A Vanilla Titbit
There is a certain kind of paper – the sort which you may use to cover the shelves in a cupboard – that allegedly was responsible for the creation of Bois d'Arménie: a childhood memory of Sylvaine Delacourte – as I read or heard somewhere. As Guerlain's art director, she seems to have a leading influence on the creation of new fragrances. Well, another of those Guerlain legends!

With Bois d'Arménie, Guerlain gives us a fragrance which simply can only come from this house. It is this special handling of vanillic notes, which only Guerlain has lead to perfection. For me, it does not matter that vanilla is not mentioned as such in the known fragrance notes. Anyway, Guerlain is always telling only half of the truth.

The vanilla – or whatever I identify as such – has an unbelievable depth and intensity. It is not accompanied by woody tartness as the tonka complex in Arsène Lupin Voyou, but by a completely different dark and recondite woodiness. This has some resemblance to certain liqueurs, but without being overly sweet. And also, it almost has some smokiness. In its clear, only slightly shaded expression, this vanilla comes near to the wonderful Spiritueuse Double Vanille, however, it is darker.

With that paper story, Bois d'Arménie touches the world of orris fragrances – besides the powder note there is the impression of old foxy paper which also applies to some orris fragrances, and among those most of all to Dior Homme. They have something in common, however, only initially. Bois d'Arménie is not developing any “lipstick” accord as the Dior scent does.

Bois d'Arménie is a difficult fragrance, and it is a little bit demanding. The pithiness of the vanillic part obviously makes it necessary to shift down the intensity. And so, Bois d'Arménie is a difficult candidate for testing. During my first encounters at my local Maison Guerlain, Bois d'Arménie seemed to have nothing to say. Having my olfactory sense affected by other, less discreet fragrances, I was hardly able to smell it. Bois d'Arménie creates only a faint aura around its wearer – getting acquainted with it needs some time and devotion.

Besides vanilla and orris, no other note reveals itself to me. On the contrary, during its development Bois d'Arménie more and more retreats into the vanilla-like shell until it is completely faded after almost a day.

So, which one is to prefer? The clear and ethereal Spiritueuse Double Vanille, or the noble, darkish Bois d'Arménie? Of course, these questions are not to be answered. Both will equally delight their owners – providing that one can cope with such a lot of vanilla-like orientalism.

Personally, I only sometimes like to wear it – carefully, so to say. Please consider: a vanilla ice cream is consumed within a few minutes – but Bois d'Arménie will last many hours! Despite its discreetness, one better wears this beautiful fragrance with consideration. Eat it like a titbit!
0 Comments
8
Pricing
10
Bottle
6
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
Omnipotato

276 Reviews
Omnipotato
Omnipotato
6  
Armenian paper
The history of "papier d'Armenie" or "Armenian paper" is a fascinating one. People in Armenia in the 19th century would burn benzoin resin to release its fragrant smoke for disinfecting and cleansing purposes. A Frenchman on his travels came upon this practice and wanted to spread it in his home country. He came up with a way to dissolve the benzoin resin in alcohol and infuse it onto blotter paper. He started a company called Papier d'Armenie which is still around to this day and run by his great-grandaughter.

Being Armenian, I was drawn straight away to the name of this fragrance, "Bois d'Armenie" or "Armenian Wood." Unfortunately the practice of burning benzoin has died out in our culture, and most Armenians have never even heard of the papier d'Armenie that is ubiquitous in France. I only found out about it through reading the description of this fragrance on Guerlain's website then doing my own research about its history.

As you may by now realize, Bois d'Armenie is Guerlain's take on the scent of papier d'Armenie. And even though I have never smelled the burning paper myself, Bois d'Armenie is a beautiful representation of sweet benzoin and a light woody paper accord. Dry frankincense and creamy vanilla add to the experience, rounded out by soft iris. It is subtle but long lasting, and it somehow grows over time, like a room slowly being filled by the scent of burning benzoin-infused paper.
4 Comments
6
Pricing
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
10
Scent
Sopelka

40 Reviews
Sopelka
Sopelka
3  
Very comforting
I discovered Bois d’Armenie in February 2022 when a kind fellow fraghead sent me a sample. I took it with me on the road when I went to Warsaw to help my parents evacuate from Ukraine. BdA helped me deal with the stress and anxiety while I was way from home for a couple of weeks. I felt its warm, sweet, calming embrace in the mornings and resprayed at night to help me fall asleep.

After I came back and reunited with my collection, I realized that BdA is a lot like Shalimar EDT’s dry down. It is essentially Shalimar less the bergamot opening and no leather.
0 Comments
8
Pricing
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
Polaroid

51 Reviews
Polaroid
Polaroid
2  
Sublimity
I can't properly express how I feel about this fragrance, but from the first moment I sprayed it, I've been utterly smitten. It has quickly become one of my all time favorite fragrances. In my eyes, it's pretty much perfect. It's difficult to describe how this smells. You can look at the note breakdown, but it's not really going to help you. This is a master class of blending. Yes, the dominant note is benzoin, and I'm sure there is some iris, guiac wood, and incense in there somewhere. But when I wear Bois d'Armenie, I can't dissect it the way that I can with other fragrances. This isn't about that. It's about giving you an experience, creating an atmosphere, a mood, a feeling. This doesn't fit at all into the tiresome trend of fragrances being about exactly what's on the tin. This isn't some "Santal 33" or "Vanilla Oud" or "Orange and Musk"; in that regard, Bois d'Armenie even sets itself apart from the rest of the L'Art et la Matiere series. Thank god they didn't call it "Benzoin Encens" or something silly like that. The name itself sparks the imagination: Bois d'Armenie, Armenian Wood (it sounds a lot better in French of course). In ye olden days, you had names like "Opium", "Samsara", "Egoiste", "Shalimar", "Fahrenheit", names that were meant to evoke an idea, rather than simply describe the ingredients in the bottle. Can we go back to that, please? Do we really need more ugly fragrance names like "Wood and Spice" or "Oud & Santal"? Anyway, let me get off my soapbox. I'm here to wax lyrical about my beloved BdA.

This is a gilded fragrance that conjures up a crepuscular, autumnal atmosphere. It reminds me of brocaded silk, a beautiful city built of stone, the rasping of dead leaves on cobbles, the cold breath of the wind, that particular way in which the autumn light falls at a slant that illuminates everything more richly, as if it had been passed through amber. There is great beauty here, but it is faded beauty, lost beauty. It's like an old, early color picture of a party. The opening is like being there, feeling totally present, smelling the beautiful people in expensive clothes, seeing the candlelight refracted through the crystal champagne flutes, feeling the serotinal chill slowly being warded off by a roaring fire. There is something liqueur-like in the opening, almost akin to the boozy vanilla note in Spiriteuse Double Vanille or Tonka Imperiale. But as the fragrances dries, the richness and slight booziness of the opening fades. The characteristic Guerlain dustiness begins to take over, powdery incense and resins and patchouli and woods, a wisp of smoke from a burning leaf of papier d'Armenie which is slowly but surely burning away to ashes. The color has been drained to sepia, the fire has died, the wine's all been drunk, the candles blown out by the wind. All that remains is the room which has absorbed the reverie, retains the perfumes of the ladies, the smoke of the fire and the extinguished cigars, the spilt brandy, the baking sweets. And through the window the city lights blink out one by one.

This is a masterpiece, one of the best in a house full of greats. The quality, blending, and performance are all superb (though this is not a beast). It is expensive, but totally worth it. Memoirs of a Trespasser doesn't even come close. But this is a very personal fragrance for me. It might not be for everyone. Try before you buy, for sure. Then join the cult, like I did.

10/10
0 Comments
6
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
10
Scent
Aramatam

8 Reviews
Aramatam
Aramatam
3  
Could bathe in it
The amazing thing about Papier d’Armenie is the stark contrast between its scent before burning versus as it burns. I was expecting Bois d’Armenie to resemble the latter: heavy, smokey, and purifying frankincense and myrrh, reminiscent of Orthodox Church. Instead, it is nearly a dead ringer for the musky, powdery, vanilla, almost dusty iris scent of the ‘Papiers’ while they are neatly in their booklet. Not an unpleasant surprise! I get almost no woodiness, and it has no smoky incense notes, but it is so incredibly smooth and supple and comforting that I am lusting after a full bottle even though it is wildly expensive. It had a weak projection on me—I have to spray with gusto as I would a cologne—but it is so elegant. Also, confirming It has that special powdery ‘Guerlinade’ accord that folks have mentioned. Uzum em. . .
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Statements

6 short views on the fragrance
MothulaMothula 3 months ago
A warmth that is familiar, if not longed-for. It softens the noose of tomorrow; withers loneliness in a blanket of balsamic sweetness.
0 Comments
EstbienlaEstbienla 4 years ago
The smell of unburnt Armenian paper deceived in vanilla
0 Comments
HajuvanaHajuvana 9 years ago
I'd like to know more about the dry, resinous oriental that's hiding behind that Menardo accord hovering on top like a huge black censor bar.
0 Comments
ScentToolboxScentToolbox 9 months ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
7
Scent
Forgotten dusty bookcases lie untouched in a lost library. This is such a unique, powdery wood scent. Not for me but I appreciate the art.
0 Comments
SamgradeSamgrade 6 months ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Elegance in a bottle. Incense, wood & pachouli… a pleasure for your nose
0 Comments
FrankcrummitFrankcrummit 6 months ago
Succeeds by elevating soft woods and musks over harsh balsam - like the incensing of an ancient icon in a chapel stuffed with dried flowers.
0 Comments
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Discussions

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ApiciusApicius 12 years ago
Perfumes & Brands
Bois d'Arménie - tilted?
I gave up on Guerlain after the release of Spiritueuse Double Vanille, which I still love.

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